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The Wire

Private equity deal news and insights from the London newsroom

Oct 22, 2024

 

Main Capital makes fourth exit of the year; Wendel snaps up stake in private credit firm

Good morning, Nina Lindholm here with the Europe edition of the Wire from the London newsroom.

 

A “war for talent” – sparked by stresses from the global dispersion and mobility of employees in the remote working era and the emergence of new technologies such as AI – is driving activity in the HR software segment, Eric Erbeck, senior vice president in Houlihan Lokey’s technology group, told PE Hub earlier this year.


Deals in the segment have not stopped since, and this morning we start with an HR software exit. Main Capital Partners has agreed to sell a fully cloud-based HR software provider to Rivean Capital.

 

Private equity is also clearly keen on picking up stakes in private credit managers. European investment firm Wendel Group is the latest to jump on the trend with a Chicago-based asset manager.

 

We finish with a recap of some of our recent stories from our Dealmakers to Watch series.

 

Fourth exit

Main Capital Partners will sell Perbility, a fully cloud-based HR software provider, to Rivean Capital.

 

For more on the deal, take a look at the premium Wire coverage here.

 

Balance sheet build

Let’s jump to another popular segment: private credit managers. This morning, we have Wendel Group agreeing to acquire an equity stake in Monroe Capital, an asset management firm.

 

For more, including what role AXA IM Prime might play in the transaction, take a look at the full Wire coverage here.

 

It’s not the first time that Wendel has invested in another alternative asset company. It entered talks a year ago to buy a controlling stake in IK Partners before completing the deal in May.

 

Other recent deals involving PE firms picking up private credit managers include Armen’s minority investment in Signal Capital Partners, Brookfield Asset Management making a $1.5 billion investment in Castlelakeand Clearlake Capital Group agreeing to acquire MV Credit.

 

For those keen on reading more on GP stakes, I recommend checking out Craig McGlashan’s story on how Armen leverages Europe’s heterogeneous market to diversify its GP stakes portfolio.

 

ICYMI

Our Dealmakers to Watch series has introduced us to several people launching new strategies and firms already. In case you have missed our recent coverage, here are some highlights from the latest instalments in the series.

Premium Wire subscribers can read my highlights from the series.

 

Other recent stories in our series include:

 

  • Vistria’s Natasha Latif sees greater opportunities to make an impact in her newrole
  • How a chance meeting led Jeff Aiello into a career in private equity
  • Renovus Capital’s new principal Gary Tang eyes opportunities in healthcare services 
  • Keeping up with David Brisske, SKKY’s managing director 
  • Core’s John May: Lower-mid market is highly attractive 

 

Don’t fret, we’re not done just yet. Keep an eye on new additions to the series in the coming weeks.

 

That’s all from me this morning. Obey Martin Manayiti will write to you later with the US edition of the Wire, and Craig McGlashan will be with you in the London morning tomorrow.

 

Cheers,

Nina

 

Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...

Today's must reads

> EQT considers organic growth, M&A as potential routes into secondaries More...
> Butterfly's Adam Waglay shares growth plans for Duckhorn winemaker More...
> Orlando Bravo: 'Time is ticking, pressure is mounting to both buy and sell' More...
> Private equity reappraises soccer transfer market after court ruling More...
> Parking lots entice PE firms with recurring revenue: 6 deals More...

Also of note (may require subscriptions)

 

Goldman: Consolidation coming for PE firms stuck in the middle. A smaller fund means smaller fees, which means potentially less capital to run the organization. And as firms grew over the past five to 10 years, they will face the choice of needing to invest more to continue growing. (Buyouts)

 

Chinese healthcare specialist HighLight expands overseas focus. The growth investor will deploy more than 20% of its most recent USD-denominated flagship outside of Mainland China, chief executive Steven Wang told Private Equity International.

 

Sweetwater seeks $650m for largest fund to date. The firm, founded by a former StepStone partner, focuses on GP-leds and direct secondaries. (Secondaries) 

 

John Laing in novel ‘private-private partnership’ for €350m green steel project. CEO Andrew Truscott discussed getting comfortable on risk in the landmark Stegra green hydrogen steel plant. (Infrastructure Investor)

 

BGO’s Sonny Kalsi: ‘Maybe we’ll miss this cycle from an office perspective’. The chief executive dishes on the state of the market during PERE's Global Advisory Board Insights webinar.

Deals

> NorthEdge-backed Latus Group in first add-on deal with OHS More...
> Wendel Group goes for 75% stake in Monroe Capital More...
> Main Capital to hand over control of Perbility to Rivean Capital More...
> TPG-backed Initial Group snaps up literary management firm Grandview More...
> Closed Loop-backed Sage acquires electronic repair firm Relectro More...
> Precision manufacturer Kadon grabs investment from Tecum Equity More...
People
> Apax-backed Lexitas recruits Hopen as CRO More...
> Paine Schwartz-backed Urban Farmer taps Jaromin as CEO More...
> Paladin Capital names Nazo Moosa as managing director in Europe More...

They said it

“Since inception, Monroe has delivered strong and differentiated outcomes for its diversified global client base. Furthermore, the partnership will strengthen Wendel’s third-party asset management platform by enabling it to capitalize on the growing opportunity set in private credit and persistent growth in demand for direct lending solutions from investors and borrowers globally.”

— Laurent Mignon, CEO, Wendel Group

 

Today's letter was prepared by Nina Lindholm

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