M&A Deal Summary

The Blackstone Group and CPP Investments Acquire Ascend Learning

On April 14, 2017, private equity firm The Blackstone Group and pension CPP Investments acquired education company Ascend Learning from Providence Equity Partners, BlackRock Capital Investment and Ontario Teachers Pension Plan

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is The Blackstone Group’s 2nd and CPP Investments’ 1st transaction in the Education sector.
  • This is The Blackstone Group’s 138th and CPP Investments’ 11th transaction in the United States.
  • This is The Blackstone Group’s 4th and CPP Investments’ 1st transaction in Massachusetts.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2017-04-14
Target Ascend Learning
Sector Education
Buyer(s) The Blackstone Group
CPP Investments
Sellers(s) Providence Equity Partners
BlackRock Capital Investment
Ontario Teachers Pension Plan
Deal Type Secondary Buyout
Advisor(s) Barclays Investment Bank (Financial)
Weil Gotshal & Manges (Legal)

Target

Ascend Learning

Burlington, Massachusetts, United States
Ascend Learning is a provider of educational content and software tools for students, educational institutions, and employers. With products that span the learning continuum, Ascend Learning focuses on high-growth careers in a range of industries, with a special focus on healthcare and other licensure-driven occupations. Ascend Learning was founded in 2010 and is based in Burlington, Massachusetts.

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Buyer(S) 2

Buyer

The Blackstone Group

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1987
PE ASSETS 131.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

The Blackstone Group is a global alternative investment management firm. The Firm's investment activities span real estate, secondary investments, hedge funds, credit, infrastructure, and private equity. Blackstone's private equity group targets opportunities globally including buyout acquisitions of established companies, development projects, growth equity financings, and industry consolidations. Sectors of interest include automotive, healthcare, chemicals, industrial, commercial property, lodging, communications, media/publishing, consumer & retail, packaging, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, energy, technology, entertainment, telecommunications, financial services, theme parks, food & beverage, and transportation. Blackstone's private equity real estate group looks for opportunities across North/South America, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, and Europe. The real estate group will consider both equity and debt investments. Areas of interest include healthcare, hotel, industrial, office, residential, and retail. The Blackstone Group was formed in 1987 and is based in New York City.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 220 of 336
Sector (Education) 2 of 5
Type (Secondary Buyout) 35 of 80
State (Massachusetts) 4 of 9
Country (United States) 138 of 211
Year (2017) 7 of 21
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-04-12 Industrie De Nora

Milan, Italy

Industrie De Nora S.p.A is a designer, manufacturer and supplier of electrodes, coatings and complete electrochemical solutions to serve diversified markets. Industrie De Nora is based in Milan, Italy.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-04-17 EagleClaw Midstream

Midland, Texas, United States

EagleClaw Midstream is a midstream company focused on developing infrastructure opportunities in the Permian Basin. EagleClaw provides natural gas producers with a wide array of midstream services including gathering, compression, treating, processing and transportation.

Buy $2.0B
Buyer
DESCRIPTION

CPP Investments is a Canadian pension fund focused on a variety of investing strategies, including public equities, debt, and alternative investments. The Firm's private equity arm looks to acquire direct stakes in private companies, as well as make fund investments and acquire secondary positions. For direct stakes in companies, CPP looks to invest across North American and Europe and seeks to commit a minimum of $150 million per transaction. CPP has no industry preferences however the Firm will not invest in real assets. CPP Investments was established in 1997 and is based in Toronto, Ontario.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 20 of 51
Sector (Education) 1 of 4
Type (Secondary Buyout) 5 of 11
State (Massachusetts) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 11 of 26
Year (2017) 4 of 7
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-03-28 Indus Towers

Gurugram, India

Indus Towers is an operator of telecommunication services businesses in India. Bharti's primary assets include national and international long distance licenses, cellular licenses in four metropolitan cities and 11 states and fixed line licenses in five states. Indus Towers was founded in 2006 and is based in Gurugram, India.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-04-25 Nord Anglia Education

London, United Kingdom

Nord Anglia Education is an international operator of premium schools, serving students from kindergarten through the end of secondary school (K-12). Together, they educate more than 37,000 students from kindergarten through to the end of secondary education. Providing education to both expatriates and local students in the markets where it operates, Nord Anglia attracts top teaching talent globally and has established collaborations with leading post-secondary institutions, including The Juilliard School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and King's College London. Nord Anglia Education was formed in 1972 and is based in London.

Buy $4.3B

Seller(S) 3

SELLER

Providence Equity Partners

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1989
PE ASSETS 36.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Providence Equity Partners is a specialist private equity firm that targets investments in media, entertainment, communications, and information companies. Specifically, Providence seeks investments in wireless and wireline telephony, cable television content and distribution, music, film, publishing, radio and television broadcasting, and other media and communications sectors. Providence Equity looks to commit $150 million to $800 million of equity capital in transactions ranging from growth financings and recapitalizations, to buyouts and take-privates. Providence Equity Partners was formed in 1989 and has offices in Providence, Rhode Island; New York, New York; Los Angeles, California; London, United Kingdom; Hong Kong, China; and New Delhi, India.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 62 of 100
Sector (Education) 4 of 7
Type (Secondary Buyout) 13 of 31
State (Massachusetts) 4 of 6
Country (United States) 41 of 68
Year (2017) 2 of 6
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-04-12 Ministry Brands

Lenoir City, Tennessee, United States

Ministry Brands is a provider of SaaS platforms for churches, parachurch ministries and other faith-based organizations in the United States and Canada. The company seeks to equip the 21stcentury church with technology that empowers pastors, church executives, technology professionals, and administrators to proactively carry out their Biblical mission with excellence, reverence, and efficiency. Its suite of solutions includes church management, giving, accounting, mobile applications, website development, background checks, content, streaming, and messaging. Ministry Brands was founded in 2012 and is based in Lenoir City, Tennessee.

Sell -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-06-20 Major League Soccer

New York, New York, United States

Major League Soccer is an exclusive national media, marketing, and sponsorship business of Major League Soccer.

Sell -
SELLER

BlackRock Capital Investment

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Business Development Company
Founded 2005
PE ASSETS 1.0B USD
Size Large
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

BlackRock Capital Investment is a publicly traded business development company (BDC) that provides middle-market companies with a variety of financing solutions. This includes senior and junior secured, unsecured and subordinated debt securities and loans, as well as equity. BlackRock Capital targets profitable companies with strong management and defensible market positions that may be underserved by traditional lending sources. The Firm looks to commit $10 to $50 million in businesses generating $10 to $50 million of EBITDA. BlackRock was formed in 2005 by BlackRock and Kelso & Company. The Firm has offices in New York City and Chicago.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 15 of 23
Sector (Education) 1 of 1
Type (Secondary Buyout) 7 of 11
State (Massachusetts) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 15 of 21
Year (2017) 1 of 1
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2016-09-15 Penton Media

New York, New York, United States

Penton Media, Inc. is an information services and marketing company. Penton’s products inform with rich industry insights and workflow tools; engage through dynamic events, education and networking; and advance business with powerful marketing services programs.

Sell $1.6B
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-05-30 Grupo Axo

Mexico City, Mexico

Grupo Axo is a multi-brand retail company that owns and operates Promoda, Mexico’s leading off-price retailer, and also owns the exclusive rights to commercialize 20+ international consumer brands in the apparel and accessories categories in Mexico. Grupo Axo was founded in 1994 and is based in Mexico City.

Buy -
SELLER

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Pension
Founded 1990
PE ASSETS 242.5B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Teachers' Private Capital is the direct investment arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Teachers' Private Capital considers both private equity and venture related investments in North America, Europe, and Asia. Teachers' can support direct private equity investments between $100 million and $3 billion. Target sectors include business services, consumer products, retail, diversified industrials, financial services, technology, media, and communications. Teachers' Private Capital also makes private equity fund investments between $50 million and $750 million. Teachers' Private Capital was formed in 1991 and is based in Toronto, with additional offices in London and New York.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 32 of 72
Sector (Education) 2 of 2
Type (Secondary Buyout) 7 of 20
State (Massachusetts) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 17 of 38
Year (2017) 1 of 5
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-04-12 OGF

Paris, France

OGF is a provider of funeral services in France and the only fully integrated operator supplying the full spectrum of funeral products including burial and cremation services, monuments and cemetery works, pre-need insurance contracts and coffin manufacturing. OGF is present across France through an unmatched nationwide footprint of 1,100 branches, 550 funeral homes, 72 crematoria and a portfolio of highly recognised brands, which include PFG, Roblot, Henri de Borniol and numerous local brands, most of them under the Dignité Funéraire umbrella. OGF is based in Paris, France.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2017-06-20 CareerBuilder

Chicago, Illinois, United States

CareerBuilder provides comprehensive online recruiting products and services for job seekers and employers and has uniquely syndicated its trademarked technology and content to create a network of private-label career sites. CareerBuilder was founded in 1995 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Buy -