Our Private Equity Group is considered the go-to practice for complex, bespoke and firm-defining transactions. With clients ranging from the world’s leading institutional asset managers to prominent middle-market private equity and growth equity firms, we offer comprehensive advice to general partners, limited partners, co-investors and other equity stakeholders, as well as portfolio companies, lenders and financial sponsor groups. The depth and continuity of our relationships across the industry gives us a nuanced understanding of each client’s objectives and allows us to provide seamless, efficient counsel across the investment lifecycle.
Representative Engagements
- 3G Capital and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in its $7.1 billion acquisition of Hunter Douglas, a world market leader in window coverings and manufacturer of architectural products
- Restaurant Brands International (RBI), a portfolio company of 3G Capital, in its $1.8 billion acquisition of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, a quick service restaurant chicken concept, and its $1 billion acquisition of Firehouse Restaurant Group, a sub sandwich quick service restaurant chain
- Apollo Global Management and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in a $1.2 billion equity investment by State Farm in ADT Inc., a provider of smart home and small business security and a portfolio company of Apollo
- as lead investor in the $1.75 billion investment in Albertsons Companies, a food and drug retailer
- Apollo Strategic Growth Capital in its combination with AmEx Global Business Travel, valued at approximately $5 billion, creating the largest publicly traded B2B travel platform
- in its $43 billion merger with Athene, a leading retirement services provider
- as lead investor in the take-private acquisition of Atlas Air Worldwide, a provider of outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services, for an enterprise value of $5.2 billion
- in the over $3 billion acquisition through a new broadcasting company of media conglomerate Cox Media Group’s radio station portfolio, as well as the CoxReps and Gamut advertising businesses of Cox Enterprises
- in the $1.4 billion sale of Diamond Resorts International to Hilton Grand Vacations
- Intrado Corporation, a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, in the pending $2.4 billion sale of Intrado’s safety business, a provider of critical public emergency telecommunications services, to Stonepeak
- in the $7.5 billion acquisition of the incumbent local exchange carrier business of Lumen Technologies, a telecommunications company, to create Brightspeed
- in the $4.5 billion sale of its portfolio company McGraw Hill, an educational publishing company, to Platinum Equity
- in its approximately $4.3 billion take-private acquisition of Rackspace Inc., a cloud-computing company, and numerous subsequent transactions for Rackspace, including its acquisitions of TriCore Solutions and Datapipe Parent
- in the $2.7 billion acquisition of Shutterfly, a photography products and image sharing company; and its subsequent $225 million acquisition of Spoonflower, an online wallpaper, home decor and fabric marketplace
- in the acquisition of the Terminals, Solutions & Services (TSS) business line from Worldline, a France-based payments servicer
- in the $8.1 billion take-private acquisition of Univar Solutions, a leading global chemical and ingredients distributor
- in its $6.25 billion acquisition of The Venetian Resort and Sands Expo and Convention Center from Las Vegas Sands Corporation
- in the $5 billion acquisition of Verizon Media, one of the world’s premier global technology and media companies, which is comprised of iconic brands such as Yahoo and AOL, as well as leading ad tech and media platform businesses
- Yahoo, a portfolio company of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, in its 30-year exclusive commercial agreement with Taboola, a technology company that powers recommendations for the Open Web; and Edgecast, a business unit of Yahoo, in the company’s sale to Limelight Networks
- Ares Capital Management and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in its investment, alongside Providence Equity Partners, in OUTFRONT Media, an outdoor media company
- Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives (“IEA”), a portfolio company of Ares, in IEA’s $1.1 billion sale to MasTec
- Baring Private Equity Asia in its $7.5 billion sale to EQT AB
- Berkshire Partners in numerous transactions, including:
- in its acquisition of FoodChain ID, a food-safety and food-quality products and services business
- in its acquisition of a majority stake in Harvey Performance Company, a designer and manufacturer of specialized cutting tools for precision machining applications
- in its investment in Kendra Scott Design, a fashion accessories brand
- in its investment in Mielle Organics, a natural hair care and beauty brand, and in Mielle’s subsequent sale to P&G Beauty
- Birch Hill Equity Partners Management in the $2.3 billion sale of Shred-It International, a Canada-based secure information destruction services provider, to Stericycle
- Blackstone Growth in numerous transactions, including its $200 million investment in Oatly AB, a Sweden-based maker of oat milk
- Brighton Park Capital in numerous transactions, including:
- in its investments in AppViewX, Coralogix, Darktrace, DataVisor, Impartner, Indegene, NuORDER, OPSWAT, Paradox, Reltio, RocketReach, RStudio, SheerID, TheMathCompany and XSOLIS
- Brookfield in numerous transactions, including:
- in its acquisition of a significant minority stake in Primary Wave Music, an independent publisher of iconic and legendary music, as part of a new strategic partnership valued at over $2 billion, and its additional $1.7 billion capital funding commitment
- alongside Simon Property Group in their acquisition of certain assets of J.C. Penney Company, in connection with J.C. Penney’s chapter 11 case
- in its acquisition of a 50% stake of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice’s ownership interest in BrandSafway, a provider of infrastructure services to industrial and commercial facilities with an enterprise value of $6.7 billion
- Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec in numerous transactions, including:
- in its investment in Allied Universal, a security services provider, valuing Allied Universal at more than $7 billion
- in its acquisition of a significant stake in ICR, a strategic communications and advisory services company
- alongside Centerbridge Partners, in its acquisition of Medical Solutions, a travel nursing company
- in the $6.7 billion acquisition of Sedgwick, a provider of technology-enabled risk, benefits and integrated business solutions, from KKR
- in its $4.3 billion joint acquisition, with KKR, of USI Insurance Services, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm, from Onex Corporation
- in its minority investment in Zevia, a beverage company
- The Carlyle Group in numerous transactions, including:
- its acquisition of Content Partners, an investment company focused on acquiring films, tv programming and related royalties
- alongside Brigade Capital Management and Ares Management Corporation in its investment in Guitar Center, the world’s leading musical instrument retailer
- Casdin Capital, alongside Viking Global Investors, in its investment in Fluidigm, a developer, manufacturer and marketer of health and disease technology
- CI Capital Partners and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- Ply Gem Holdings, a building products manufacturer, in its $2.4 billion acquisition by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
- in the sale of its portfolio company, PRA, a business event management firm, to EagleTree Capital
- Dozens of acquisitions, sales and investments involving portfolio companies such as Arch Amenities, The Cadmus Group, Epiphany Dermatology, Hero Digital, Impact Group, Redwood Logistics, SavATree, Summit Companies and WTS International
- Clearlake Capital Group in numerous transactions, including:
- in the $5.3 billion consortium deal to acquire Chelsea Football Club
- in its growth investment in Crash Champions, an automotive mechanic services enterprise
- Crestview Partners in its acquisition of TenCate Grass Holding B.V., a Netherlands-based vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor and installer of artificial turf solutions, from Royal TenCate
- D1 Capital Partners in numerous transactions, including:
- in its original investment and PIPE investment in the $7 billion business combination of Cazoo Holdings, a UK-based online car retailer, and AJAX I, a special purpose acquisition company
- in its $1.2 billion investment in goPuff, a go-to platform for consumers’ everyday needs
- its investments in Addepar, Attentive Mobile, Bolt, CelLink, Cometeer Coffee, Dream Sports, Drivenets, Dutchie, Fireblocks, Foxtrot Ventures, Geek+, Groq, Guild Education, Highspot, Lineage Logistics, Loft, Misfits Market, Multiverse, Procore Technologies, Provi, Ramp, Robinhood, Rivian Automotive, Robinhood, Shiftsmart, Sorare, Uber Freight, Unity Technologies, Warby Parker, Zetwerk and Zomato
- Declaration Partners in numerous transactions, including:
- its investments in Amperity, aXiomatic, Branded E-Commerce Group, Bright Health, LMI Consulting and Tealium
- Francisco Partners in its strategic investment in GreenSlate, an entertainment business services and payroll service company
- Gamut Capital Management, in partnership with British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, in their investment in PS Logistics, a flatbed transportation and full-service logistics provider
- General Atlantic in countless acquisitions, investments and divestitures involving its portfolio companies across multiple industry and geographical sectors, including:
- Business Services (AppsFlyer, Arco Platform, CLEAResult, Comprehensive Educational Services [ACES], Coupa Software, Creative Planning, Evisort, Guideline, Gusto, Hibob, HireRight, Kavak, Network Solutions, Pendo.io, Quality Technology Services, TriNet and Trow)
- Financial Services (Albert, Avant Credit, Bold, Branch, Chime, dLocal, First Republic Bank, Klar, Mollie, Neon Pagamentos, the NYSE, NYMEX, Santander, Talos and XP Investimentos)
- Healthcare (Adagene, Alignment Healthcare, A Place for Mom, Biotheus, CareMetx, CinCor Pharma, Doctor On Demand, Equality Health, eviCore Healthcare, Hutchison China MediTech, Landmark Health, Marathon Health, MedExpress, NationsBenefits, PANTHERx Rare, PT Solutions, Royalty Pharma, Sanfer, Shanghai LePure Biotech Co. and Vida Health)
- Internet and Technology (Acesso Digital, Airbnb, AppDynamics, Atera, Authentic Brands Group, Benevity, BuzzFeed, Chess.com, Chronosphere, Coalition, Crehana, Devo Technology, Duolingo, Facebook, Fireblocks, Gympass, Incode, Invoice Cloud, Jio Platforms, Jobber, Klarna, o9 Solutions, Quizlet, Red Ventures, Riskified, Samsara, Seismic, Slack, SnapAV, Snapchat, SPINS, Squarespace, ThreatLocker, Tilting Point, Transmit Security, Uber and Vox Media)
- Retail and Consumer (%Arabica, Buff City Soap, Ding Dong, European Wax Center, Fresha, Jüsto, The Meet Group, Morphe, PatPat, Privalia, Reliance Retail Ventures, RoadRunner, Studio Moderna, Too Faced Cosmetics, Torchy’s Tacos, Tory Burch and Vegamour)
- as lead investor in a consortium, in its acquisition of 58.com, a China-based online classifieds marketplace, for an enterprise value of $8.7 billion
- A consortium led by General Atlantic and including Blackstone Growth and ICONIQ Growth in a $1.5 billion investment in Articulate Global, a SaaS provider of online training tools and e-learning authoring apps
- in the $10.6 billion sale of its stake in its portfolio company, Oak Street Health, to CVS Health
- alongside other investors, in its $1.4 billion growth investment in Sierra Space
- Global Infrastructure Partners, alongside KKR, in its acquisition of CyrusOne for an enterprise value of approximately $15 billion
- Golden Gate Capital and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- 2020 Technologies, a Canada-based provider of specialized computer-aided design (CAD), configure, price, quote (CPQ) and a portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital, in its sale to Genstar Capital
- Mosaic Insurance, a portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital, in its strategic partnership with SiriusPoint, a Bermuda-based insurer and reinsurer
- Neustar, an analytics company, in its $3.1 billion sale by a private investment group led by Golden Gate Capital and with minority participation from GIC, to TransUnion
- in its investment in Parallel Advisors, an independent wealth management firm
- in its investment in Pico, a provider of mission critical technology services, software, data and analytics for the financial markets community
- in its acquisition of Securly, an end-to-end student safety and device management platform
- Vantage Elevator Solutions, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of elevator components and systems and portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital, in its sale of a majority stake to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board
- in the sale of a majority stake of its portfolio company Vector Solutions, a provider of industry-focused software solutions for training, risk management, workforce management and operational readiness to Genstar Capital
- High Bluff Capital Partners, alongside funds managed by FS Investments, in its acquisition of Church’s Chicken, a chicken restaurant chain
- Funds affiliated with KKR in numerous transactions, including:
- in its acquisition of a minority stake in Cegid, a France-based provider of business management software solutions, at an enterprise value of €5.5 billion
- in its €1.8 billion acquisition of a 37.5% stake in FiberCop S.p.A., a new unit of Telecom Italia, an Italy-based telecommunications company
- as lead investor, in a strategic investment round in Skydance Media, an independent media company founded by producer and actor David Ellison that produces leading film, television, video game and other entertainment, including Top Gun: Maverick, Netflix’s Grace and Frankie and many others
- in connection with Telxius Towers’s, a Spain-based telecommunications company and a portfolio company of Telefónica S.A., €7.7 billion sale of its telecommunications tower unit to American Tower Corporation
- in its sale of a majority stake in United Group B.V., a Netherlands-based media and communication services provider, to funds advised by BC Partners
- Kohlberg & Co. and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- alongside Partners Group, in its investment in BluSky Restoration Contractors, a roofing renovation company
- in its acquisition of DecoPac, a supplier of cake-decorating ingredients and products
- in its acquisition of Myers EPS, a designer and manufacturer of emergency lighting backup power technology
- in its acquisition of Ob Hospitalist Group, a provider of customized obstetric hospitalist programs
- in its investment in [solidcore], a fitness studio with a focus on high-intensity, low-impact exercise
- SpecialtyCare, an operator of outsourced clinical services to hospital operating rooms and a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, in its sale to Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners
- in its acquisition of a 50% stake in United States Infrastructure Corporation (USIC), a provider of utility location services, from Partners Group for an enterprise value of $4.1 billion
- KPS Capital Partners and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in the over $1 billion acquisition of Anchor Glass Container Corporation, a manufacturer of premium glass packaging products and a portfolio company of KPS, by funds advised by CVC Capital Partners and BA Glass B.V.
- in its approximately $2.7 billion acquisition of the Europe, Middle East and Africa food, aerosol and promotional packaging business from Crown Holdings
- alongside DexKo Global, a supplier of chassis technology and components and portfolio company of KPS, in its $3.4 billion sale to Brookfield
- in its $1.8 billion acquisition of Howden, a provider of air and gas handling products, technologies and services, from Colfax Corporation and subsequent $4.4 billion sale of the company to Chart Industries
- in its €1.38 billion (approximately $1.67 billion) acquisition of the global aluminum rolling business of Norsk Hydro ASA a Norway-based manufacturer of aluminum rolled products
- in its $3.45 billion acquisition of Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope (OBE), a provider of architectural hardware, glass and glazing systems, from CRH plc.
- in its $1.7 billion acquisition of a controlling stake in the Primary Products Business in North America and Latin America of Tate & Lyle PLC, a U.K.-based provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions
- in its acquisition of a controlling equity interest in Princess Yachts, a U.K.-based motor yacht manufacturer
- in its acquisition of TaylorMade Golf Company, a manufacturer of high performance golf equipment and golf balls, from adidas AG and subsequent sale of the company to Centroid Investment Partners
- Liberty Strategic Capital in numerous transactions, including:
- in its investment in BlueVoyant, a cybersecurity defense firm
- in its investment in Satellogic, a Uruguay-based provider of low-cost, sub-meter satellite imagery to governments and commercial customers
- in its acquisition of Zimperium, a mobile security platform
- Lone View Capital in its investment in Trend Health Partners, provider of credit balance management and payment accuracy solutions for health care payers and providers
- Oak Hill Capital and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in its $1.43 billion acquisition of Berlin Packaging, a leading supplier of rigid packaging products and services in North America
- in its acquisition of a controlling interest in Greenlight Networks, a fiber-optic Internet provider
- MetroNet, a fiber-optic broadband services provider, in its co-investment by KKR and Oak Hill Capital
- in its partnership with NetSpeed, a fiber-to-the-premises operator, to allow NetSpeed to accelerate the expansion of its fiber network throughout the Northeastern U.S.
- in its investment in Omni Fiber, an Internet service provider
- in its strategic partnership with Ontario & Trumansburg Telephone Companies, a telephone company
- in its take-private acquisition of Otelco, a wireline telecommunication services company
- in its investment in Race Communications, a fiber-to-the-premises operator
- in its acquisition of Safe Fleet Holdings, a provider of safety and productivity solutions for fleet vehicles
- in partnership with Trinity Consultants management and employees, in its acquisition of Trinity Consultants, an EHS, engineering and science consulting firm
- in its agreement to invest in and partner with U.S. Oral Surgery Management, an oral surgery management company
- QTS Realty Trust in its approximately $10 billion take-private acquisition by Blackstone
- Roark Capital and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in its acquisition of Asset Living, a property management firm
- Driven Brands’s acquisition of International Car Wash Group, a U.K.-based car wash company
- in its acquisition of Fitness Connection, a health club operator
- Focus Brands’ acquisition of Jamba Juice, a restaurant retailer of specialty beverage and food offerings
- Inspire Brands’s $11.3 billion acquisition of Dunkin’ Brands Group, the parent company of Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins
- in its acquisition of Mathnasium, a franchisor and operator of math learning centers
- in its acquisition of Nothing Bundt Cakes, a franchisor and operator of gourmet bakeries
- in its $1.6 billion acquisition of the ServiceMaster Brands businesses from ServiceMaster Global Holdings and ServiceMaster’s subsequent acquisition of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, a franchised moving company, and Aftermath, a professional biohazard and crime scene cleanup service
- in the sale of Solterra Recycling Solutions, a non-hazardous solid waste, organic waste and recycling collection provider, to Interstate Waste Services
- alongside its affiliate, Youth Enrichment Brands, in YEB’s acquisition of Streamline Brands, a swim school franchise concept consisting of SafeSplash, SwimLabs, Swimtastic and Saf-T-Swim
- in its investments in The Cheesecake Factory, Divisions Maintenance Group, PartsTown and US Sports Camps
- Sagewind Capital and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- its investments in By Light Professional IT Services, Federal Advisory Partners, GCOM Software, QuantiTech, Sigma Defense Systems and Skience
- its sale of Corfin Industries, a provider of component preparation services
- By Light Professional IT Services, a portfolio company of Sagewind Capital, in its acquisitions of Veraxx Engineering Corporation, Cole Engineering Services, Metova Federal, Phacil, Raydon Corporation and Axom Technologies
- Federal Advisory Partners, a portfolio company of Sagewind Capital, in its acquisition of Favor TechConsulting, a public sector management consulting firm
- GCOM Software, a portfolio company of Sagewind Capital, in its acquisitions of ASR Analytics, Qlarion and Three Sigma Software
- QuantiTech, a portfolio company of Sagewind Capital, in its acquisitions of Millennium Engineering and Integration Company and Systems Engineering Group (SEG)
- Sandler Capital Management in numerous transactions, including:
- in connection with the $2 billion sale of Xplornet Communications, a Canada-based broadband service provider and portfolio company of Sandler, to Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners
- in its acquisition of Farelogix, an airline technology vendor, and in the subsequent sale of Farelogix to Accelya
- Searchlight Capital Partners and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in its acquisition of 160over90, a full-service branding and marketing firm
- alongside WaveDivision Capital in the $1.35 billion acquisition of the Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana operations of Frontier Communications, a telecommunications company
- in connection with its investment in Global Eagle Entertainment, a provider of media, content, connectivity and data analytics
- Hemisphere Media Group in the sale of Pantaya, a Hispanic subscription video-on-demand service, to TelevisaUnivision
- in its preferred investment in MediaMath, a programmatic advertising company
- alongside Rêv Worldwide, Inc., in the $1 billion acquisition of the consumer business of Netspend, a provider of payments and financial solutions, from Global Payments
- TouchTunes, an in-venue interactive music and entertainment platform and portfolio company of funds advised by Searchlight Capital Partners and Newlight Partners, in its sale to TA Associates
- Univision Holdings, a portfolio company of Searchlight, in its $4.8 billion combination with the content and media assets of Grupo Televisa, a Mexican mass media company
- Silver Lake in numerous transactions, including:
- in its acquisition of Grupo BC, a Spain-based mortgage management, legal and digital services provider to the financial sector in Iberia and Latin America
- Cast & Crew Entertainment Services, a technology provider of software and services to the entertainment production industry and a portfolio company of Silver Lake, in its sale to The EQT VIII fund
- TPG and its affiliates in numerous transactions, including:
- in its minority investment in Ideal Image, an aesthetics brand that offers FDA-cleared medical aesthetic and wellness treatments
- TPG’s The Rise Fund in its minority preferred investment in LIVEKINDLY, a collective of plant-based food companies
- alongside Hony Capital, as major shareholders of STX Filmworks, in the merger of equals between STX Entertainment, a global media company specializing in the production, marketing and distribution of talent-driven motion picture, television and multimedia content, and Eros International Plc, an India-based entertainment company that acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films
- Trivest Partners in the combination of its portfolio company, Brothers National, with Pavement Partners Holding, to create Pave America
- United Group, a Netherlands-based telecommunications and media provider and a portfolio company of BC Partners, in numerous transactions, including:
- in its acquisition of Wind Hellas, a Greece-based telecoms operator, from Crystal Almond Holdings
- in its acquisition of Nova Broadcasting Group, a Bulgaria-based multiplatform media company, from Advance Media Group
- in its acquisition of Vivacom, a Bulgaria-based telecommunications company
- Wellspring Capital Management in numerous transactions, including:
- in the acquisition of Coverall, a commercial cleaning business
- in the sale of its portfolio company Paragon Films, a manufacturer of high performance stretch film, to a subsidiary of Rhone Capital Group
- in its acquisition of Rohrer Corporation, a retail packaging designer and manufacturer
- in its acquisition of SupplyOne, a provider of packaging products