AIP Capital, an alternative investment manager specializing in asset-based finance, has named Matt Stevens as Managing Director to lead the firm's commercial operations across the Americas. Stevens, who brings more than 15 years of experience in aircraft financing, sales, leasing, and airline client partnerships, will focus on expanding AIP's regional and global industry relationships.
Managing Partner Jared Ailstock said Stevens' background positions the firm well to serve its growing client base. "Matt brings deep experience and a track record in aircraft financing, sales, leasing and partnering with airline customers over more than 15 years," Ailstock noted in the announcement.
The hire is part of a broader expansion at AIP Capital, which operates across offices in Stamford, Singapore, Dublin, and New York. For hospitality and food-and-beverage operators watching capital markets closely, moves like this reflect continued institutional appetite for asset-based lending structures — a financing category that has increasingly intersected with restaurant and hospitality sector investment as operators seek alternative funding sources beyond traditional bank credit.
Asset-based finance has gained traction among capital-intensive industries, including aviation and, more recently, food-service infrastructure. As interest rates remain elevated, operators across the food and beverage landscape have turned to alternative lenders and structured finance vehicles to fund equipment, real estate, and supply-chain assets. Appointments like Stevens' underscore the competition among alternative managers to place capital in these verticals.
AIP Capital's global footprint and focus on institutional clients suggest the firm is positioning itself to capture deal flow from a wide range of asset-heavy industries as it scales its Americas presence under Stevens' leadership. Coverage of related capital markets activity appears regularly at Food & Beverage Magazine.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
