Critical Technologies Investor: AE Industrial Partners’ Kirk Konert

In this episode, we speak with Kirk Konert, Managing Partner at AE Industrial Partners—a private investment firm with $7.2 billion in assets under management, focused on specialized sectors including national security, aerospace, and industrial services. Since its founding in 1998, AEI has completed more than 140 investments in market-leading companies, leveraging deep industry expertise, operational experience, and a broad network across its core sectors. Kirk joined AEI in 2014 and is primarily responsible for sourcing, executing, and managing the firm’s portfolio investments. Prior to AEI, he held roles at Sun Capital Partners and was a member of Wells Fargo Securities’ Industrials Group.  AE Industrial Partners was recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.