BOSTON and LONDON — Advent International (“Advent”), one of the world’s largest and most experienced private equity firms, today announced that fundraising for the Advent International GPE IX Limited Partnership Fund (“GPE IX” or the “Fund”) has closed. The fund reached its maximum volume of $17.5 billion (15.6 billion euros) and had already exceeded its target of $16 billion (14.3 billion euros) after six months. Advent’s previous fund, GPE VIII, closed in 2016 with a volume of $13 billion (€12 billion).
The same strategy will be pursued for GPE (Global Private Equity) IX as for its eight predecessor funds; funds will be invested primarily in Europe and North America, but also selectively in Asia and Latin America, in buy-outs, carve-outs, public-to-private transactions and growth financing.
Sector specialization has been at the core of Advent’s investment approach since its inception, and the GPE IX fund will also focus on the five core industries in which the firm has extensive experience and knowledge: (1) financial services and business services; (2) healthcare; (3) industrials and chemicals; (4) retail, consumer goods and leisure industries; and (5) media and telecommunications. Advent recently announced plans to strengthen its commitment to the technology sector by expanding its technology investment team and opening a new office in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“The successful fundraising for GPE IX is an important milestone for Advent and increases the capital base available to us for investments in Germany,” said Ranjan Sen (photo), Managing Partner at Advent International in Frankfurt. “The funds raised will allow us to continue our proven strategy of partnering with management teams to drive sustainable business growth.”
Ronald Ayles, Managing Partner at Advent International in Frankfurt, added: “Advent has been investing in Germany for almost 30 years and has actively supported the value growth of 30 companies with more than 3.1 billion euros. Germany offers a wide range of opportunities for an investment company like Advent, which has a strong commitment to the markets in which it operates.”
“We are very pleased with the strong interest in GPE IX from existing and new investors,” said David Mussafer, Managing Partner at Advent International in Boston. “The cornerstones of our success are our proven sector focus, our global presence, our private partnership model, and the extensive operational resources we bring to our investments.”
“Our global team is a key advantage in finding and executing attractive investment opportunities around the world,” said James Brocklebank, Managing Partner at Advent in London. “We have extensive experience in executing complex transactions such as corporate spin-offs. This is where we can bring our resources and expertise to create value in these dynamic businesses.”
Extensive resources to support management teams
Advent has more than 195 investment and portfolio support specialists worldwide. GPX IX is invested by a team of 157 experts in Europe, North America and Asia. They can draw on the expertise of 40 specialists from Advent’s Latin American Private Equity Fund program, as well as a global network of world-class operational resources. This also includes more than 115 external Operating Partners and Operations Advisors, former executives with in-depth industry and technical expertise.
Through this platform, Advent provides management teams with resources and expertise to help them grow revenue and execute value creation strategies. Since 2005, portfolio companies in which Advent has held an interest for at least one year have achieved average annual revenue and EBITDA growth of 14 and 15 percent, respectively.
GPE IX saw high demand from existing investors. More than 90 percent of the committed capital came from the limited partners of previous Advent funds.
Strong track record over three decades
Advent’s GPE program has a long track record of acquisitions and disposals over several fund generations and various economic or private equity cycles. Since 1990, 258 investments have been made in 31 countries, of which about 213 have been fully or largely realized.
Across all its funds, Advent has invested $44 billion (€36 billion) in more than 345 private equity transactions in 41 countries. The company’s current portfolio companies generated annual sales of $50 billion (44 billion euros) and employed more than 290,000 people at year-end.
Recent IPOs and company sales in the GPE program include Ammeraal Beltech, Bojangles’, Cotiviti, Genoa Healthcare, KMD, lululemon athletica (partial exit), Mondo Minerals, MORSCO and Nexi (IPO, partial exit).
Recent investments in the GPE program include Aimbridge Hospitality, BioDuro, Deutsche Fachpflege Group, INNIO (formerly GE Distributed Power), Laird, Manjushree Technopack, Prisma Medios de Pago, Walmart Brazil and Zentiva.
In addition to the GPE program, Advent is currently investing a sixth private equity fund focused on buy-outs and growth financing in Latin America. The 2015 vintage fund, LAPEF VI, has $2.1 billion in assets.
This press release is neither an offer nor a solicitation of an offer nor an invitation or solicitation to invest in any fund of Advent International. Investments in Advent International funds are available solely on the basis of and subject to the terms of the relevant fund documents and applicable laws.
About Advent Interantional
Founded in 1984, Advent International (“Advent”) is one of the world’s largest and most experienced investment companies. The company manages approximately $36 billion (€31 billion) in assets, excluding $17.5 billion (€15.6 billion) raised under GPE IX (as of September 31, December 2018).
About Advent International Germany
Advent International GmbH was founded in Germany in 1991 and advises Advent with its Frankfurt-based team of consultants. Advent is also one of the leading private equity companies in Germany and has been investing in European companies since 1990. To date, Advent International GmbH has advised on investments of approximately EUR 3.1 billion in 30 portfolio companies. Advent International GmbH’s consulting focus is on the following core sectors: Financial Services and Business Services; Healthcare; Chemicals; Retail, Consumer Goods and Leisure Industries; and Media and Telecommunications.
Over the past decade, Advent’s investments have included Innio, a global leader in reciprocating gas engines for power generation and gas compression; Deutsche Fachpflege Gruppe (DFG), the largest provider of out-of-hospital intensive care in Germany; Concardis Payment Group, a leading provider of digital payment solutions and part of the Nets Group; allnex, the leading global manufacturer of resin coatings for the paint and coatings industry; Douglas Holding, Europe’s leading cosmetics retailer; GFKL, a leading provider of receivables management in Germany; and Median Kliniken, a leading provider of independent rehabilitation clinics.
After more than 35 years of international investment activity, Advent remains true to its investment approach of generating sustainable revenue and profit growth for its portfolio companies by working in partnership with management teams. www.adventinternational.com