By Lauren Ratcliffe
lratcliffe@scbiznews.com
Published Jan. 24, 2012

KCG Investment Partners, the private equity investment affiliate of Knowledge Capital Group, announced an investment in Hoowaki.

The investment comes through the company’s committed fund. KCG declined to comment on the value of the investment, but did say that it has become an equity partner in Hoowaki.

Hoowaki is a Pendleton-based, manufacturing-technology company that makes products for the medical, wire and cable industries. Its products reduce sliding friction and lower drag along the surface and control surface tension of the wires.

KCGIP managing director Tony Powel said Hoowaki’s leadership team made the investment seem worthwhile.

“Their technology is market-changing in that it disrupts current paradigms and has nearly endless applications,” he said. “Ralph (Hulseman, president of Hoowaki), has assembled a world-class team — both at the operational and board level, and we could not be more pleased about the opportunity to help them succeed.”

The investment deal took months of preparation and meetings between the companies to complete, Powel said.

“We fell in love with them and their concept, and we felt it was a great opportunity to get involved with a startup that is going to be disruptive to the market and add jobs to the state of South Carolina.”