Leeds Equity Inks $94 Mln Buy of Evanta, SLI

Leeds Equity Partners has agreed to buy Evanta Ventures and Sports Leadership Institute for $94 million. The seller is dmg events, a unit of the Daily Mail and General Trust. Portland-based Evanta is a conference organizer, while SLI provides leadership forums for professional and collegiate sports team executives. The Jordan, Edmiston Group advised Evanta.

PRESS RELEASE

Leeds Equity Partners, LLC (“Leeds Equity”), the New York‐based
private equity fund focused exclusively on investing in the Knowledge Industries, announced today that it
has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Evanta Ventures, Inc. (“Evanta”) and Sports Leadership
Institute, Inc. (“SLI”) from dmg events (USA) inc., a subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust plc, for
approximately $94 million.
The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (www.jegi.com) of New York, NY, the leading independent investment
bank for the media, information, marketing, and technology sectors, represented Evanta in this transaction
and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.
Founded in 2003 and based in Portland, Oregon, Evanta is the global leader of peer‐to‐peer networking
platforms that engage C‐suite executives from enterprises that represent aggregate annual revenues of $15
trillion. Evanta’s elite offerings include more than 80 exclusive leadership forums and educational
solutions for executives in the functional areas of technology, security, human resources, finance, and
healthcare. Complementing those forums, Evanta offers a private social network that brings together more
than 12,000 qualified executives on an ongoing basis. In addition to its robust C‐suite and social networks,
Evanta provides immersive leadership development programs for future leaders in partnership with MIT
Sloan School of Management, University of Texas McCombs School of Business, University of Chicago
Booth School of Business and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Their platforms promote the
acceleration of individual and organizational performance through proprietary professional development
and facilitated collaboration, which is key to global economic prosperity.
Founded in 2011, SLI provides the only exclusive leadership forums for professional and collegiate sports
team executives. The Global Sports Summit, Global Sports Management Invitational and Collegiate Sports
Summit bring together owners, managers, athletic directors and other stakeholders within the professional
and collegiate sports sectors. Their mission is to evaluate current industry trends and cultivate future
initiatives to affect meaningful change and accelerate business‐related performance across sports.
“Leeds Equity is excited to partner with Bob Dethlefs and the broader management team at Evanta and
SLI,” said Jeffrey T. Leeds, President and Co‐Founder of Leeds Equity. “Through exceptional vision and
hard work, Bob and his team have built a differentiated platform with which to engage and support senior
executives in business and sports.”
Evanta’s Founder and CEO, Bob Dethlefs said, “Our entire team looks forward to working closely with
Leeds Equity to continue to serve our existing communities as well as developing new platforms and
offerings. Leeds Equity not only has the resources, but also the insights and industry relationships to
enable Evanta to pursue initiatives that will accelerate our growth going forward. We are proud to join a
renowned industry leader in the education and information services industries.”
“Leeds Equity’s investment in Evanta and SLI will provide an excellent platform for growth,” said Jacques
Galante, a Managing Director at Leeds Equity. “We look forward to partnering with Bob and his
management team to further expand the company’s existing offerings and build upon the company’s
exceptional record of performance.”
About Evanta Ventures, Inc.
Founded in 2003 and based in Portland, Oregon, Evanta is the global leader of peer‐to‐peer networking
platforms that engage C‐suite executives from enterprises that represent aggregate annual revenues of $15
trillion. Evanta’s elite offerings include more than 80 exclusive leadership forums and educational
solutions for executives in the functional areas of technology, security, human resources, finance, and
healthcare. For more information, visit www.evanta.com.
About Sports Leadership Institute
Founded in 2011, SLI provides the only exclusive leadership forums for professional and collegiate sports
team executives. The Global Sports Summit, Global Sports Management Invitational and Collegiate Sports
Summit bring together owners, managers, athletic directors and other stakeholders within the professional
and collegiate sports sectors. For more information, visit www.globalsportssummit.com or
www.gsminvitational.com.
About dmg events
dmg events was founded in 1989 and now manages over 80 events in 25 countries each year.
Headquartered in Stamford, CT, it is currently active in North America, the Middle East, North Africa,
Europe, Asia, and Australia, employing over 300 staff. dmg events is a wholly‐owned subsidiary of the
Daily Mail and General Trust plc, one of the largest media companies in the UK. For more information,
visit www.dmgevents.com.
About Leeds Equity Partners
Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, is a New York‐based private equity firm focused exclusively on investing in
the education, training and information services industries (the “Knowledge Industries”). The firm was
founded by Jeffrey T. Leeds and Robert A. Bernstein in 1993 and has raised and manages more than $1.1
billion of capital across five funds. For more information, visit www.leedsequity.com.