Stephen R. Pratt

Private Equity, Sovereign Wealth Funds and Strategics

• Estancia Capital Partners, a specialist private equity firm focused on the financial services sector, on its cross-border investment in Flagstone, a fintech company based in London that is a leading UK cash savings platform; its investment in Soltis Investment Advisors, a registered investment adviser with more than $9 billion of client assets; and on a recapitalization of its portfolio company, R&T Deposit Solutions, a leading provider of tech-enabled liquidity management, deposit funding and securities-based lending programs, which included a significant investment from GTCR.
• SciPlay Corporation (NASDAQ:SCPL), a leading developer and publisher of digital games on mobile and web platforms, in its acquisition of Alictus, a global developer and publisher of casual mobile games.
• GIC, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore, in numerous transactions, including the joint acquisition of Direct ChassisLink Inc., along with OMERS Infrastructure and Wren House, from investment funds managed by Apollo and EQT; in connection with the combination of Alight Solutions with Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp., which implies a pro-forma enterprise value for Alight of approximately $7.3 billion; and in the sale of Refinitiv by a consortium (consisting of Blackstone, an affiliate of GIC, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Thomson Reuters) to London Stock Exchange Group plc.
  
• MiddleGround Capital in its acquisition of Plasman Holdings, a single-source solutions provider to automotive original equipment manufacturers for exterior products and systems; Arrow Tru-Line, an independent manufacturer and supplier of overhead garage door hardware components, selling into residential and commercial markets; and Dura Automotive Systems, a global automotive supplier specializing in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of solutions that drive the evolution of mobility.
• Energy Harbor Corp., a highly reliable provider of carbon free baseload electricity, on its sale to Vistra Corp.
• One Equity Partners on its sale of PeroxyChem to Evonik Industries AG (FRA:EVK), a German-based publicly traded global specialty chemicals company; its acquisition of Anvil International, a leading North American manufacturer of pipe fitting and system components from Mueller Water Products (NYSE:MWA) and subsequent sale of Anvil International to Smith-Cooper International; its acquisition of a majority interest in The W.W. Williams Company; and in a number of buyout and exit transactions, as well as advising a number of portfolio companies on add-on acquisitions.
• Berwind Group on the sale of Specialty Coating Systems to KISCO Ltd. of Japan.
• Macquarie Corporate and Asset Finance on its sale of a BNSF Logistics Facility to funds managed by CRIC2 Funds, LLC.
• CDI Corp. on its acquisition of EdgeRock Technologies, LLC.

Financial Services Transactions and Asset Management M&A

• Estancia Capital Management, LLC and its affiliates, which joined forces with LLR Partners, in the acquisition of Soltis Investment Advisors, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser with more than US$9 billion of client assets under management.
• AGL Credit Management LLC (AGL), a premier investment manager specializing in corporate credit strategies, on an exclusive cooperation agreement with Barclays Plc, a global investment bank, and the launch of a new private credit investment platform, AGL Private Credit.
• GQG Partners Inc., a U.S.-based global investment boutique focused on managing active equity portfolios, on its acquisition of equity interests of certain boutiques from Pacific Current Group Limited, a global multi-boutique asset management business, and son the prospective launch of its private capital solutions business, GQG Private Capital Solutions LLC.
• abrdn, a global asset manager, on its proposed acquisition and reorganization of four closed-end investment funds managed by First Trust Advisors, L.P. into three existing abrdn funds; in entering into an agreement to acquire the healthcare fund management capabilities of Tekla Capital Management LLC, a global specialist healthcare investment adviser; and on its acquisition of the U.S. closed-end funds sponsored by Macquarie/Delaware Investments.
  
• ARK Invest, an investment firm renowned for its focus on disruptive innovation, in its recent acquisition of Rize ETF Limited, a transaction representing a significant milestone in ARK Invest’s global expansion strategy enabling it to introduce its suite of innovation ETFs, under the UCITS framework, to investors across Europe.
• Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE:SF) on its formation of a substantial leveraged lending joint venture and strategic collaboration with Korea Investment & Securities Co., Ltd (KIS); on its strategic collaboration with LFE Capital, a growth equity firm dedicated to providing capital to women-owned and managed health and wellness businesses; its launch of Twelve Degrees, a strategic collaboration with RCP Advisors that is focused on investing in and providing capital solutions to leading emerging and first-time alternative investment fund managers; its acquisition of the public finance operations of George K. Baum & Company; its acquisition of Eaton Partners, LLC, one of the world’s largest capital placement agents and fund advisory firms; and in its investment in CM Investment Partners and CM Finance; and in connection with Stifel Aviation Finance, a series of aircraft specialty finance vehicles.
• AIG (NYSE:AIG) in its acquisition of all the outstanding equity interests of Covenant Credit Partners, LP, an alternative credit manager with a focus on CLOs.
• ROBO Global, an index and research company exclusively focused on helping investors capture the unique opportunities of fast-growing robotics, artificial intelligence, and healthcare technology companies around the world, in the sale of its index suite to VettaFi.
• CoreVest American Finance Lender LLC, a leading nationwide originator and portfolio manager of business-purpose residential loans, in connection with the US$490 million sale of Corevest to Redwood Trust, Inc.
• PennantPark Investment Corporation (NYSE:PNNT) and PennantPark Floating Rate Capital Ltd. (NYSE:PFLT) in connection with their joint venture and capital markets activities and general corporate and securities matters.
• Numerous business development companies sponsored by FS Investments in connection with their multi-billion dollar continuous equity offerings, debt offerings and general corporate and securities matters.
• FS Investment Corporation (NYSE:FSK) in its merger with Corporate Capital Trust, Inc. (formerly NYSE:CCT), two publicly-listed, business development companies advised by FS/KKR Advisor, to create the second largest publicly-traded BDC by assets under management.
• FS Investment Corporation II, FS Investment Corporation III, FS Investment Corporation IV and Corporate Capital Trust II in their merger to create the second largest BDC by assets under management.
• FS Investments on its acquisition of Chiron Investment Management.

Life Sciences

• Edge Therapeutics (formerly NASDAQ:EDGE), a U.S.-based biotechnology company, in connection with its merger with PDS Biotechnology Corporation, a privately-held, clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company.
  
• Aviragen Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ:AVIR), a biopharmaceutical company that had been focused on the discovery and development of products to prevent and treat infectious diseases, in its merger with Vaxart, Inc. (NASDAQ:VXRT).
• Celgene Corporation on its collaboration with Sutro BioPharma.

• Delaware Supreme Court Reaffirms High Bar for Proving Control by a Minority Stockholder - Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance (February 26, 2025)