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The Wire
Dec 14, 2023

Bain closes $5.3bn Guidehouse deal; DC Advisory tips busy Q1; Vestar’s foodservice exit in focus

Morning Hubsters, Craig McGlashan here with the Thursday Wire.

 

Plenty going on this morning so let’s dive right in.

 

First up, Bain Capital has closed a $5.3 billion buyout.

 

Next, the first quarter of 2024 should be the busiest in dealmaking for 18 months, according to a new report from DC Advisory.

 

We then have a deep dive into Vestar’s exit from foodservice business Edward Don & Co.

 

Michael Schoeck then has a rundown of some of the biggest renewable energy deals this year, before we finish with a look at some more of the day's deals. 

 

Big close

 

Bain Capital has closed its buyout of Guidehouse, a McLean, Virginia-based provider of consulting and managed services to public sector and commercial clients. 

 

Upgrade to the premium version of the Wire for more on Guidehouse's growth and that of the wider management consultancy industry. 

 

Liftoff

 

DC Advisory has delivered a bit of pre-Christmas cheer for dealmakers, with the investment bank predicting that the first quarter of 2024 will be the busiest in M&A for 18 months.

 

Read more in the subscriber version of the Wire. 

 

Serving up

 

It’s lunchtime here in London so my stomach was grumbling reading Obey Martin Manayiti’s interview with Nikhil Bhat, a managing director and co-head of investments at Vestar, about how his firm grew foodservice business Edward Don & Co during the pandemic and then sold it to Sysco.

 

Check out the full interview for details on all of that.

 

Renewed interest

 

Also fresh on the Hub this morning is Michael Schoeck's rundown of some of the biggest renewable energy deals this year. Apollo, ArcLight, Blackstone, Brookfield, EnCap and other investors all feature.

 

Two for Thoma

 

It’s been a busy day for Thoma Bravo.

 

The software-focused private equity firm has agreed to make an investment in a content creation and distribution platform for investment research providers and a majority stake in a software-as-a-service company for planning and performance management.

 

OK that’s a wrap for me. Obey Martin Manayiti will be online tomorrow to take you through to the weekend.

 

Cheers,

 

Craig

 

Read the full wire commentary on PE Hub ...

Today's must reads
> Renewable energy assets yielded big deals for utilities and others in 2023 More...
> Inside the exit: How Vestar grew foodservice biz during covid lockdowns and sold it to Sysco More...
> Repowering the grid: 5 PE deals in the utility EPC sector More...
> Do Electric Sheep dream of AI-powered lawn mowers? More...
> Bain Capital Tech Opps seeing 30-40% productivity gains from GenAI engineering tools More...

Also of note (may require subscriptions)

 

Schroders Capital’s Paul Lamacraft sees increased focus on sustainability and impact in 2024. In the small/mid-market, the numerous value creation levers available coupled with low leverage will deliver outperformance in this higher interest rate environment, says Lamacraft. (PE Hub Europe)

 

Snowball’s Soares: ‘Our goal is to democratize this offering’. The impact fund of funds has an 'overall mission' to bring impact investment to individuals' savings accounts, according to CEO Daniela Barone Soares. (New Private Markets)

 

The funds just keep getting larger: Story of the Year. Defying fundraising headwinds, private equity's mega-funds continued to set records in 2023. (PEI) 

 

Bullish sentiment remains for secondaries amid macro uncertainties. The secondaries market will boom in 2024 as liquidity concerns persist and LPs look to invest in new asset classes, a panel at PEI's Women in Private Markets Summit has heard. (Secondaries Investor) 

 

Origin Energy: From green saviour to green failure? AustralianSuper scuppered Brookfield and EIG’s bid, putting the spotlight on who’s best placed to decarbonise the firm. (Infrastructure Investor) 

 

PE Deals

Alternate text
> Bain Capital completes $5.3bn buyout of consulting services firm Guidehouse More...
> Allied Industrial Partners-backed CES Power buys entertainment industry IT services firm Roundrock More...
> Software firm CINC grabs investment from Hg More...
> TowerBrook invests in protein products maker Demakes Enterprises More...
> Red Dog Equity-backed Mammoth Holdings picks up car wash platform Today's Car Wash More...
> Castle Harlan picks up Bluefin tuna rancher Baja Aqua-Farms More...
People
> Pritzker Private Capital promotes Gau to president and West to COO More...
> Bain Capital-backed VXI appoints Shankardass as CMO More...
> LongRange ups Patel and Houy to managing director More...

They said it

“There’s been a shuffling of assets in the public utility market as regulated utilities have been pulling back from power.”

— Jake Erhard, partner and head of ESG, ArcLight Capital

 

Today's letter was prepared by Craig McGlashan

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