Dear Avante Investors, Colleagues, and Friends,
Happy New Year! We hope you enjoyed the holidays. We would like to share our reflections on 2018 accomplishments. We are off to a great start in 2019 and look forward to working with you!
2018 Highlights:
#1 Check out our new name – Avante Capital Partners! We are pleased to officially expand our offerings to include unitranche, second lien, mezzanine, and equity co-investments. Please reach out to us on any deal opportunities!
#2 We closed 2 new platforms, 2 add-ons, and have several others signed up to hit in early 2019. Closed deals include Vista Dental with Inverness Graham, Quest Products with Promus Equity, iTeach with L Squared (Learners Edge), and Add-On with ShoreView (Cornerstone).
#3 Promotions & team expansion! Jeri Harman to Founder & Chairman, Ivelisse Rodriguez Simon promoted to Managing Partner alongside Natasha Fox, Amanda Kim promoted to Senior Associate. We also added two new great members to our team, Jacqueline Reilly, Vice President, and Daniela Messina, Director of Business Development & Investor Relations.
#4 We continue to support small businesses – We were proudly recognized as SBIC of the Year 2018 for our work over 10 years providing capital to small businesses.
#5 We are passionate about encouraging women – In honor of its 10th anniversary, the Private Equity Women Investment Network (PEWIN) recognized Avante as the Women-Owned Firm of the Year. Additionally, we hosted many successful women’s events including at the Women’s PE Summit in Half Moon Bay and the KAYO Women PE Conference in Chicago and plan to host several more in 2019. Please let us know if you are interested in future events!
#6 Thought leaders – Jeri Harman recognized on the 2018 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A list, and the 2018 Los Angeles Business Journal 500 most influential list.
#7 Internships & mentorships – We launched an internship program supporting MBA women and minority students to increase exposure and advancement in private equity. We are actively hiring for summer and fall 2019 and welcome applications. Please contact Amanda Kim to learn more.
#8 Maintaining both discipline and creativity – As mezzanine activity is down (SPS Q3 report cited -42% yoy) and investors fear a pending recession, we have expanded our product offerings and invested more aggressively in less cyclical sectors (e.g. healthcare, education, software). We cannot predict 2019 but believe that we are well-positioned for volatility.
#9 Thankful for our clients, families and friends, and we look forward to working to working with you in 2019! Catch us at these upcoming events: JPM Healthcare Conference (January 8) and ACG Boston – The BIG Deal (January 15). The Avante team will also be in NYC (January 16-18) and Chicago (January 28-30) and we hope to connect with you then.
Sincerely,
The Avante Team