From Engineering to Private Equity: Jimmy Watson’s Journey from SMU to Clavis Capital

This week on SMU Stories, we sat down with SMU alumnus Jimmy Watson.Jimmy is currently a Managing Director at Clavis Capital Partners, a middle market private investment firm based in Dallas, where he has been for over seven years. Prior to his current role, Jimmy worked in FP&A at Demilec USA LLC, where he played a key role in the company’s acquisition by Huntsman Corporation. Before that, he was a management consultant at Riveron Consulting and EY, focusing on merger integration and process design. Jimmy began his career in FP&A at Raytheon Technologies.In this conversation, Jimmy opens up about the power of networking, the myths around breaking into private equity, and how the SMU Executive MBA shaped his approach to leadership and investment. He also shares how Clavis Capital Partners supports founder-led businesses navigating institutional growth.