Leeds Equity Partners Closes Latest Private Equity Fund at $1.4 Billion

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Leeds Equity ("Leeds Equity" or the "Firm") today announced the final close for Leeds Equity Partners VII, L.P. (the "Fund" or "Leeds VII").

Leeds Equity, which was founded in 1993 and focuses on investments within the Knowledge Industries — education, training and information and data management services — closed its most recent fund with total commitments of over $1.4 billion, comprised of $1.33 billion of commitments from third party limited partners and $80 million of commitments from the general partner and its affiliates. The Fund had an initial target of $1 billion, which was increased with the support of limited partners over its hard cap to accommodate significant investor demand. 

The Firm pursues investments across both its buyout fund strategy, Leeds Equity Partners, and its growth equity fund strategy, Leeds Illuminate, which was launched in 2020. Leeds VII brings Leeds Equity's capital commitments across its funds to over $4 billion.

"We are grateful for the extraordinary partnership we enjoy with our investors," said Jeffrey T. Leeds, Partner of the Firm, "and of course for their support for our latest fund. Virtually all Leeds VI investors committed to Leeds VII, and we are delighted to welcome new limited partners from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and MENA." Added Leeds, "Our investors are, in fact, our partners, and we look forward to continuing to work together as we deploy Leeds VII."

"The successful fundraise for Leeds VII is a result of the commitment the Firm maintains to partnering with the highest quality companies and management teams and our shared mission to deliver best-in-class outcomes," said Jacques Galante, Partner. "As we invest our latest fund, we will continue to work to develop even greater sector expertise and to collaboratively deploy all of our resources to help build value."

The Firm's strategy remains, as it has for over three decades, to invest in and support businesses and management teams that are working to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the global knowledge-driven economy — the need for more and better education, workplace access, lifelong learning and the capacity to deploy information and drive business intelligence. 

Scott VanHoy, Partner, added, "We are especially thankful to our current and former portfolio management team members who have driven great outcomes throughout the history of Leeds Equity by maintaining an unwavering focus on efficacy and impact. In addition to their hard work on behalf of our partnerships, we are delighted to welcome many of them as investors in Leeds VII."

Leeds Equity Partners has completed four investments in the Fund, which is approximately 25% committed. Leeds VII portfolio companies include: OptionMetrics; engage2learn; Archive360 and Genius SIS.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Leeds Equity. UBS acted as placement agent.

About Leeds Equity 

Leeds Equity is a New York-based private equity firm dedicated exclusively to partnering with management teams in the education, training and information and data management services industries (the "Knowledge Industries"). The firm was founded in 1993 and manages over $4 billion of capital across a broad spectrum of companies within the Knowledge Industries. Leeds Equity seeks to leverage its sector-focused expertise and market insights to create long-term value for its partner companies.

For additional information on Leeds Equity, see http://www.leedsequity.com/.

For More Information:
Jeffrey T. Leeds
Tel. 212-835-2000
Fax: 212-835-2020
www.leedsequity.com

SOURCE Leeds Equity Partners, LLC

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http://www.leedsequity.com/.