Apollo Makes Key Leadership Appointments Aligned to Firm’s Five-Year Plan Announced at 2024 Investor Day

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CEO Marc Rowan to Enter Into 5-Year Employment Agreement Extension

Jim Zelter Named President of Apollo Global Management

John Zito Named Co-President of Apollo Asset Management Alongside Scott Kleinman

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) today announced that Jim Zelter has been named President of Apollo Global Management, Inc. (AGM), the holding company for its asset management and retirement services businesses. The newly created role reflects Apollo’s continued operational expansion and its significant growth plans across both the Apollo Asset Management, Inc. (AAM) and Athene Holding Ltd. subsidiaries. As President, Zelter will work closely with AGM CEO Marc Rowan to drive Apollo’s recently announced five-year plan and lead a number of key strategic initiatives across its asset management and retirement services businesses.

In addition, John Zito has been named Co-President of AAM where he will serve alongside Scott Kleinman, Co-President of AAM. Kleinman and Zito will oversee all investing activity and day-to-day management of the asset management business. Zito will continue as Head of Credit for Apollo.

“We are rich for talent at Apollo. These senior leadership appointments reflect that and will support our ongoing evolution as a next generation financial services firm,” said CEO Marc Rowan. “Jim has been a key partner to me for nearly two decades and prior to joining the firm spent more than 20 years in financial services. John is a talented investor who has built an impressive credit organization with strong leadership; he will be a natural complement to Scott and his equities expertise.”

Rowan continued, “Two of the biggest trends we see in the next five years are the convergence of public and private markets, and the changing role of financial institutions. These promotions strengthen our position for the future as we execute on our five-year plan and capitalize on these opportunity sets.”

Jay Clayton, Chair of Apollo Global Management, said, “These appointments reflect Apollo’s commitment to strong, shareholder-aligned stewardship of the business, and our board enthusiastically supports this elevation of our next generation. We are finalizing a five-year extension of Marc’s leadership of the firm. With Marc at the helm, the senior leadership team in place, and our dozens of remarkable senior professionals across the firm, the board is confident we have the talent and alignment to deliver on our five-year plan for all our stakeholders.”

Jim Zelter said, “I joined Apollo nearly two decades ago and our evolution has been nothing short of transformational. We have crafted an ambitious, achievable strategy and purpose-built a platform that responds to the modern needs of how institutions and individuals will allocate and invest, how companies are financed, and the future of retirement and wealth generation. I am excited and energized to take on this new role and work with Marc and the management team to help Apollo achieve our full potential as innovators in both alternative asset management and retirement services.”

Jim Zelter joined Apollo in 2006 and led the build out and expansion of Apollo’s credit platform. He was named Co-President of AAM in 2018. John Zito joined Apollo in 2012 and serves as a Partner and head of Apollo’s credit business at AAM. Zito continues in these roles in addition to his new position as Co-President of AAM. Prior to Apollo, Zito was a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Brencourt Advisors and a Portfolio Manager at Veritas Fund Group.

About Apollo
Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of September 30, 2024, Apollo had approximately $733 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
In this press release, references to “Apollo,” “we,” “us,” “our” and the “Company” refer collectively to Apollo Global Management, Inc. and its subsidiaries, or as the context may otherwise require. This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, discussions related to Apollo’s expectations regarding the performance of its business and other non-historical statements. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When used in this press release, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “continue,” “will,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 27, 2024, and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 6, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in our periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this press release and in our other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. This press release does not constitute an offer of any Apollo fund.

Contacts
Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0540
IR@apollo.com

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0491
Communications@apollo.com

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Apollo and Standard Chartered Form US$3B Financing Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Energy Transition Credit

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Standard Chartered Acquires Minority Stake in Apterra, an Apollo Platform Specializing in Infrastructure Debt Origination

Agreement to Accelerate Capital Formation for Next-Gen Infrastructure and Transition Assets

NEW YORK and LONDON, Jan. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo (NYSE: APO) and Standard Chartered PLC today announced a long-term strategic partnership to support and accelerate financing for infrastructure, clean transition and renewable energy globally, leveraging the leading origination and distribution capabilities of both firms.

As part of the agreement, Standard Chartered and Apollo Clean Transition Capital (“ACT Capital”), a sustainable investing platform, plan to contribute up to US$3 billion of clean energy and transition financing across a range of asset classes and sectors.

Origination for the partnership’s financing activities will be primarily undertaken by Apterra, an Apollo-owned platform that focuses on originating, structuring and deploying debt capital to execute infrastructure transactions globally. Standard Chartered has acquired a minority stake in the platform and will support its investment origination.

Jim Zelter, Apollo Asset Management Co-President, said, “The global industrial renaissance is creating unprecedented capital demands across next-gen infrastructure, sustainable power and other transition assets. This new agreement should accelerate our mutual financing and investment activity in these areas, and we are thrilled to do it in partnership with Standard Chartered, an important and long-time banking partner to Apollo’s franchise.”

Bill Winters, Group Chief Executive, Standard Chartered PLC said, “This partnership with Apollo, a market leader in alternative asset management, is a great opportunity to leverage our collective sector expertise and innovative mindset to help finance sustainable growth. Standard Chartered and Apollo have complementary origination and distribution capabilities, which increase the scale of the financing we can jointly deploy, and the size of the projects in which we can participate. We are very pleased to build on our long-term partnership with Apollo to both expand our existing geographical coverage and mobilise capital to these critical parts of the global economy.”

More Partnership Details

Apollo’s Clean Transition Capital strategy seeks to meet a wide range of clean energy and climate capital needs across credit and equities. Over the past 5 years, Apollo has deployed more than US$40 billion1 into energy transition and climate-related investments and believes the demand for capital in these areas will scale materially in the coming years.

Samuel Feinstein, Apollo Partner and President of ACT Capital, said, “We believe this partnership with Standard Chartered will serve as a significant accelerant to the growth of Apollo’s Clean Transition business and support its broader Infrastructure Credit platform, which are critical components of our firm’s strategic growth plans. We are equally pleased to welcome Standard Chartered as an aligned equity partner in the growing Apterra platform and believe we can expand our work together over time to serve the evolving needs of our global client bases. Collectively, ACT Capital and Apterra represent significant opportunities for Apollo and Standard Chartered to access climate and infrastructure credit.”

Apterra, an Apollo affiliate founded in 2023, has executed more than US$4.8 billion of transactions and is positioned to increase its already robust growth trajectory with the strategic equity support of Standard Chartered. Apterra is led by industry veterans Ralph Cho, co-CEO, and Michael Pantelogianis, co-CEO, alongside a highly experienced management team.

Standard Chartered, one of the world’s leading cross-border and wealth management banks, is among the top infrastructure lenders in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, with a strong and growing presence in the renewables sector.

Henrik Raber, Global Head, Global Banking at Standard Chartered, said: “With the global growth in infrastructure financing, and our strong presence in the sector, we are delighted to partner with ACT Capital, participate in Apterra and collaborate with the Apollo team. This is an exciting opportunity alongside our existing advisory and financing capabilities.”

As part of the partnership, Standard Chartered will provide a senior secured credit facility to ACT Capital to fund project finance and infrastructure loans. Financial terms for Standard Chartered’s purchase of a minority equity interest in Apterra are not disclosed. PJT Partners acted as exclusive financial advisor to Standard Chartered.

1. As of June 30, 2024. Deployment commensurate with Apollo’s proprietary Climate and Transition Investment Framework, which provides guidelines and metrics with respect to the definition of a climate or transition investment. Reflects (a) for equity investments: (i) total enterprise value at time of signed commitment for initial equity commitments; (ii) additional capital contributions from Apollo funds and co-invest vehicles for follow-on equity investments; and (iii) contractual commitments of Apollo funds and co-invest vehicles at the time of initial commitment for preferred equity investments; (b) for debt investments: (i) total facility size for Apollo originated debt, warehouse facilities, or fund financings; (ii) purchase price on the settlement date for private non-traded debt; (iii) increases in maximum exposure on a period-over-period basis for publicly-traded debt; (iv) total capital organized on the settlement date for syndicated debt; and (v) contractual commitments of Apollo funds and co-invest vehicles as of the closing date for real estate debt; (c) for SPACs, the total sponsor equity and capital organized as of the respective announcement dates; (d) for platform acquisitions, the purchase price on the signed commitment date; and (e) for platform originations, the gross origination value on the origination date.

About Apollo

Apollo is a high-growth, global alternative asset manager. In our asset management business, we seek to provide our clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade credit to private equity. For more than three decades, our investing expertise across our fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of our clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. Through Athene, our retirement services business, we specialize in helping clients achieve financial security by providing a suite of retirement savings products and acting as a solutions provider to institutions. Our patient, creative, and knowledgeable approach to investing aligns our clients, businesses we invest in, our employees, and the communities we impact, to expand opportunity and achieve positive outcomes. As of September 30, 2024, Apollo had approximately USD $733 billion of assets under management. To learn more, please visit www.apollo.com.

About Standard Chartered

We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 52 of the world’s most dynamic markets. Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, here for good.

Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

For more stories and expert opinions please visit Insights at sc.com. Follow Standard Chartered on XLinkedInInstagram and Facebook.

About Apterra

Apterra, an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, is a premier platform specializing in innovative financing solutions for infrastructure projects. Our tailored capital services empower clients, including financial sponsors and developers, to optimize assets and achieve sustainable growth. Fuelled by strong relationships, our distribution network ensures seamless access to capital through partnerships with banks, investors, and asset managers. We are focused on driving growth and operational integrity in the infrastructure sector, while creating enduring value for our clients. Visit www.Apterra.com to learn more.

Apollo Contacts

Noah Gunn
Global Head of Investor Relations
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0540
IR@apollo.com

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0491
Communications@apollo.com

Standard Chartered Contacts

Piers Townsend
Global Head of Communications, Corporate & Investment Banking
Standard Chartered
Piers.townsend@sc.com
+6590059067

Shaun Gamble
Director, Group Media Relations
Standard Chartered
Shaun.gamble@sc.com
+442078855934

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Smartfin closes third growth fund at €250 million with backing from EIF

Smartfin

investments in Europe’s leading B2B technology scale-ups

  • Smartfin closes its fifth fund (and third growth fund) at its €250m target.
  • Backers of the new fund include returning private and institutional investors as well as new ones, including for the first time the European Investment Fund through its ESCALAR program.
  • The new fund enables the firm to double down on investing in Europe’s most promising B2B technology companies, with now more than €600m in total investment commitments.
  • Two recent investments with the new fund, dubbed Smartfin Capital III, have already been announced: CrazyGames and Emma.

Brussels, Belgium – 9 January 2025: Smartfin, a leading growth equity investor in European B2B technology companies, has successfully closed its third growth fund at its €250 million target.

This fund marks a significant milestone for the firm, with an introductory participation of the European Investment Fund (EIF) through its ESCALAR program to address the financing gap experienced by European high-growth companies.

The closure of its third growth fund brings Smartfin’s total investment commitments to over €600 million, only a decade after its founding in 2014.

The successful fundraise, notably in challenging market conditions, underscores the trust and confidence of both new and returning investors in Smartfin’s investment strategy and track record.

The new fund, dubbed Smartfin Capital III, will focus on growth-stage B2B technology companies across Europe, furthering Smartfin’s commitment to supporting transformative tech scale-ups that drive innovation and deliver long-term value.

Smartfin has already made its first two investments with the new fund: CrazyGames (a global browser-based casual gaming platform) and Emma (a leading multi-cloud management platform designed to streamline and optimize cloud infrastructure).

A Proven Track Record of Success

Smartfin Capital III is the firm’s fifth fund, building on the success of its two early-stage funds (Smartfin Ventures I & II) and two prior growth funds (Smartfin Capital I & II). In the past decade, Smartfin has established itself as a key player in the European tech ecosystem, with a portfolio of innovative companies that span multiple sectors.

Notable active and past investments across its funds include Deliverect, a leading provider of food delivery integration software; Bright Analytics, a consolidated management reporting platform;  Recharge, a global one-stop-shop branded payments platform; Hex-Rays, a specialist in reverse engineering software; Zivver, a secure communications platform for email, video and file sharing; Silverfin, a cloud-based platform transforming accounting workflows acquired by Visma; Theo Technologies, a global leader in video streaming technology acquired by Dolby; Newtec, a pioneer in satellite communications acquired by ST Engineering; and UnifiedPost, a publicly listed fintech company revolutionizing invoicing and payments for SMEs.

For more information on our portfolio, please visit https://smartfinvc.com/portfolio/.

These investments demonstrate Smartfin’s ability to identify and support exceptional growth companies, helping them scale and succeed in competitive markets. Smartfin’s approach combines strategic guidance, operational expertise, a long-term view and access to an extensive network, ensuring that portfolio companies are well-positioned to achieve their growth ambitions.

“This successful fundraise reflects the strength of our team and the confidence our investors place in us.” said Jürgen Ingels, Founding Partner of Smartfin. “The partnership with EIF, through the ESCALAR program, is an international quality stamp that reaffirms our commitment to backing exceptional entrepreneurs and fostering innovation in Europe’s B2B technology ecosystem. We are excited to continue building on our strong track record and scaling the next generation of tech leaders.”

EIF Partnership: A Stamp of Quality

The inaugural participation of the EIF in Smartfin Capital III through its ESCALAR program represents a significant endorsement of Smartfin’s investment philosophy and performance.

ESCALAR, established by EIF to provide growth financing to high-potential funds and companies, will enable Smartfin to expand its impact and support more promising ventures across Europe, while at the same time providing a stepstone in further institutionalizing its operations.

“Investing in scale-ups and technology is not just about fostering innovation; it’s about empowering the next generation of leaders who will drive Europe’s economic growth and global competitiveness. With Smartfin we want to support an innovation ecosystem where European technology companies and entrepreneurship can thrive,” commented Marjut Falkstedt, EIF Chief Executive.

About Smartfin

Smartfin is a European venture and growth capital investor, managing over €600 million in investment commitments and investing in early and growth-stage B2B technology companies. Smartfin has an open-ended investment philosophy and invests throughout Europe. Smartfin’s team combines a successful venture capital and private equity investment track record with extensive operational experience in setting up, building, and managing leading international technology companies. This differentiates Smartfin as an experienced and entrepreneurial, truly hands-on and value-added partner to its portfolio companies. For more info, please visit https://www.smartfinvc.com.

About EIF

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is part of the European Investment Bank Group. Its central mission is to support Europe’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by helping them to access finance. The EIF designs and develops venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target this market segment. In this role, the EIF fosters EU objectives in support of sustainability, innovation, research and development, entrepreneurship, growth and employment. For more info, please visit https://www.eif.org/index.htm.

 

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Fueling the Future: Announcing our VIII Fund for India’s Boldest Founders

Accel

Fueling the Future: Announcing our VIII Fund for India’s Boldest Founders

Sixteen years ago, Accel embarked on a journey to partner with visionary founders across India—continuing the firm’s decades-long history of partnering with founders on a global scale. Today, we are announcing our eighth early-stage fund, a $650 million commitment to empower the next generation of category-defining startups; companies that will set new benchmarks in innovation and aim to transform industries. This fund underscores our belief in the secular India growth story and the transformative power of bold ideas, innovative technology, and founders who truly understand their markets.

The startup ecosystem in India has reached a critical inflection point. India’s GDP is expected to be approximately $8tn over the next decade, fueled by rising incomes, digital adoption, and sustained investments in public infrastructure. This growth opens new doors for entrepreneurs to build solutions with global relevance while addressing local challenges—and we can’t wait to meet them.

With Fund VIII, we aim to back founders operating in:

  • Artificial Intelligence: Enterprise AI (Platforms that enable enterprise AI use cases using agentic technologies, LLMs and SLMs), Services as Software (AI startups taking advantage of India’s large IT services capabilities to provide better automation offerings), Vertical AI (Startups taking advantage of India’s large AI talent pool to integrate AI in vertical specific use cases).
  • Consumer: Bharat (Startups catering to the top 30% of households in India’s tier 2+ regions), India Native (Startups catering to the increasing demand by Indian consumers for higher service levels), and Aspirational Brands (Startups aiming to capitalize on the increasing discretionary spending of India’s consumption-first Gen Z demographic).
  • Fintech: Wealth Management (Startups catering to affluent consumers seeking personalized wealth advisory services through digital channels), Fintech Infrastructure (Startups bringing banks and fintechs together to enable best-in-class digital experiences for consumers and businesses), and Digital Distribution (Startups acceleratingthe distribution of financial products by leveraging India’s digital public infrastructure)
  • Manufacturing: India To Global (Startups catering to global demand for diversified supply chains), India Native (Startups focused on high-quality production and IP-driven, value-added manufacturing), and Industry 5.0 (Next-gen digital technologies transforming every factory floor leading to more efficient operations, higher-quality output, and sustainability)

India’s benchmark equity index Nifty 50 has tripled over the past decade, and public markets are embracing technology-led businesses. Companies like BlackBuck and Swiggy, where Accel was an early backer, are recent examples of creative and relentless founders and what’s possible when innovation meets execution.

While venture-backed companies currently represent less than 5% of India’s market capitalization, the opportunity ahead has never been bigger. With strong public and private markets, founders today have a once-in-a-generation chance to build transformative businesses that shape the economic landscape.

What excites us about the future is how we can closely collaborate with founders to realize their vision. Over the past 16 years, we’ve supported companies that have reimagined industries—from e-commerce and SaaS to manufacturing and logistics. With our early partnerships in companies like Acko, BlackBuck, BrowserStack, Flipkart, Freshworks, Swiggy, UrbanCompany, and Zetwerk, we’ve had the privilege of watching them grow into category leaders.

Beyond investment, some of our key initiatives, which reflect our commitment to making the founder’s journey as frictionless as possible while fueling the growth of the broader ecosystem, are:

  • SeedToScale: An open-source platform delivering company-building insights from successful founders, operators, and industry leaders.
  • Accel Atoms: Our early-stage scaling program, now in its fourth iteration, has supported 36 startups that have collectively raised over $200 million.

As we embark on this next chapter with Fund VIII, we are grateful for the trust of our founders, LPs, and the broader ecosystem. The opportunities ahead are as vast as the ambition of the founders we back.

— The Partners at Accel

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Nordic Capital’s second mid-market fund, Evolution II, closes at EUR 2 billion hard cap after rapid fundraise

Nordic Capital
  • Strong demand from a globally diversified investor base, with high re-up rate and new LP commitments, making Evolution II 65% larger than its predecessor
  • Investors attracted to Nordic Capital’s subsector-specialism and mid-market investment strategy in Northern Europe
  • Continued focus on successful partnerships with growth companies, to accelerate long-term growth and expansion

Nordic Capital today announced the successful First and Final close of Nordic Capital Evolution II (“Evolution II” or “the Fund”) at the hard cap of EUR 2 billion. Raised within four months from launch with excess demand, the Fund closed at its hard cap and significantly exceeded its target of EUR 1.4 billion. Evolution II attracted excess demand from its launch and benefited from strong support from its current investor base, with a high re-up rate of over 100% by capital, and significant LP commitments from new investors and geographies, including a significant increase from the Americas. Evolution II is 65% bigger than its predecessor fund, Evolution I, which raised EUR 1.2 billion in three months in 2021. Evolution II is the fourth Nordic Capital fund since 2020 to have benefited
from a rapid fundraise. The demand for the Fund and the pace of its fundraise underline investors’ confidence in Nordic Capital’s long-standing investment model and portfolio performance.

Nordic Capital’s Evolution strategy expands the firm’s winning subsector model and powerful platform to a broader spectrum of mid-market companies. Evolution II will target investments predominantly in Northern European companies with an EV of EUR 100 million to EUR 400-500 million. Similar to its predecessor, the Fund will focus on control buyouts and non-cyclical growth opportunities in Nordic Capital’s focus sectors, Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services and Services & Industrial Tech. While it will target lower mid-market opportunities, Nordic Capital’s flagship funds will continue their focus on upper mid-market companies.

As a long-established subsector specialist, Nordic Capital is committed to finding and developing non- cyclical companies in fast-growing segments within its well-recognised subsectors. It works in close partnership with founders and management teams to develop companies with the potential to lead their markets and shape industries. As an Article 8 fund, Evolution II will continue to drive sustainability agendas and seek to promote long-term, environmental, social and good corporate governance practices within the companies it backs.

Nordic Capital has a strong 35-year history of investing in and successfully growing and developing mid-market companies. This, combined with its repeat sub-sectors strategy, supports a strong investment pipeline and dealmaking for the Evolution Funds. Evolution I, which was raised in 2021, has completed ten investments to date, of which 70% have been made in collaboration with the companies’ founders and 80% completed outside broad auction, demonstrating the Evolution strategy’s strong focus on partnership.

Joakim Lundvall, Partner and Co-Head of the Evolution advisory team said:

“We are delighted to witness such strong demand for Evolution II from both existing and new investors. Their unwavering support is a testament to their confidence in Nordic Capital’s mid-market strategy. Our strong Evolution team, with its clear focus on business growth driven by local market expertise and deep sector knowledge, has cultivated a robust pipeline and secured partnership investments with growth companies within attractive niches. Over the last three years, a number of founders of companies have formed partnerships with Nordic Capital because they have experienced first-hand how we can help make great companies even better and support their expansion into new markets.”

Jonas Agnblad, Partner and Co-Head of the Evolution advisory team said:

“With the Evolution funds, Nordic Capital’s long-standing sector strategy is now applied to a wider range of mid-sized companies, offering a partnership model that can help scale and professionalise companies. The partnership model includes both our own expertise, our broad network of experts and a platform that can support growth and international expansion. By contributing experience in product innovation, international expansion and long-term sustainable value creation, Nordic Capital looks forward to helping more mid-market companies develop and reach their full potential.”

Pär Norberg, Partner and Head of Investor Relations, Nordic Capital Advisors, commented:

“We are very pleased with the outcome of Evolution II. This is a great achievement for the team, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Nordic Capital’s global investor base. This type of result is only possible with the backing of long-standing existing investors as evidenced by the strong reup rate, combined with the confidence gained in Nordic Capital by new investors. We are humbled that investors have prioritised and partnered with Nordic Capital, and we are enthusiastic about working together during Evolution II and beyond.

The Evolution Funds are advised by a dedicated team of 20+ professionals, with a range of tenure and industry experience. The team also draws on Nordic Capital Advisor’s wider organisational capabilities, including its operational and sector focused expertise and well-established regional network.

Evolution II attracted investors from across the globe, including 41% from Europe, 35% from the Americas, 21% from Asia and 3% from the Middle East. The investor base comprises a well-diversified mix of institutional investors: public and private pension funds (c.41%); asset managers and advisers (c.26%); sovereign wealth funds (c.14%); family offices and foundations (c.13%); and financial institutions (c. 6%).

Evolution II will continue Nordic Capital’s strong sustainability commitment. This year Nordic Capital received a top ESG rating from the UNPRI for the second consecutive year, and further advanced its climate agenda with the announcement that its greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Target initiative. Nordic Capital has a clear commitment to making a positive contribution to society by backing businesses that are solving some of the world’s global challenges or supporting the development of companies with strong sustainable foundations.

The fundraising was led by Nordic Capital, supported by Rede Partners who acted as placement agent, with Kirkland & Ellis as lead legal counsel.

Press contact

Katarina Janerud
Communications Manager Nordic Capital Advisors
Tel: +46 8 440 50 50
e-mail: katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading sector-specialist private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and Service & Industrial Tech. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested c. EUR 26 billion in close to 150 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital XI with EUR 9.0 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution II with EUR 2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and South Korea. www.nordiccapital.com.

“Nordic Capital” refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures, and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital’s entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as “Nordic Capital Advisors”.

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Warburg Pincus Announces $2.2B Multi-Asset Continuation Fund

Warburg Pincus logo

New York, NY – December 16th, 2024 – Warburg Pincus, the pioneer of private equity global growth investing, today announced the first close of its first multi-asset continuation fund transaction, with over $2.2 billion in commitments. The transaction was co-led and fully capitalized by HarbourVest Partners, Ardian and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments).  The lead investors underwrote the entirety of the raise with no required syndication. The fund includes Warburg Pincus portfolio companies that are diversified across geographies and industry sectors.

This strategic transaction offered the Limited Partners optionality, either locking in strong returns and eliminating future market and business risk through this sale, or rolling into the Continuation Fund to maintain asset exposure and potential future upside.  Additionally, the transaction provides the portfolio companies with incremental time and capital to pursue additional valuation creation initiatives under the continued stewardship of Warburg Pincus and with ongoing relationship consistency for management teams.

“Our focus is on driving value and realizing attractive returns for our investors through active portfolio and risk management, including developing creative and flexible paths to liquidity. It is this mindset and approach that has allowed us to be a net provider of capital back to our investors in nine of the last ten years, a fact we are incredibly proud of,” said Jeffrey Perlman, CEO, Warburg Pincus. “We are also proud of the success each of these companies have achieved to-date and strongly believe that this transaction will provide the portfolio with greater resources, time and flexibility to execute on its next phase of growth.”

“This transaction provides our investors with an option to take accelerated liquidity at a market-driven price, while allowing the portfolio companies the opportunity to continue to pursue their long-term growth plans, a win-win for all involved,” added Eddie Huang, Managing Director, Global Head of Fundraising and Investor Relations, Warburg Pincus. “We look forward to partnering with HarbourVest Partners, Ardian and CPP Investments on this new fund and working with our portfolio companies on their next phase of growth.”

Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel and Evercore served as financial advisor to Warburg Pincus.

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is the pioneer of private equity global growth investing. A private partnership since 1966, the firm has the flexibility and experience to focus on helping investors and management teams achieve enduring success across market cycles. Today, the firm has more than $86 billion in assets under management, and more than 230 companies in their active portfolio, diversified across stages, sectors, and geographies. Warburg Pincus has invested in more than 1,000 companies across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies.

The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact

Kerrie Cohen | Managing Director, Global Head of Communications & Marketing

kerrie.cohen@warburgpincus.com

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Carlyle Raises Over $7 Billion for its Third Credit Opportunities Fund

Carlyle

NEW YORK, NY – Global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) announced today the final close of its third Carlyle Credit Opportunities Fund (“CCOF III”), with $7.1billion[1] in investable capital, Carlyle’s largest credit fundraise to date. This includes $5.7 billion in commitments from a variety of large, sophisticated global institutions, including new and existing CCOF investors, and available leverage. CCOF III is nearly 30% larger than its predecessor fund and brings total investable capital across the opportunistic credit strategy to approximately $17 billion1.

To date, CCOF III has invested or committed more than $2.4 billion – or 33% of investible capital – in 25 investments across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The team provides borrowers highly structured and privately negotiated solutions across the capital structure to family, founder, and management-owned companies, sponsor-backed companies, and special situations.

“We appreciate the ongoing support of our investors, many of whom were repeat investors from our previous funds. With the global economy in a period of prolonged transformation, our Credit Opportunities strategy is well-positioned to expand our reach and provide timely, strategic capital to companies navigating complex situations,” said Alex Popov, Head of Private Credit at Carlyle. “We have become a trusted partner to many successful family and entrepreneur owned businesses and have been a contributing factor in their on-going success. Our long-standing sourcing relationships and rigorous approach to due diligence and credit selection help enable us to selectively structure bespoke solutions that can generate attractive risk-adjusted returns in strong businesses that are otherwise not for sale.”

“This fundraise is a milestone for our Global Credit platform and a testament to the caliber of our Opportunistic Credit team,” said Mark Jenkins, Head of Global Credit at Carlyle. “Private credit continues to play a vital role in the global capital markets, and we see tremendous opportunity to put capital to work in this asset class. We appreciate the confidence and support of our limited partners and remain focused on delivering consistent and persistent yields on their behalf.”

Since 2017, Carlyle’s Credit Opportunities strategy has deployed nearly $22 billion, leveraging Carlyle’s areas of expertise and market connectivity to develop thematic views and proactively pursue investments in targeted industry verticals including sports, media and entertainment; residential real estate and services; software and technology; and financial and business services.

This successful fundraise will further support the growth of Carlyle’s Global Credit platform, which has been Carlyle’s fastest-growing business segment over the past five years. With $194 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2024, Carlyle’s Global Credit platform manages assets across the risk return spectrum: from liquid, to private credit, to real asset strategies, and asset-backed finance.

About Carlyle

Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $447 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2024, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,300 people in 29 offices across four continents. Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on X @OneCarlyle and LinkedIn at The Carlyle Group.

 

Media Contact

Kristen Ashton

(212) 813-4763

Kristen.ashton@carlyle.com

 

 

[1]Represents equity raised plus fund leverage of opportunistic credit fee-paying commingled funds and SMAs.

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Accel-KKR Raises First Strategic Capital Fund, Closing On Over $2.2 Billion for Secondary Investments in the Software Market

AKKR Logo

Menlo Park, CA, November 21, 2024 – Accel-KKR, a global technology-focused investment firm, today announced the completion of fundraising for AKKR Strategic Capital LP (the “Fund”), closing on over $2.2 billion of capital commitments.

AKKR Strategic Capital will invest in a broad range of transactions primarily focused on the software industry in the secondary market, aligning with the firm’s long-standing focus and experience backing growing software and technology enabled services companies.  Accel-KKR has invested broadly in the secondary markets for over 15 years, utilizing capital primarily from its own balance sheet.  AKKR Strategic Capital will be Accel-KKR’s first fund dedicated to secondary investments utilizing outside capital, partially seeded with existing investments.

Tom Barnds, Co-Managing Partner at Accel-KKR, said, “The secondary market in private equity continues to experience significant growth, including accelerating growth in the GP-led continuation vehicle (“CV”) segment.  Based on our own successful experience with CVs, as well as other opportunities that we expect to find more broadly within the Accel-KKR ecosystem, we believe our firm is well positioned to bring specialized software expertise to the secondary market.”

Rob Palumbo, Co-Managing Partner at Accel-KKR, said, “We are quite pleased to be able to expand our capital available for investment in the secondary market, and look forward to partnering with many of our investors in this fund who bring very complementary secondary experience to the table.”

AKKR Strategic Capital will seek to lead investments in other sponsors’ continuation vehicles consisting of software assets, building on its experience to date. Accel-KKR made its first investment in this market, serving as sole lead investor in a continuation vehicle managed by LEA Partners, a DACH-headquartered private equity firm, to extend the duration of two high-quality software businesses in LEA’s portfolio with significant organic growth and M&A opportunities.

In addition to investing in and leading third-party CVs, AKKR Strategic Capital can participate in future Accel-KKR CVs.  Accel-KKR has significant experience in the CV market through its own CVs including:

  • In 2022, the firm completed Accel-KKR Capital Partners CV IV, a $1.765 billion multi-asset continuation vehicle for Accel-KKR’s $875 million 2013 vintage technology buyout fund.
  • In 2019, Accel-KKR completed Accel-KKR Capital Partners CV III, a $1.386 billion multi-asset continuation vehicle for its $600 million 2008 vintage technology buyout fund.

The investors in AKKR Strategic Capital comprise a diverse group of limited partners including public plans, foundations, university endowments and non-profits.  Many of these limited partners are active investors in the secondary markets.  The lead investor in AKKR Strategic Capital is Ardian, and other investors include StepStone Group, Adams Street Partners and CPP Investments. The General Partner and its affiliates have made an aggregate commitment of approximately 24% of the fund’s committed capital.

Accel-KKR has invested in or acquired over 450 technology companies globally since its founding in 2000, making it one of the most active private equity firms in the software and tech-enabled services sector.  These transactions have included acquisitions and recapitalizations of founder-owned or closely-held private companies; buyouts of divisions, subsidiaries and business units from private and public companies; and going-private transactions of public companies.  Over its history, Accel-KKR has raised 18 funds across five fund families, including Buyout (for majority investments), Emerging Buyout (for smaller majority investments), Growth Capital (for minority investments), Credit (for debt investments) and Strategic Capital.

About Accel-KKR
Accel-KKR is a technology-focused investment firm with $21 billion in cumulative capital commitments.  The firm focuses on software and tech-enabled businesses, well-positioned for top-line and bottom-line growth.  At the core of Accel-KKR’s investment strategy is a commitment to developing strong partnerships with the management teams of its partner companies and a focus on building value alongside management by leveraging the significant resources available through the Accel-KKR network.  Accel-KKR focuses on middle-market companies and provides a broad range of capital solutions, including buyout capital, minority-growth investments, and credit alternatives.  Accel-KKR also invests across various transaction types, including private company recapitalizations, divisional carve-outs and going-private transactions.  Accel-KKR’s headquarters is in Menlo Park, with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, London, and Mexico City.

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Partners Group expands growth equity strategy, building on its long track record of investing in fast-growing companies

Partners Group

Baar-Zug, Switzerland; 19 November 2024

  • The expanded strategy will primarily focus on healthcare and technology
  • Partners Group has deployed around USD 2.5 billion in growth equity to-date
  • The firm has launched a dedicated growth evergreen fund in the US

Partners Group, one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, has expanded its growth equity strategy (“the Strategy”), building on its long track record of investing in fast-growing companies. The expanded strategy will target companies in high-growth industries, particularly within the technology and healthcare sectors globally.

Partners Group will apply its thematic sourcing approach, which already tracks transformative growth trends across different sectors, to identify more growth-stage companies within the Strategy’s focus areas. The firm will also further leverage its extensive existing network amongst top growth investment managers, established through its Private Equity Partnership Investments business, to source opportunities.

Under the Strategy, Partners Group targets both growth buyouts, which typically include companies with scaled revenues and early profitability, and minority stakes in less mature companies with a path to profitability. To fall within scope, target companies need to have a differentiated offering, a strong product-market fit, and a resilient business model. Partners Group made its first growth investment in 2013 and has to-date deployed around USD 2.5 billion in the space. So far this year, the firm has made the following investments[1]:

  • Akur8 (France), a machine learning-powered insurance pricing and reserving platform, where Partners Group invested in a USD 120 million series C fundraising.
  • FairJourney Biologics (Portugal), a leading antibody discovery Contract Research Organization, where Partners Group acquired a majority stake.
  • Neara (Australia), a provider of cloud-native infrastructure modelling software, where Partners Group invested in a USD 31 million series C fundraising.
  • Sword Health (US), an AI-based musculoskeletal therapy solutions specialist, where Partners Group invested in a USD 130 million share sale.

Partners Group invests in growth equity investments through eligible existing private equity products and has recently launched a new evergreen fund in the US that is primarily focused on growth investments. Partners Group plans to launch other dedicated growth equity investment programs in the future.

Partners Group’s growth equity team is integrated within its Private Equity business, which has over 200 investment professionals globally, reflecting the strong synergies the Strategy has with the firm’s wider platform. The Private Equity business has a Health & Life Vertical team and a Technology Vertical team, both of which are supported by in-house research capabilities that guide the sourcing of investment opportunities.

Todd Miller, Partner, Head Private Equity Health & Life Vertical and Head Growth Equity, Partners Group, says: “With our integrated global investment platform and research-based thematic sourcing approach, we are well-positioned to invest across the entire valuation spectrum, from early-stage growth to buyout opportunities. Through our thematic research, we are uncovering more and more attractive growth opportunities across our focus areas in the healthcare and technology sectors. We expect this to continue as the cycle turns and investors come to terms with the new valuation paradigm. The expansion of our growth strategy will bring our current growth investing activities together and provide a platform from which to build on this momentum into the future.”


[1] Refers to the four investments that Partners Group has made under its growth strategy in 2024 YTD.

About Partners Group
Partners Group is one of the largest firms in the global private markets industry, with around 1’800 professionals and approximately USD 150 billion in overall assets under management. The firm has investment programs and custom mandates spanning private equity, private credit, infrastructure, real estate, and royalties. With its heritage in Switzerland and primary presence in the Americas in Colorado, Partners Group is built differently from the rest of the industry. The firm leverages its differentiated culture and its operationally oriented approach to identify attractive investment themes and to transform businesses and assets into market leaders. For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Partners Group media relations contact
Henry Weston
Phone: +44 207 575 2593
Email: henry.weston@partnersgroup.com

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Bain Capital Closes Global Special Situations Fund

BainCapital

Creates one of the largest global special situations investment pools with $9 billion of investable capital

Continues growth of global strategy that delivers flexible capital solutions to meet the needs of companies, entrepreneurs, and asset owners

BOSTON – November 18, 2024 – Bain Capital today announced it completed fundraising for its latest Global Special Situations Fund, bringing the total amount raised for its second vintage of funds to $9 billion. This capital base includes Global Special Situations Fund II, which received $5.7 billion in total commitments, inclusive of co-investments and separately managed accounts, and $3.3 billion from the firm’s previously closed Special Situations Asia and Europe regional funds. The successful fundraise positions Bain Capital as one of the largest special situations investors in the world.

Bain Capital’s Special Situations strategy combines bespoke capital solutions with strategic partnership to meet the diverse needs of companies, entrepreneurs, and asset owners across all market cycles. The team brings together credit and equity expertise, as well as corporate and real asset capabilities, to provide solutions that cannot be met by traditional providers. With more than $20 billion total assets under management, the strategy brings a differentiated ability to provide both capital as well as operating value-add.

On a global scale, Special Situations pursues both structural and cyclical opportunities across three primary investment strategies:

  • Capital Solutions: Investing and partnering with companies around the world to fund growth and M&A, provide liquidity, or optimize a company’s capital structure.
  • Hard Assets: Supporting asset owners and operators across the capital stack to structure tailored investments and build platforms that address market inefficiencies.
  • Opportunistic Distressed: Investing in complex and often misunderstood assets in dislocated market environments.

“Structural shifts are creating significant opportunities for creative capital providers who can fill the gaps between traditional strategies and provide enhanced value for companies, entrepreneurs, and asset owners,” said Barnaby Lyons, Partner and Global Head of Special Situations. “These catalysts demand innovative and adaptable investment solutions, backed by a global team with deep industry insights and robust strategic support. We’ve built one of the largest and most global special situations teams with over 140 investment professionals across four continents, and we see a substantial opportunity to further expand our global strategy and capabilities.”

While leveraging Bain Capital’s 40-year legacy of differentiated value creation, the Special Situations team brings significant operational capabilities to each transaction. Its portfolio group of more than 40 professionals offer dedicated operating and functional expertise from their experience in corporate leadership roles.

Recent investments from the firm’s Special Situations strategy include AQ Compute, a European provider of green, flexible, and modular data center and colocation services powered by renewable energy; Tyger Capital, a lender seeking to empower entrepreneurs, borrowers, and homeowners in India; MRO Holdings Inc., a leading provider of aircraft maintenance solutions for the global commercial airline industry; and Sikich, a leading professional services firm specializing in accounting, tax, and IT services in North America.

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About Bain Capital

Bain Capital, LP is one of the world’s leading private investment firms that creates lasting impact for our investors, teams, businesses, and the communities in which we live. Since our founding in 1984, we’ve applied our insight and experience to organically expand into numerous asset classes including private equity, credit, public equity, venture capital, real estate, life sciences, insurance, and other strategic areas of focus. The firm has offices on four continents, more than 1,850 employees, and approximately $185 billion in assets under management. To learn more, visit www.baincapital.com.

Media Contacts:

Scott Lessne / Charlyn Lusk

Stanton

(646) 502-3569 / (646) 502-3549

slessne@stantonprm.com / clusk@stantonprm.com

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