Good morning, Hubsters. MK Flynn here with today’s Wire.
I’m delighted to introduce you to two new reporters who joined our PE Hub and Buyouts team this week:
Obey Martin Manayiti joined PE Hub as a reporter. Obey worked previously as a journalist at Alpha Media Holdings in Zimbabwe, Africa, where he was born and raised. He came to the US in 2019 to attend a fellowship at Harvard and then earned a master’s degree in business and journalism from Columbia University. Most recently, Obey covered retail for the Financial Times on a fellowship. He’s looking forward to working on “groundbreaking stories that will further engrave us as the best in the industry.”
Obey can be reached at: obey.m@peimedia.com
Gregg Gethard joined Buyouts as a reporter. Gregg is a financial journalist who spent the past several years working in public relations. He also teaches classes in public speaking and business writing. He has a master’s degree in Central and Eastern European Studies from La Salle University. Fun fact: Gregg moonlights as a part-time stand-up comedian and actor.
Gregg can be reached at: gregg.g@peimedia.com
Both Obey and Gregg are looking to build up their sources and their knowledge of private equity. Reach out and say hello to them!
Follow-up pool. GPI Capital, launched in 2016 by former executives at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, is targeting $750 million for its second fund, a source told Buyouts.
Chris writes: “GPI is embarking on the challenging and crucial path of any emerging manager, raising a follow-up pool to a debut fund. The strength of a new firm’s debut fund helps dictate exactly whether the organization will continue to grow into the future or slowly wither without the ability to bring in new capital. The firm has been out since last year raising GPI Capital Equity Opportunities Fund II, according to Form D documents. Triago, Jefferies and Oppenheimer & Co are listed as placement agents on the fundraising, according to the Form D document.”
Last year, GPI led a $175 million Series G round in Hopper, a mobile-only travel booking application.
Women’s History Month. In the Wire throughout March, we’re highlighting the dealmakers PE Hub and Buyouts named Women in private equity: The class of 2022.
Today, let’s take a look at Jennifer Ding, principal, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, profiled by Iris.
Ding is a “renaissance person,” writes Iris. “From her formidable résumé in private equity to her versatility as an accomplished musician, watercolor artist and avid hip-hop and jazz dancer, the 33-year-old Harvard Business School grad seems to tackle everything in her life with a fierce drive to succeed.”
Joining WCAS in 2020 as a principal focused on enterprise software, Ding quickly rose to the top of the firm’s technology group. She led important investments across three core areas: education technology, human capital management software and information services. Among her list of recent investments were LINQ, a K-12 education operations technology platform and Absorb Software, a provider of cloud-based learning and performance management software.
When asked about her motivations, Ding said: “It’s not money, not fame, but something really simple. [It’s the] the feeling of fulfillment that I am playing a part to add value to a cause, to someone’s life, to a company’s growth, to an industry’s innovation, all the while collaborating with people who operate with authenticity and care as deeply as I do.”
For more, read the whole report, in which we profile 10 stellar dealmakers.
That’s all for today. Chris writes the Wire on Wednesdays, so I’ll see you Thursday.
All the best,
MK
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