Back to News & Insights

Firm Highlights | 10/16/2023

Wildcat Capital Management-Backed Car Wash Platform Receives Strategic Growth Investment From Sculptor Real Estate

Wildcat Capital Management-Backed Car Wash Platform Receives Strategic Growth Investment From Sculptor Real Estate

NEW YORK, NY, October 16, 2023 -- Wildcat Capital Management, a New York-based family office, announced today that its car wash platform – which includes Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts – has received a significant growth investment from Sculptor Real Estate ("Sculptor"), the real estate business of Sculptor Capital Management, Inc. (NYSE: SCU), a leading global alternative asset management firm specializing in real estate, credit, and multi-strategy investment products. The new capital will be used to accelerate development initiatives for Wildcat’s car wash platform, which currently operates in over 225 locations across the United States, offering high-quality, convenient, and affordable car wash services.

"We are thrilled to partner with Sculptor Real Estate, which shares our vision to deliver the best car wash experience to our customers and communities," said Roland Bartels, CEO of Club Car Wash. "Sculptor’s support will enable us to expand our footprint and reach new markets, while maintaining our focus on operational excellence and customer satisfaction."

John Roush, CEO of Express Wash Concepts, added: "We look forward to working with Sculptor Real Estate as we continue to provide the highest quality and value to our dedicated customers, identify and acquire attractive sites for new car washes, and optimize our existing portfolio."

Drew Tarlow, Managing Director at Wildcat Capital Management, said: "We are very proud of what Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts have achieved in the past few years, becoming leaders in their respective markets and regions. We are excited to welcome Sculptor as a strategic partner, as we prepare our companies for the next phase of growth."

Nicholas Hecker, Chief Investment Officer of Sculptor Real Estate, said: "We are impressed by the strong track records and reputations of Club Car Wash and Express Wash Concepts, which have built best-in-class car wash businesses with loyal customer bases and differentiated value propositions. We are delighted to join forces with Wildcat Capital Management to support the car wash platform’s ambitious growth plans."

About Wildcat Capital Management:

Wildcat was established in 2011 as a single-family investment office. The firm has a long term, flexible family-office-driven approach. Wildcat seeks to partner with leading private consumer, business services, software, healthcare, and technology-enabled companies. In addition, Wildcat has both a public markets investment team and a value-add and opportunistic real estate investment team. For additional information please contact media@wildcatcap.com or visit our website at www.wildcatcap.com

About Sculptor:

Sculptor is a leading global alternative asset management firm with approximately $34 billion in assets under management specializing in real estate, credit, and multi-strategy investment products. Sculptor's real estate business was founded in 2003 and has invested in over $20.3 billion of real estate assets across 27 different real estate related asset classes including direct equity investments, preferred equity structures, ground leases, senior loan, mezzanine loans, among other real estate investments. For more information, visit www.sculptor.com

About Club Car Wash:
Founded as Tiger Express Car Wash in 2006, the company rebranded to Club Car Wash in 2019. Currently operating 140+ locations in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Texas (with stores soon opening in Colorado), Club Car Wash is one of the largest and fastest growing express car wash companies in the United States. To learn more about Club Car Wash, please visit www.clubcarwash.com.

About Express Wash Concepts:
Express Wash Concepts is the parent company of 90+ award winning, express car wash locations throughout Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia under the following brands: Moo Moo Express Car Wash, Flying Ace Express Car Wash, Clean Express Auto Wash, Meyers Auto Wash, Green Clean Express Auto Wash, Snazzy's Express Car Wash, and Bee Clean Express Car Wash. For more information, please visit www.expresswashconcepts.com.