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<ul class="summary-list"><li>KKR is in talks to acquire adtech firm Integral Ad Science, sources told Business Insider.</li><li>IAS appointed investment bank Jefferies to explore options after receiving takeover interest.</li></ul>Private equity firm KKR is in talks to acquire the publicly listed adtech company Integral Ad Science, three people familiar with the process said.It couldn't be immediately determined whether the discussions were at an advanced stage, and the plans could change.One of those people and an additional source said other potential acquirers had also expressed an interest in IAS but didn't offer further information. All of the people asked for anonymity to protect their business relationships; their identities are known to Business Insider.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-25/integral-ad-science-is-said-to-explore-potential-sale?embedded-checkout=true">Bloomberg</a> reported last month that IAS had appointed the investment bank Jefferies to explore its options after receiving takeover interest. IAS shares popped more than 10% on the news at the time.KKR and IAS declined to comment.Founded in the US in 2009, IAS offers technology that advertisers use to measure the quality and performance of their ads and to help them avoid their campaigns appearing next to unseemly content. It also offers solutions to publishers that help them verify that their ads are viewable, fraud-free, and placed in suitable environments for brands.IAS has recently signed new or expanded partnerships with major tech companies like Google, Amazon, and Reddit. In its second quarter, the company grew revenue by 14% to $129 million and raised its full-year guidance. IAS is due to report its third-quarter earnings on November 12.A take-private deal by a private equity firm like KKR could help IAS grow further without the quarterly Wall Street scrutiny. IAS was previously private equity-owned after Vista Equity Partners acquired it in 2018. Vista retains a more than 40% stake in IAS, which went public in 2021.KKR already has an ad industry footprint. It has stakes in the public adtech company AppLovin, the corporate communications firm FGS Global, and the customer experience software provider Alchemer.(KKR was also a shareholder in Business Insider's parent company Axel Springer. In September, Axel Springer announced it would <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/09/19/axel-springer-kkr-break-up">separate</a> its media properties into a privately-owned company, while KKR retained the classifieds side of the business.)KKR has <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://ir.kkr.com/app/uploads/2024/10/KKR-Q324-Earnings-Release.pdf">over $600 billion</a> in assets under management.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/private-equity-firms-investing-in-advertising-and-marketing-companies-2024-3#kkr-7">Ted Oberwager</a>, a partner at KKR who leads its gaming, entertainment, media, and sports verticals, told BI earlier this year that the firm was looking to invest in companies that had "great teams and leaders who can navigate the rapidly shifting advertising, marketing, and communications landscapes."IAS fiercely competes with ad verification rival DoubleVerify, which is larger in terms of annual revenue and has a market capitalization of $3.3 billion to IAS's $1.99 billion as of publication time.Both companies came under recent <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doubleverify-integral-ad-science-face-fresh-brand-safety-scrutiny-2024-6">scrutiny</a> after a series of reports found their advertiser clients had run ads in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://adalytics.io/blog/ai-brand-safety">unsavory</a> corners of the web, such as sites with graphically violent, racist, or pornographic content — despite using the companies' brand safety software. The companies have disputed those reports' methodologies and findings.Publishers have also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/integral-ad-science-doubleverify-help-brands-avoid-coronavirus-news-2020-3">criticized</a> brand safety methods such as keyword blocking and exclusion lists — words that trigger ads to be blocked on a webpage — as blunt instruments that unfairly demonetize their content. IAS and DoubleVerify have said they have refined their brand safety tools by pushing further into areas like AI and other technologies that analyze the context and semantics of an article.

Private equity giant KKR is in talks to acquire the adtech company Integral Ad Science

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Apollo Global Management has been investing big in non-bank loans.</li><li>Helping fund that growth has been growing demand for retirement products, said CEO Marc Rowan.</li></ul>There's been a lot of attention on Apollo Global Management's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-defends-private-credit-from-jamie-dimon-2024-5">burgeoning lending business</a>, which the firm projects will double in size to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-global-management-investor-day-presentation-one-trillion-private-lending-2024-10">$1.2 trillion in five years</a>.Helping to fund those loans is Apollo's retirement business, which <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-ceo-marc-rowan-management-tactics-430-am-wakeup-call-2024-10">Apollo CEO and cofounder Marc Rowan</a> sees as the investment firm's "single biggest opportunity" for future growth.In a conference call to discuss third-quarter earnings, Rowan said Apollo's insurance affiliate Athene had become an industry leader in annuities, or insurance products used in retirement, to generate regular income. Athene saw $20 billion in inflows during the third quarter and $77 billion over the last year, which helped drive a 16% year-over-year growth in assets under management to $733 billion.<div type="image" title="Apollo chart showing capital inflows." height="884" width="1597" msid="114993225" hostid="261" sizebytes="75180"></div>Rowan said he sees continued growth in that sector, aided by the company's efforts to provide new and improved retirement products, including tools to guarantee income for life."The notion of simplification and getting to guaranteed lifetime income, I believe, to be the North Star for where we would like to go," Rowan said on the call. "But this notion of rethinking the product set, I believe to be the single biggest opportunity in front of us, and that is what is baked into our five-year plan over the next few years."The opportunity stands to become even bigger, Rowan said, if regulators open up 401(k)s and other tax-deferred retirement accounts to investments led by alternative asset managers like Apollo."Should we get access to 401(k) through broad-based reform or regulatory change or regulatory encouragement, I believe that would be upside not just for us, but for the entire industry," he said.Rowan has been a major proponent of Australia's retirement model, which was opened up to private assets around forty years ago in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-make-us-retirement-system-better-australia-superannuation-benefits-2024-4">process called superannuation</a>. Rowan said that plans with private assets, which can access the compounding effects of private equity, have 40% to 60% better outcomes than those just with public assets."I do envision a day when we will be talking about 60-40 portfolios that are comprised of public and private," Rowan said.This would be a huge shift from the current regime, where much of American retirement savings are in the public stocks or bonds. But to Rowan, a retirement system where between $12 trillion to $13 trillion of American's wealth is in 401(k)s that are largely invested in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-whiplash-shows-dont-worry-too-much-about-401k-2024-8">S&amp;P 500 </a>makes little sense."I jokingly say sometimes, we levered the entire retirement of America to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nvidia-stock-price-blackwell-ai-market-value-costco-jensen-huang-2024-10">Nvidia's performance</a>," Rowan said last month. "It just doesn't seem smart."The Trump Administration opened some 401(k) investing to private equity <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-03/private-equity-firms-get-trump-administration-s-nod-to-tap-401ks">in 2020</a>, suggesting that a Trump victory could help fuel the alternative industry's expansion efforts. Rowan hasn't endorsed a US presidential candidate.

Your nest egg is private-equity giant Apollo's 'single biggest opportunity' for growth

Private Equity Investments

Mumbai: India is on track to becoming the <keyword id="20432305" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="third-largest-economy" source="keywords">third-largest economy</keyword> by 2030-31, driven by a projected annual growth rate of 6.7 per cent this fiscal, <keyword id="19990557" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SP-Global" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="S&amp;P Global" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="S&amp;P Global">S&amp;P Global</keyword> said in a report on Thursday. The report also said that with 8.2 per cent growth rate in FY2024, continued reforms are crucial to improving business transactions and logistics, boosting <keyword id="20423043" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="private-sector-investment" source="keywords">private sector investment</keyword>, and reducing reliance on public capital. It said equity markets are expected to stay dynamic and competitive due to strong growth prospects and better regulation, and foreign inflows into Indian government bonds have surged since the country joined major emerging market indexes, with further growth anticipated. To maximize trade benefits, India must develop infrastructure and geopolitical strategies, particularly regarding its extensive coastline, said the first edition of 'India Forward: Emerging Perspectives' report. Nearly 90 per cent of India's trade is seaborne, necessitating robust port infrastructure to manage increasing exports and bulk commodity imports, it added. Noting that India faces rising domestic energy demands and can look to sustainable technologies, including renewables and low-emission fuels, balancing energy security with its energy transition plans, the report stated that agriculture will rely on advanced technologies and new policies to improve infrastructure and productivity. The need is to address critical infrastructure issues such as irrigation, storage, and supply distribution to ensure food security and economic stability, it added. The <keyword id="23234467" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sp-global-india-research" source="keywords">S&amp;P Global India Research</keyword> Chapter's inaugural study was launched here on Thursday.

India on track to becoming third-largest economy by FY31: S&P Global report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Apollo's Scott Kleinman warned of a "dry spell" for investors as deals from a friendlier era unwind.</li><li>Managers must adjust financial projections from deals done in the zero-interest rate era.</li></ul>A leading private equity executive just warned that investors are in for a "pretty dry spell for a few years.""I'm here to tell you everything is not going to be OK," Scott Kleinman, the co-president of Apollo Global Management, said at a session during Berlin's SuperReturn International conference on Wednesday.Managers have to adjust their financial projections for deals struck in the looser world of zero interest rates, when financing was cheap and consumers spent more."It's going to be a little bit tougher for private equity firms to see the types of returns they were looking for, versus in years past," Kleinman <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-05/-everything-is-not-going-to-be-ok-in-pe-apollo-s-kleinman-says?srnd=homepage-asia">told Bloomberg Television</a> on the conference's sidelines.Some fund managers have to <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/private-equity-firms-junk-debt-dividends-loans-bonds-rates-2024-2">think creatively</a> about how they wind down these deals, since the public markets have been touch-and-go for initial public offerings and potential private buyers have higher debt costs than a few years ago.Private equity firms can't hold their investments forever. Their fund agreements typically limit their involvement to about 10 years, from fundraising to purchasing to selling, although it's become more common for investors to agree to extend the fund's life.Investors don't want their money tied up for long, since they can't reinvest it. Across every stage of investing, from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/investors-secondhand-shares-portfolio-companies-to-free-up-cash-2024-1">venture capital's startups</a> to private equity's late-stage companies, investors are clamoring to get their money back. But managers don't want to sell at what they think is a discount to what the investment is worth."Eventually, sponsors are just going to have to accept that the valuation environment is lower and start selling companies," Kleinman said.Apollo, long known for distressed investing, will be ready to invest: It had $65 billion of dry powder on hand at the end of the first quarter. The firm manages more than $670 billion overall.

Get ready to make less money off your investments, says a private equity executive

<ul><li>Deal volumes jumped by 21% to 191 while the values declined by 37% to USD 9.4 billion in <keyword id="20061151" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="April" source="keywords">April</keyword> compared to March 2024</li><li>Adani Group's three major domestic consolidations of around USD 2 billion in value marked 38% of the total deal values in April 2024.</li><li>Experts predict sustained momentum and growth in deal activities, supported by strong fundamentals and a conducive investment climate.</li></ul> In the dynamic landscape of Indian business transactions, the manufacturing sector has emerged as a beacon of value, while consumer retail reigns supreme in volume. April 2024 marked significant shifts in deal-making compared to the month before with a notable absence of billion-dollar deals. Overall deal volumes jumped by 21% to 191 while the values declined by 37% to USD 9.4 billion in April compared to March 2024, as per the latest <keyword id="20034170" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Grant-Thornton-Bharat" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Grant Thornton Bharat" meta.hostid="83" meta.entityid="Grant Thornton Bharat">Grant Thornton Bharat</keyword> Dealtracker report. The past month has witnessed a flurry of activity, with notable shifts and surges across various industries, offering a compelling glimpse into the evolving economic terrain. "Deal volumes increased in April 2024 marking the highest monthly volumes since May 2022. There were no billion-dollar deal but witnessed 12 high value (&gt; USD 100 million) deals amounting to USD 3.8 billion," said Shanthi Vijetha, Partner at Grant Thornton. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Adani Group leads M&amp;A activity" comment="subhead" text="Adani Group leads M&amp;A activity">Adani Group leads M&amp;A activity</cmsannotation> At the forefront of deal values stands the manufacturing sector, boasting an impressive tally of nine transactions amounting to a staggering USD 1,919 million. This surge is underpinned by two monumental deals, notably the Adani Group's strategic stake increase in Ambuja Cement and ACC, which was the most significant M&amp;A activity of the month. Adani Group secured a significant 7.5% stake in Ambuja Cements, injecting a substantial USD 1.8 billion into enhancing the manufacturing capacity of cement makers, signaling a bold step towards industry expansion and innovation. Overall, the group's three major domestic consolidations of around USD 2 billion in value marked 38% of the total deal values in April 2024. Despite this, the <keyword id="21645622" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="merger-and-acquisitions" source="keywords">merger and acquisitions</keyword> transactions saw the highest decline in value, dropping by 75 percent to USD 2.5 billion from USD 10.2 billion in March. This was mainly because of the absence of large-scale mergers like those seen in March. However, M&amp;A deal-making remained robust in April with significant domestic consolidations. "This month's activity, characterized by deal volumes spanning across breadth of sectors and by large deals by select players, illustrates a market that is both diverse and robust," observed Shanthi. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Private Equity landscape remains vibrant" comment="subhead" text="Private Equity landscape remains vibrant"><keyword id="19895041" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="private-equity" source="keywords">Private Equity</keyword> landscape remains vibrant</cmsannotation> The private equity transactions also experienced a slight decrease in value, reaching USD 2.666 billion, according to the report by Grant Thornton Bharat. However, with a total of 130 deals, the overall market landscape remains vibrant. The numbers indicate a clear shift towards enhanced number of investments while the size of the deals remains smaller compared to previous months. "The stable value of investments, despite the higher number of transactions, indicates a strategic adjustment towards spreading investments across various sectors, aiming to capitalize on emerging opportunities while mitigating large-scale risks," says the report. "The deal outlook for 2024 continues to remain positive as India stands at the cusp of a new era of growth and investment supported by a growing consumer market, a flourishing tech start-up ecosystem, and supportive government policies," concludes Shanthi Vijetha. Factors that could influence domestic markets in the near future include the outcome of Lok Sabha elections, global and domestic trends in interest rates driven by inflation, and supply chain dynamics. However, experts predict sustained momentum and growth in deal activities, supported by strong fundamentals and a conducive investment climate.

Volumes up, values down: April 2024 marks notable shifts in India's deal-making landscape

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Arizona opened the doors for outside investors in law firms, and Steve German had high hopes.</li><li>But he says his co-owner, 777 Partners, was hit by scandal and didn't invest the millions it promised.</li></ul>Two years ago, Steve German was optimistic.He'd done well for himself as a trial lawyer in Phoenix, suing insurance companies on behalf of workers who were denied benefits. And he'd just launched a venture with the Miami investment firm 777 Partners that he hoped would revolutionize the legal business.Arizona had recently begun permitting nonlawyers to invest in law firms, which is banned in nearly every other state. German seemed poised to ride the wave of deregulation and build what he'd later describe as "generational wealth."State bar associations have long restricted lawyers from selling stakes in their firms to outside investors, out of a desire to protect consumers from bad advice, to keep financiers from distorting firms' ethical obligations to their clients — and to keep profits in the hands of lawyers. That meant that firms basically had to eat what they killed: Any investments in marketing, technology, or building cases had to come from client fees or the firm's cut of jury awards and settlements.Allowing private-equity riches to pour into law firms looked like it could be a game changer. When he spoke with Business Insider <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-benefit-from-arizona-law-firm-ownership-structure-2022-10">in 2022</a>, German excitedly described how he might use 777's money to take lower fees and allow clients to designate charities they'd like to benefit. He was making connections with referral sources and said he'd hired BerlinRosen, one of the better-known public-relations firms that work with plaintiffs' lawyers."It was something that was revolutionary in many ways, and it was something I saw as a way to do good," German said. The firm, called Scout Law Group, was one of the first such firms — known as an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-benefit-from-arizona-law-firm-ownership-structure-2022-10">alternative business structure</a> — to be approved by state regulators."The ABS program reminds me of when Uber first came to town and everyone was like, 'Oh, my god, that's crazy,'" Andy Kvesic, who serves on the state committee that approves ABS applications, said.German's optimism was short-lived. Before 2022 came to an end, his relationship with 777 had begun to sour amid disputes over funding. Now, German has become a vocal critic of Arizona's hands-off approach to regulating these new entities.German said 777 didn't supply money on the terms or timeline it promised and planned. While he got some funding and was able to build a portfolio of about 300 to 400 cases, German said the millions that his partner had promised never flowed in. He had to whip out his own checkbook to pay vendors and employees, he said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24752517-german-v-scout-law-group-and-777-partners-et-al">lawsuit filed in April</a> alleging fraud, breach of contract, and unpaid wages. It's one of several lawsuits involving 777, which, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.semafor.com/article/11/30/2023/feds-probe-sports-investor-777-over-money-flows">Semafor,</a> has also been under Justice Department scrutiny.777 has not yet filed an answer to German's complaint. The firm did not respond to a request for comment.He first decided to resign from Scout last summer, a few months after the firm and its leaders filed licensing paperwork with state regulators that he said he now believed was incomplete. But he told BI that after he forwarded his "break-up letter" to state regulators, he came to regret the decision; it touched off a bar investigation and resulted, for a period, in the suspension of Scout's license. He ended up rescinding the resignation and sticking around until 777 picked a new compliance lawyer in December, he said.After all that, he expected that the firm and its new leaders' license application would be closely scrutinized. He said the steady drumbeat of negative reporting made it clear that 777 hadn't been up front about the controversies it was involved in.But, he said, the committee that reviews ABS applications renewed Scout's license with barely any discussion. German also sits on the committee, and he was recused from the decision. But he said that and subsequent board decisions, like giving a pass to a lawyer who failed to mention that he'd been suspended in another state, unsettled him."What we're doing is sending the wrong message," he said. "What we're saying is, don't disclose your bad stuff."<h2 id="36d168a2-3b57-4875-b8ab-b0c81b9db7d8">Regulators approved 777 Partners despite litigation, DOJ probe</h2>German isn't the first business partner to sue 777 Partners, and he may not be the last. After the firm began investing in soccer clubs, Brazil's news outlet O Globo reported that one of its owners, Josh Wander, was on probation until 2018 for a cocaine-related charge. (At the time, 777 called it "ancient history.") The firm's reliance on insurance premiums, which are normally invested conservatively to ensure future claims can be paid, to fund its risky bets in sports teams and other speculative investments was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.semafor.com/article/11/15/2023/mystery-investor-777-partners-bought-european-sports-teams-with-insurance-customers-cash">unearthed</a> by Semafor, and insurance regulators and business partners have been asking questions and filing lawsuits.But German said on some level, it's about more than money. Revelations about 777's other business lines — for instance, its work with online payday lenders that charge sky-high interest rates and pay Native American tribes to use their sovereign immunity as a legal shield — repulsed him when he learned about them in July after reading about the firm in the soccer publication Josimar, he said.Asked how he didn't know about the controversies until 2023, German said he'd asked Steven Pasko, one of 777's principals, whether the firm was the subject of any lawsuits while he was filling out ABS licensing paperwork, and he had denied it. He said he still didn't know how the controversies didn't come to the attention of ABS committee staff."These people are the exact opposite of who should be approved," he said. "We're supposed to be looking out for the public interest, and we're letting in guys who are sued for RICO?"The ABS committee's minutes <a target="_blank" href="https://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/26/ABS%20Regular%20Minutes.pdf">show</a> that Scout's renewal application passed 5-1, with two recusals and two absences. According to the committee's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/26/ABS%20Committee%20Annual%20Report%20to%20Supreme%20Court%20for%202023%20-%20FINAL.pdf">most recent annual report</a>, 25 new entities got a green light last year; one application was denied. The number of complaints jumped from zero in 2022 to 24 in 2023, though no discipline was imposed on any of the four entities that were the subject of complaints.Lynda Shely, an Arizona legal-ethics lawyer who is also a member of the committee, said she would not comment specifically on German's dispute with 777 and Scout, which she has advised. She was also recused from the vote on Scout's renewal application. But she pushed back on the idea that Arizona was being too permissive, saying many applications didn't even make it to a vote because of the heavy scrutiny applied by committee staff. Funding and marketing firms were cutting deals with law firms in nonpublic arrangements for years before Arizona changed its rules, she added."There's a whole lot of disclosure that occurs through our model," she said. "There's more transparency about the relationship with an ABS."As BI reported in 2022, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-benefit-from-arizona-law-firm-ownership-structure-2022-10">Arizona's ABS structure</a> has unleashed a wave of experimentation. In some entities, lawyers and accountants are working side by side to serve clients better, and in others, technologists are helping traditional law firms work more efficiently, with the potential to share in the upside. Advocates see it as a way for lawyers to sell packages of valuable services, instead of selling billable hours.But one of the most common uses of an ABS has been for personal-injury and mass-tort attorneys to team up with funders and marketers more directly than is possible under legal-ethics rules in other states.Defenders of traditional law-firm structures say lawyers take an oath to do what's best for their clients. They argue that involving outside funders in firm management creates a risk that profits come first and clients come second.But some advocates for systems like Arizona's say those risks can be managed by requiring lawyers to have the final say, keeping a close eye on the new firms, and taking complaints seriously. They say there's nothing wrong with lawyers using outside money to reach more injured clients, who may not know where to turn when facing medical bills from car wrecks and dangerous drugs."So far, it is a success," Shely said. As with any new initiative, she said, it "will have growing pains and need to adjust and tweak things as we go."For much of 2023, German said, he expressed his discontent with 777's leadership, including its then-general counsel, Ed Gehres, and its chief financial officer, Damien Alfalla. He said he had conversations with other investors about buying 777's stake in Scout, but the talks ultimately went nowhere. He said other investors wanted to borrow money against Scout's unearned contingency fees, which could have made it impossible for those clients to find a new lawyer if they had to leave Scout for some reason.Gehres and Alfalla didn't respond to emails seeking comment.In the wake of his own dispute with 777, he said, he has become alarmed by the permissive approach the state has taken toward licensing and thinks more scrutiny is needed. He still believes that the ABS model has the potential to fill gaps in the legal marketplace, he said, but that greenlighting any applicant — many of which have little connection to Arizona — is a mistake.Allowing outside investment into law firms, he said, "is a privilege." "It serves a purpose for access to justice," he added. "It's not for a billionaire equity fund to use to game the process."Correction: June 18, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of 777 Partners' former chief financial officer. He is Damien Alfalla, not Damian Alfalla.

A lawyer dreamed of disrupting the legal industry with private equity. It turned into a nightmare.

Investments by <keyword id="34499" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="private-equity" source="Orion">private equity</keyword> (PE) and <keyword id="6357097" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="venture-capital" source="Orion">venture capital</keyword> (VC) funds to homegrown companies declined to $27.9 billion across 697 transactions this year (as of December 20), compared to $47.62 billion across 1,364 deals in 2022, according to a new report. 2023 saw more money being pulled out from the country by private equity players, with overall exits reaching $19.34 billion from 248 companies, in comparison to 233 exits worth $18.45 billion in 2022, according to data from Venture Intelligence and industry body IVCA. Meanwhile, venture <keyword id="989750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="capital-funding" source="Orion">capital funding</keyword> for <keyword id="6362513" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups" source="Orion">startups</keyword> declined by 72 per cent this year compared to last year. The new-age companies in the country received $7.5 billion across all stages (as of December 15), compared with $25 billion last year, according to the data. The fall in <keyword id="6357455" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="funding" source="Orion">funding</keyword> this year is chiefly attributed to slow late-stage deals (Series D and above), which more than halved to $3.5 billion from $11.70 billion in 2022. The early-stage funding deals slowed down. The number of deals declined to almost half to 414 rounds from 871 rounds in the year-ago period, according to the report. Growth-stage funding rounds dropped to $1.9 billion via 99 deals, compared with $6.84 billion from 230 deals in 2022. Making a dent in India's startup growth story, the country slipped to fourth position in the global ranking among the highest-funded geographies in 2023, as it recorded lowest funding in five years. After grabbing the third spot globally in 2021 as well as in 2022, India ranked fourth behind the US, the UK and China this year, receiving only $7 billion in total funding (till December 5), according to recent data by global market intelligence platform Tracxn. In the third quarter (Q3) this year, India even slipped to fifth position among the highest-funded countries -- behind the US, the UK, China and France.

PE, VC investments in domestic companies drop to $27.9 bn in 2023

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The restaurant chains <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rise-and-fall-of-subway-restaurants-2019-9">Subway</a>, Arby's, and Buffalo Wild Wings have a common owner.</li><li>Roark Capital Group has been buying up restaurant chains for nearly 25 years.</li></ul>There's a good chance that just one private-equity firm owns one of your favorite restaurant chains.Over the past quarter century, Roark Capital Group has bought up nearly 20 restaurant brands in the US. Its latest acquisition came last year when it acquired Subway, which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nrn.com/top-500-restaurants/10-restaurants-most-locations-us/gallery?slide=10">operates more stores</a> than any other restaurant chain in the US.But Roark's holdings include other restaurants that you've probably visited before:<div type="image" title="A diagram showing what business's Roark Capital Group owns" height="2340" width="2000" msid="111020177" hostid="261"></div>Other notable Roark restaurant holdings include the coffee chain Dunkin', Arby's, Jimmy John's, Buffalo Wild Wings, and the suburban-mall favorites Cinnabon and Auntie Anne's.The private-equity firm also has investments in The Cheesecake Factory, which is publicly traded, and the Midwestern burger chain Culver's. And it owns the bakery chain Nothing Bundt Cakes and some franchises of Seattle's Best, that coffee chain you used to find at Borders bookstores.Founded in 2001, the Atlanta-based Roark has $38 billion in assets under management, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.roarkcapital.com/about">its website</a>.The firm "was named after Howard Roark, the protagonist in Ayn Rand's book The Fountainhead," the firm's website says. Rand's books have a following among libertarians and other advocates of deregulation and individual enterprise.But the website adds: "As a firm of diverse viewpoints, it does not signify adherence to any particular political philosophy."While Roark owns a lot of restaurant brands, it's hardly the only private-equity player in the industry.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/hooters-america-has-been-sold">Hooters</a> was acquired by TriArtisan Capital Advisors and Nord Bay Capital in 2019, for instance. TriArtisan also owns TGI Fridays and P.F. Chang's, according to its website.Restaurants aren't the only consumer brands that have become more consolidated under a handful of owners. A small group of multinational corporations, including <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/10-companies-control-the-food-industry-2016-9">Nestlé and Mars</a>, own hundreds of food and personal-care brands.

One private-equity firm controls more than a dozen of the biggest restaurant chains

<ul class="summary-list"><li>BI just published an investigation into special-education-focused schools owned by PE firms.</li><li>Cost-cutting to maximize profits has some saying that quality has suffered.</li></ul>My colleague Meghan Morris just published an investigation into <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--underline" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-private-equity-is-reshaping-special-education-2024-4">what happened to a chain of special-education-focused private schools when a private-equity firm took over</a>.As you might guess, it wasn't all good.It's an important story because, unlike an investment in, say, a button factory or a call center, this company has a lot of power over some of our most vulnerable young people.Meghan found that cost-cutting and other practices led some parents to believe their kids were getting a lesser education. For its part, the school chain said it'd made investments in staff and facilities under PE ownership. Private-equity firms have been <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--underline" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/big-corporations-unitedhealth-optum-cvs-walgreens-taking-over-healthcare-industry-2024-4">buying into hospitals and healthcare</a> in recent years. There's some research suggesting this has led to worse patient outcomes. And in March, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link c-link--underline" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/03/federal-trade-commission-department-justice-department-health-human-services-launch-cross-government">Federal Trade Commission announced</a> it was investigating PE's potential detrimental effect on healthcare.Meghan's story is something every parent — and every taxpayer — should know about. Go read it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-private-equity-is-reshaping-special-education-2024-4">here</a>.

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You Searched For "Private equity investments" and got 11 results

Private equity giant KKR is in talks to acquire the adtech company Integral Ad Science

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Your nest egg is private-equity giant Apollo's 'single biggest opportunity' for growth

Alex Nicoll

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India on track to becoming third-largest economy by FY31: S&P Global report

PTI

Get ready to make less money off your investments, says a private equity executive

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A lawyer dreamed of disrupting the legal industry with private equity. It turned into a nightmare.

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PE, VC investments in domestic companies drop to $27.9 bn in 2023

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One private-equity firm controls more than a dozen of the biggest restaurant chains

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Private equity is getting into the special-education business. It's not all going smoothly.

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