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The Wire

Private equity deal news and insights from the New York newsroom

Sep 26, 2024

 

ECP eyes carbon capture, hydrogen opportunities; Generate Capital weighs in during Climate Week

Good morning, Hubsters. Senior reporter Michael Schoeck here with the US edition of the Wire from the New York newsroom.

 

In honor of Climate Week NYC taking place through September 29, we’ve got two items to showcase today involving sustainability themes. The first is a deep dive into Energy Capital Partners’ most recent investment in a natural gas power plant service provider, OEM and asset owner. 

 

The second is an excerpt from a meeting PEI journalists attended yesterday with Generate Capital president Bill Sonneborn about the sustainability investor’s election year outlook and new investment opportunities.

 

In AI developments, we’ll highlight an article about AI involving Investcorp’s GP’s group utilizing a suite of alternative technologies from a start-up, DiligentIQ, which was formed by KKR alum Ed Brandman.

 

Let’s start off with a deep dive into a conventional power company looking at a cleaner future.

 

Clean Peakers

Hydrogen as a power source and carbon capture technologies used in simple-cycle natural gas power generation, or “peakers” as they’re commonly called, came up as factors behind Energy Capital Partners’ (ECP) early September majority acquisition of ProEnergy Holdings, an operations and maintenance provider and original equipment manufacturer supplier to the independent power producer market.

 

Sign up for the premium version of the Wire to read more.

 

Climate Week

In conjunction with Climate Week NYC, sustainable investment and operating platform Generate Capital invited PEI Group journalists to meet at the firm’s New York office.

 

One of the investment firm’s three key tenets is infrastructure-as-a-service, in which multiple distributed energy, HVAC or other energy efficiency solutions are deployed across portfolio companies’ client base, Generate president Bill Sonneborn said.

 

Sign up for the premium version of the Wire to read more about sustainability developments.

 

GPs harness AI

Investcorp’s GP stakes division and some of its portfolio companies are using AI software from a start-up founded by a former KKR partner to enhance their due diligence work.

 

The sponsor revealed to Private Funds CFO’s Tom Auchterlonie that it has been a customer of DiligentIQ, a generative AI company that was launched by Ed Brandman.

 

Sign up for the premium version of the Wire to read more.

 

That’s a wrap for me today. Stay tuned for Irien Joseph bringing you the Europe edition of the Wire tomorrow and Obey Martin Manayiti delivering the US edition.

 

Cheers,

Michael

 

Read the full Wire commentary on PE Hub ...

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Today's must reads
> ECP’s Andrew Gilbert cites carbon capture, hydrogen power as growth levers for ProEnergy More...
> Investcorp enhances due diligence with AI startup DiligentIQ, founded by KKR alum Ed Brandman More...
> 'Swag' spells opportunities for New Heritage Capital More...
> Oaktree finds market for special situations investing ‘incredible’ More...
> Bain Capital’s special situations platform steps into the light More...

Also of note (may require subscriptions)

 

After two years on the road, JF Lehman & Company appears to be fast approaching the close of its sixth flagship buyout offering. (Buyouts)

 

Alex Albert, a founding partner at Patient Square Capital, is no longer with the firm, sources told Buyouts. It’s not clear why Albert has left Patient Square, a newer firm that was formed in 2020. A spokesperson for the firm declined to comment.

 

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is placing a bet on infrastructure secondaries becoming a $25 billion market in the next three years. (Secondaries Investor)

 

GTCR is running a continuation vehicle process for an insurance asset that has been on its exit runway for at least a year, Secondaries Investor has learned.

 

Apollo is making a bid to expand its asset-backed finance business, obtaining a commitment from BNP Paribas for an initial $5 billion to support investment grade, asset-backed credit originated by Apollo and its majority-owned ATLAS SP Partners. The partnership will sit alongside a joint venture to support Apollo and ATLAS securitizations. (Private Debt Investor)

 

W Capital Partners is beginning to fundraise for its latest, and potentially largest, secondaries vehicle. The fund, W-Prime VI, is targeting $1 billion, according to filings with the SEC. (Secondaries Investor)

 

Deals

Alternate text
> Reynolda-backed ATG acquires NTS Laboratory Equipment Inc More...
> RedBird Capital-backed Bishop Street Underwriters invests in auto insurance MGA Verve Services More...
> New State snaps up trade show services firm The Expo Group More...
> L Catterton to acquire fitness studios network [solidcore] More...
> ECP’s Andrew Gilbert cites carbon capture, hydrogen power as growth levers for ProEnergy More...
> KKR and Skip Capital go for majority stake in Queensland Airports More...
People
> HOOPP president and CEO Wendling to retire in 2025 More...
> Kainos Capital promotes Gassko and Moredock to partner More...
> Ara Partners-backed Continuum Powders appoints Butson as SVP, global sales More...
 

They said it

“[AI] could be helping with the analysis of credit agreement documents, or it could be diving deep into contents within a [virtual data room] and looking for specific information. Or trying to summarize very long documents into shorter but still detailed output, and some of it also includes the ability to try to do analytics and visualizations off of spreadsheets.”

— Ed Brandman, CEO of DiligentIQ and former KKR partner, said about the company’s use cases for general partnerships.

 

Today's letter was prepared by Michael Schoeck

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