Looking for a glimpse of what’s to come in the private equity industry? Meet the 10 dealmakers named by Mergers & Acquisitions as the 2019 Rising Stars of Private Equity:
Austin Collier, Branford Castle Partners
Kevin Cunningham, LNC Partners
Shawn Domanic, Sterling Partners
Stephen Jeschke, GTCR
Danielle Lalli, Huron Capital
Jason Mironov, TA Associates
James Oh, Transom Capital Group
Sophia Popova, Summit Partners
Pavan Tripathi, Bregal Sagemount
Christine Wang, Francisco Partners (pictured)
The Rising Stars share a common set of core values. They are passionate about building companies. They are naturally curious and interested in changing things for the better. They enjoy working with portfolio company managers, investment bankers and other deal team members. They appreciate the responsibility and autonomy their firms have given them. They are grateful for the leaders who have helped shape their careers, and they are generous with their own time when it comes to nurturing the next generation. As the PE industry goes through a generational shift and many firm founders retire, it's well worth getting to know these emerging leaders. They represent the future of private equity. For profiles and video interviews, see Meet Mergers & Acquisitions' 2019 Rising Stars of Private Equity For Q&As, see 10 Rising Stars of Private Equity tell their tales.
DEAL NEWS
KKR (NYSE: KKR) is buying the Arnott's biscuits brand from Campbell Soup Co. (NYSE: CPB), along with Campbell's simple meals and snacking brands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan for $2.2 billion. Advisors to Campbell include: Centerview Partners, Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and King & Wood Mallesons. Advisors to KKR include: Jefferies, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Allens.
DoorDash Inc. is buying food delivery app Caviar from Square Inc. (NYSE: SQ) for $410 million. Square has worked hard in the past several years to offer more than just mobile card acceptance, but not all of its efforts have paid off. The company has launched and retired several mobile wallet apps in its early years, and more recently has been acquiring food delivery companies such as Caviar, which it reportedly tried to sell off since 2016 before finally finding a buyer in DoorDash. Read full coverage: Square sells Caviar to DoorDash for $410 million and Did Caviar sale widen or fill a crack in Square's strategy?
Veritas Capital-backed Guidehouse is buying professional services and consulting firm Navigant Consulting Inc. (NYSE: NCI) for $1.1 billion. Advisors to Navigant include: Jefferies LLC and Sidley Austin. Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP is representing the buyers.
Watermill-backed Cooper Turner has bought Beck Industries, a manufacturer and distributor of bolting parts. Rothschild and Almain advised the target. K&L Gates represented Watermill. MidCap Financial Services provided financing.
LLR-backed PCS Retirement has acquired Aspire Financial Services, a provider of retirement planning services.
CoolSys has purchased Agape Mechanical, a HVAC, refrigeration and plumbing contractor in the Midwest.
For more deal news, see Weekly wrap: Pfizer, HGGC, Thoma Bravo.
For more on fundraising, see PE fundraising scorecard: Arsenal, Blackstone, Golden Gate, Wind Point.
DEAL TRENDS
Middle-market dealmakers remain optimistic that market conditions will continue to be favorable for M&A. "We have 1,700 middle-market companies in our portfolio. We touch about 800,000 consumer loans. We probably touch 30,000 small businesses. And everything we’re seeing in our portfolio says the U.S. economy is on unbelievably strong footing,” Ares Management Corp. co-founder and CEO Michael Arougheti told CNBC on Aug 1.
Dealmaking in August began with a bang, as the London Stock Exchange Group Plc agreed to snap up Refinitiv in a $27 billion blockbuster deal. And M&A was hopping in July, with observers predicting the third quarter will be an active one. Meanwhile, here is a table of middle-market deals that closed in the first half of the year, including 3M Co.'s (NYSE: MMM) purchase of MModal's technology business; Apollo Global Management LLC's (BYSE: APO) acquisition of Smart & Final Stores; and KPS Capital Partners' purchase of Brunswick Corp.'s (NYSE: BC) fitness business. For more see, 3M's purchase of MModal's tech business a highlight of H1 dealmaking.
Private lenders OHA Investment Corp. and Portman Ridge Finance Corp. are merging as they look to make bigger investments and boost shareholder returns. The merger is the latest example of consolidation among business development companies -- lenders that have stepped in to provide funding to America’s smaller businesses as banks retreated in the wake of the financial crisis. Read the full story by Bloomberg News: Private lender M&A ramps up as OHA, Portman Ridge strike deal.
DIVERSITY IN DEALMAKING
Women hold just 9.4 percent of senior positions at PE firms globally, according to a recent study by HEC Paris. The low representation underscores the importance of projects that feature successful female dealmakers, such as Mergers & Acquisitions' Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A. The special report profiles 36 women M&A pros and includes interviews with them.
“There is this idea in sociology: You've got to see it to be it,” said NBC News correspondent Stephanie Rhule about the importance of building communities of women in the financial services sector, where they are woefully underrepresented. Rhule spoke at the second annual Exponent Exchange, hosted by Exponent Women, a group devoted to nurturing the financial services careers of its female members. Read the full story: Exponent Exchange brings together 200 women dealmakers for second annual event.
Gender-diverse PE investment committees outperformed all-male investment committees substantially, finds a recent study by HEC Paris professor Oliver Gottschalg. The results are compelling: Gender-diverse PE investment committees outperformed all-male investment committees substantially, as measured by several metrics: 7 percent more alpha; .52x more total value to paid-in multiple; and 12 percent higher internal rate of return. Also impressive: the failure rate of gender-diverse investment committees was 8 percent lower. The findings provide concrete evidence showing the value of including women on deal teams and may help to convince skeptics. For more, read Why private equity firms should include more women on deal teams.
A new payment company is attacking the hurdles professional women face when returning to the workforce after time away, a distinct problem borne out of the broader gender gap in financial services. “This is an economic problem, where you have something like a parent who left the workforce and then could not get back in,” said Samantha Ettus, founder and CEO of Park Place Payments. Read the full story: Behind a payment startup's battle to bridge the gender gap.
FEATURED CONTENT
Alex Rodriguez is best known as the New York Yankees star who hit 696 home runs over the course of his 22-year baseball career, but today he’s making a name for himself as an investor as the founder and CEO of A-Rod Corp. One recent example: While serving as a guest judge on CNBC’s Shark Tank, Rodriguez backed Ice Shaker, an insulated bottle maker founded by former National Football League fullback Chris Gronkowski. Rodriguez talked about his life off the field as a savvy investor since his 20’s as the keynote speaker at EisnerAmper’s 4th annual Alternative Investment Summit at the The Museum of Modern Art on June 19. Among the topics discussed in a conversation led by Charles Weinstein, CEO of EisnerAmper: Rodriguez’ childhood as the son of a single mom; his investment thesis, which shares much with other middle-market investors; how he’s helping singer/dancer/actress Jennifer Lopez (to whom he became engaged in March) transition her business initiatives from licensing her brands to owning them; and how one day he just might buy a baseball team. Read the full story: A-Rod talks Ice Shaker, NRG eSports, J. Lo & maybe buying a baseball team.
Activity and urgency characterize the current dealmaking environment, say investment bankers and other M&A advisors interviewed by Mergers & Acquisitions. After a record-breaking 2018, forecasts for 2019 remain bullish. Advisors point to a lot of cash that must be deployed by strategic buyers and private equity firms alike; a healthy U.S. economy; and low interest rates. Competition for high-quality targets has never been more intense, especially for technology providers, they report, which means sellers are commanding high prices. It all adds up to a seller’s market. A mood of urgency prevails, as dealmakers seek to close deals quickly, while conditions remain favorable. The advisors interviewed for this story say they don’t see signs of a recession this year; however they are closely monitoring bellwethers, including corporate earnings, wage pressure, global supply chains and slowdowns abroad. They are recommending that clients be prepared for an economic slowdown in the next two years. Specialization is the name of the game, and investment bankers advise clients to seek targets with business-model stability, limited cyclical exposure and a recurring revenue business model. Technology, business services, healthcare, consumer and manufacturing are among the most promising sectors. Read the story: 8 M&A advisors urge closing deals now, while economy stays strong.
Organizations in industries, ranging from manufacturing to healthcare, are using M&A to add automated technology in their processing systems. Advances in robotic technology are making it possible to complete more complex tasks at higher speeds and with improved control and outcomes. Read the full story: Accelerating automation through M&A.
Excelled. Innovated. Inspired. That’s what the eight winners of Mergers & Acquisitions’ 12th Annual M&A Mid-Market Awards did in 2018. Our awards honor the leading dealmakers and deals that set the standard for transactions in the middle market. In addition to Nike, award winners include: Fortive, TA Associates, the Riverside Co., Harris Williams, Monroe Capital, Goodwin and Luminate Capital Partners' Hollie Haynes. Read our full coverage: Meet the winners of the M&A Mid-Market Awards: Nike, Fortive, TA, Harris Williams.
EVENTS
The Great Lakes ACG Capital Connection is being held at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit Hotel in Detroit from Sept. 4-6.
ACG Boston and ACG Connecticut are hosting the 5th Annual ACG New England Fall Conference at Gurney's Newport Resort & Marina in Newport, Rhode Island from Sept. 17-18.
M&A East is taking place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia from Oct. 22-23.
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