US edition, free version
 
 
 

View this email online 

 
 

The Wire

Private equity deal news and insights from the New York newsroom

Dec 18, 2024

 

Blackstone, KKR led data center charge in 2024; GTCR eyes more insurance brokerage opportunities

Good morning, PE Hubsters! Rafael Canton here with the US edition of the Wire from the New York newsroom.

 

First, we’ll start off with a look at GTCR’s recent agreement to sell AssuredPartners to Arthur J Gallagher & Co, for $13.45 billion in an all-cash transaction. PE Hub received insights on the deal from Aaron Cohen, a managing director and head of financial services and technology at GTCR.

 

Next, we’ll recap the year in data centers. Private equity firms like Blackstone and KKR made deals in the category and we featured some past transactions from this year and explained what attracted PE firms.

 

Then, we have a deal from this morning. Gryphon Investors has sold Kano Laboratories, a Nashville-based maker of industrial penetrants and synthetic greases to L Squared Capital Partners.

 

Finally, we have some thoughts from law firm King & Spalding’s antitrust team on what we can expect from the incoming administration on private equity and M&A.

 

Data center demand

Let’s shift the conversation over to technology. One of the trends to watch in the sector has been the growth in private equity interest in data centers. This morning, I highlighted the year in dealmaking in the data center category.

 

Subscribe to the premium version of the Wire to learn what PE firms made deals in data centers and why PE firms were interested in the category.

 

Building a platform

GTCR is making the largest exit in the firm’s 44-year history. Earlier in December, the Chicago-based firm agreed to sell AssuredPartners, an Orlando-based insurance broker, to Arthur J Gallagher & Co, for $13.45 billion in an all-cash transaction. GTCR previously sold the company to Apax Fund VIII in 2015, and GTCR later reacquired a majority stake in partnership with Apax Fund IX in 2019. (Apax is selling its minority stake in the company to Gallagher.)

 

PE Hub reporter Obey Martin Manayiti got insights from Aaron Cohen, a managing director and head of financial services and technology at GTCR about the deal.

 

Premium subscribers can read GTCR’s insights on the exit.

 

Industrial strength

We have a manufacturing deal from this morning to share. Gryphon Investors has sold Kano Laboratories, a Nashville-based maker of industrial penetrants and synthetic greases to L Squared Capital Partners.

 

Premium subscribers can learn more about the deal from this morning.

 

Anti-trust outlook

As we head into 2025, law firm King & Spalding’s antitrust team has thoughts on what we can expect with a new administration.

 

Subscribe to the premium version of the Wire so you can read what to expect from the incoming administration’s antitrust division. 

 

That’s it from me today. If you have any questions, thoughts, or want to chat, please email me at [email protected].

 

Tomorrow, Craig McGlashan will be with you for the Europe edition of the Wire and Obey Martin Manayiti will bring you the US edition.

 

Cheers,

Rafael

 

Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...

SPONSORED
PODCAST: AI and the future of value creation
Episode 6 of Disruption Matters is now out: The Launch Codes- Embarking on the next era of value creation
Click here to listen
Today's must reads
> Data center deals driven by demand for AI, with Blackstone among the bullish More...
> Insurance brokerage subsector highly attractive with more consolidation ahead: GTCR’s Aaron Cohen More...
> European PE exits in 2024: IPO rebound, LP pressure, secondary sales drive activity More...
> May River to shop wastewater pump specialist Industrial Flow Solutions, sources say More...
> Ardian Expansion’s François Jerphagnon: No big dealmaking pickup in 2025 More...

Also of note (may require subscriptions)

Crestview Partners decided earlier this year to put fundraising for its next flagship fund on hold while it works through available capital to close more deals and deliver liquidity to LPs in an older fund, sources with knowledge of the firm told Buyouts.

 

European private equity exits gained renewed momentum in 2024, with the resurgence of IPOs, heightened LP pressure and the growing prominence of GP-led secondary deals transforming the exit landscape. PE Hub looks at the factors reshaping exit strategies and driving a cautious recovery.

 

What’s in the stocking for agriculture investors in 2025? The US may have an outsized influence on investment trends in the year ahead as Donald Trump casts his shadow over global conflicts, trade and climate issues. (Agri Investor)

 

17Capital has parted ways with senior executive Pierre Garnier less than a year after he relocated to the United Arab Emirates to launch the credit and NAV lending specialist’s push into the Gulf region. (Private Equity International)

 

An $800 million funding round for US-based IPP Intersect Power will see Google take an equity stake in the company alongside other infrastructure funds as part of what the tech giant described as “a new approach to data center siting and power." (Infrastructure Investor)

 

Philadelphia-based investment firm Guardian Capital Partners has completed its first ever continuation fund with backing from two firms that have a history of co-leading deals together. (Secondaries Investor)

 

Today's 'Story of the Year' entry on Private Equity International: the LP shift to the mid-market.

 

The San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association’s proposed 2025 real estate pacing plan, prepared by adviser NEPC, would increase its real estate commitment target to $145 million per year for the next decade. That is a $25 million annual jump from the pacing plan recommended last year. (Private Equity Real Estate)

Deals

NXT Capital: Middle-Market Direct Lending and Investor Solutions
> VSS and Century Equity Partners invest in IP consulting firm Lumenci More...
> Flexpoint Ford invests in health tech firm Apollo Care More...
> Canada Growth Fund to invest in Nouveau Monde Graphite More...
> Paceline Equity-backed RELAM acquires Falcon Equipment More...
> Ørsted divests 50 pct stake in three US onshore projects to Energy Capital Partners for $572 million More...
> BGF invests in Besseges More...
People
> Princeton Equity Group promotes Piro to partner and Nagle to principal More...
> Angeles Equity-backed Data Clean recruits Poplin as CEO More...
> Argosy Healthcare-backed Nicklas Medical Staffing appoints Mohler as CEO More...
 

They said it

“In insurance brokerage specifically, we believe there is still an opportunity for further consolidation. It is a highly attractive market that remains fragmented with great investment characteristics: it is recession resilient (if your customer is in business, they need insurance) and it has great cashflow characteristics where EBITDA converts to cashflow at high levels because of a light capex structure.”

— Aaron Cohen, managing director, GTCR on the firm’s deal to sell AssuredPartners

 

Today's letter was prepared by Rafael Canton

Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe now to get full, unlimited access to all PE Hub content, including every PE Hub Wire article.

FIND OUT MORE

Please visit Buyouts for the latest insight into LP activity and Venture Capital Journal for comprehensive coverage and analysis of what’s happening in VC. 

 

London | New York | Hong Kong | Tokyo | Sydney

PEI Group Ltd is registered in England no.6135779

Registered office: 5th Floor, 100 Wood Street, EC2V 7AN

LinkedInTwitter
 

To update your PE Hub email preferences, or to unsubscribe, click here.