Clay Brett has been busy since he arrived at Baker Botts’ Houston office this past May.
The onetime partner and general counsel at private investment firm Millennial Energy Partners (and Willkie and Bracewell alum) counseled Broad Reach’s management team on its sale to French utility Engie for well over $1 billion (see below). And last week, he advised Peak 10 Energy and Legacy Star Capital Partners on Peak 10’s initial capitalization by Legacy and debt financing from Prudential Private Capital, Prudential Energy Capital Partners and Production Lending that are estimated to exceed $500 million in balance sheet resources (see below).
The Corporate Deal Tracker caught up with Brett to ask him how he became involved in both transactions and what he’s seeing on the deal/private equity horizon. Edited excerpts from our email exchange are below.
Q: How did you come to advise on the Peak 10 deal?
A: It’s an amazing story actually. In my prior position, I led the investment team at Millennial, where we sponsored an energy credit strategy. Legacy Star contacted us in connection with the acquisition financing opportunity for their Eastern Shelf acquisition. Through Millennial’s evaluation of the opportunity, I built a relationship with Legacy Star and Peak 10 principals over 10 months. When it became clear that Peak 10 would select an alternative capital provider and that I would accept the new role at Baker Botts, it provided a unique opportunity to immediately transition to representing the Legacy Star and Peak 10 organizations on transactions with which I had a very deep business and financial-based level of familiarity. I was onboarding their ongoing financing, acquisition and fund work, applying perspectives developed as an investor at Millennial, before I had a Baker Botts parking pass.
Q: What role did you play and what role did Holland & Knight play?
A: We immediately took leadership of the acquisition financing for the Eastern Shelf transaction and joined as co-counsel to Holland & Knight on Legacy Star’s fund matters and the underlying Eastern Shelf acquisition. We have since taken leadership of Legacy Star’s fund matters, Peak 10’s portfolio company acquisitions, Peak 10’s management team incentives and closed a second financing transaction involving the Peak 10 portfolio.
Q: You also counseled management on the Broad Reach sale. How did you come to advise on that?
A: Broad Reach’s Chief Commercial Officer [Narsimha Misra] and General Counsel [Sally Shaw] have deep relationships with senior Baker Botts attorneys that led to the representation. I took leadership of the Houston private equity practice at the time that the Broad Reach sale transaction gained momentum and it naturally led to me taking charge of the engagement. Over the course of my career, I have not only represented sponsors and management teams as outside counsel, but have been a member of a management team negotiating incentives for ourselves and a sponsor negotiating incentives opposite a management team.
Q: What does the transaction say about dealmaking right now?
A: Dealmaking in the battery storage space is vibrant and presents novel issues to seasoned energy sponsors. Unlike most of the traditional hydrocarbon space, long-term management team retention can play a critical role in the enterprise value of some energy transition firms, and the involvement of the Broad Reach team was critical to the success of the post-transaction company. These issues are pervasive in energy transition dealmaking and require experienced advisors to handle carefully while ultimately supporting the overall transaction.
Q: How did you come to join Baker Botts? What is your mandate at the firm, if any?
A: I had spent four years on the investment team at Millennial and felt I had developed a deep level of expertise and relationships in the energy and the private funds spaces. With background as an energy private equity lawyer, I felt I could maximize my professional assets in a leadership role at a leading law firm. Baker Botts has a storied history as the leading advisor to the global energy industry and presented an exciting opportunity to build their private equity presence in Houston. The firm has been incredibly supportive in offering its very deep energy bench as support for this practice, building on a very firm foundation of corporate, finance and energy projects work for private equity clients across its global footprint.
Q: What else are you seeing on the deal front as well as private equity?
A: In traditional energy, non-operated oil and gas assets are a very hot asset class that are now widely financeable and an overweight target to new fund flows into the sector. These trends manifest themselves as new entries into the energy private credit and non-op-focused energy private equity spaces, and we have been busy with financings, new fund mandates and A&D [acquisition and divestiture]. Within energy private credit, capital providers are bifurcated into long- and short-duration strategies that present borrowers a wider variety of financing options than the market has seen in the past five years. In energy transition assets, valuations of high-growth or high-potential assets drive dealmaking that resembles the heyday of traditional energy, where M&A valuations allocate significant value to undeveloped assets. This leads to a very strong dealmaking and fundraising environment for those energy transition assets that can perform in the current interest rate and macro contexts.
The week before Labor Day ending Sept. 2, proved a weak one, with only six firms reporting on 14 deals publicly valued at $2.5 billion — and that includes a single capital markets transaction valued at $1.2 billion. There was a lot of dead space in that reporting.
Eight of the 13 deals reported in the M&A/Funding space were fund raises. In six of those neither the law firms nor the lawyers were disclosed. Only six different firms identified their involvement in deals and only 92 mostly Texas lawyers. Last week 13 firms reported 13 transactions valued at $12.2 billion.
Before fretting about the numbers, let’s note that the week before Labor Day last year yielded only nine deals valued at $2.3 billion from nine firms and only 62 lawyers.
Weekly Corporate Deal Tracker Roundup Stats
A compilation of weekly stats from The Lawbook's CDT Weekly Roundup
(Deal Values in Millions)
(Deal Values in Millions)
| Week Ending | Deal Count | Amount | Firms | Lawyers | M&A Count | M&A Value $M | CapM Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2, 2023 | 13 | $6,720 | 9 | 57 | 12 | $6,630 | 1 | $90 |
| November 25, 2023 | 9 | $4,835 | 9 | 131 | 6 | $1,785 | 3 | $3,050 |
| November 18, 2023 | 22 | $6,568.7 | 17 | 184 | 14 | $4,709.2 | 8 | $1,859.5 |
| November 11, 2023 | 15 | $9,825 | 13 | 179 | 12 | $6,581 | 3 | $3,244 |
| November 4, 2023 | 15 | $20,582.5 | 14 | 193 | 12 | $19,417.5 | 3 | $1,165 |
| October 28, 2023 | 18 | $68,419.1 | 18 | 152 | 15 | $66,646 | 3 | $1,773.1 |
| October 21, 2023 | 16 | $6,755.9 | 16 | 165 | 15 | $6,755.9 | 1 | $3 |
| October 14, 2023 | 10 | $67,851.2 | 13 | 125 | 7 | $61,998.5 | 3 | $5,852.7 |
| October 7, 2023 | 17 | $6,595.5 | 13 | 228 | 16 | $5,995.5 | 1 | $600 |
| September 30, 2023 | 17 | $1,896.45 | 13 | 189 | 14 | $806.45 | 3 | $1,090 |
| September 23, 2023 | 23 | $6,432.7 | 17 | 230 | 16 | $1,402.8 | 7 | $5,029.9 |
| September 16, 2023 | 25 | $23,226.7 | 23 | 353 | 16 | $17,239 | 9 | $5,987.7 |
| September 9, 2023 | 12 | $6,369 | 8 | 102 | 7 | $4,311 | 5 | $2,058 |
| September 2, 2023 | 14 | $2,522 | 6 | 92 | 13 | $1,322 | 1 | $1,200 |
| August 26, 2023 | 17 | $12,160.25 | 13 | 202 | 15 | $ 6,573.25 | 2 | $ 5,587.00 |
| August 19, 2023 | 19 | $11,505 | 13 | 213 | 15 | $11,255 | 4 | $250 |
| August 12, 2023 | 19 | $9,698.8 | 13 | 184 | 7 | $3,270 | 12 | $6,428.8 |
| August 5, 2023 | 13 | $5,201 | 12 | 118 | 12 | $5,051 | 1 | $150 |
| July 29, 2023 | 15 | $21,031.6 | 13 | 196 | 11 | $18,292.0 | 4 | $2,739.6 |
| July 22, 2023 | 18 | $3,992 | 12 | 130 | 13 | $2,808 | 5 | $1,184 |
| July 15, 2023 | 13 | $8,254.95 | 13 | 81 | 13 | $8,254.95 | 0 | 0 |
| July 8, 2023 | 16 | $5,441.45 | 12 | 172 | 11 | $2,443 | 5 | $2,998.45 |
| July 1, 2023 | 16 | $6,872 | 10 | 105 | 12 | $5,474 | 4 | $1,398 |
| June 24, 2023 | 13 | $10,914 | 16 | 201 | 10 | $7,874 | 3 | $3,040 |
| June 17, 2023 | 17 | $5,880.7 | 15 | 151 | 15 | $4,705.7 | 2 | $1,175 |
| June 10, 2023 | 19 | $8,516.1 | 13 | 111 | 16 | $6,252.4 | 3 | $2,263.7 |
| June 3 2023 | 12 | $6,104.42 | 12 | 138 | 8 | $4,256.92 | 4 | $1,847.5 |
| May 27, 2023 | 17 | $12,200 | 10 | 67 | 11 | $6,165 | 6 | $6,035 |
| May 20, 2023 | 11 | $22,458.1 | 8 | 103 | 4 | $19,455 | 7 | $3,003 |
| May 13, 2023 | 12 | $7,034 | 10 | 101 | 8 | $5,460 | 4 | $1,574 |
| May 6, 2023 | 20 | $3,297.6 | 18 | 196 | 17 | $2,985.6 | 3 | $312 |
| April 29, 2023 | 23 | $3,691.2 | 18 | 135 | 17 | $1,969.7 | 6 | $1,721.5 |
| April 22, 2023 | 16 | $5,570 | 14 | 104 | 14 | $4,750 | 2 | $1,000 |
| April 15, 2023 | 12 | $23,818.1 | 9 | 59 | 10 | $21,618.1 | 2 | $2,200 |
| April 8, 2023 | 16 | $7,949 | 9 | 173 | 9 | $5,472 | 7 | $3,477 |
| April 1, 2023 | 21 | $18,676.7 | 12 | 175 | 11 | $10,926.7 | 10 | $7,750 |
| March 25, 2023 | 15 | $8,779.5 | 10 | 141 | 5 | $2,362 | 10 | $6,416.5 |
| March 18, 2023 | 7 | $14,048.8 | 6 | 69 | 5 | $13,345 | 2 | $703.8 |
| March 11, 2023 | 21 | $11,576 | 16 | 165 | 16 | $8,131 | 5 | $3,445 |
| March 4, 2023 | 20 | $9,668 | 11 | 228 | 16 | $8,209 | 4 | $1,459 |
| February 25, 2023 | 13 | $5,335 | 13 | 130 | 12 | $4,235 | 1 | $1,200 |
| February 18, 2023 | 14 | $5,743.7 | 13 | 158 | 8 | $898.7 | 6 | $4,845 |
| February 11, 2023 | 16 | $12,088 | 12 | 137 | 12 | $9,965 | 4 | $2,123 |
| February 4, 2023 | 17 | $8,066 | 15 | 140 | 13 | $5,614 | 4 | $2,452 |
| January 28, 2023 | 7 | $2,180 | 7 | 75 | 5 | $1,692.75 | 2 | $488 |
| January 21, 2023 | 17 | $5,768 | 16 | 174 | 12 | $1,918 | 5 | $3,850 |
| January 14, 2023 | 11 | $2, 800 | 10 | 102 | 8 | $421 | 3 | $2,400 |
| January 7, 2023 | 18 | $8,296 | 11 | 167 | 14 | $6,461 | 3 | $1,835 |
| December 31, 2022 | 14 | $2,732 | 11 | 99 | 12 | $2,092 | 2 | $640 |
| December 17 | 14 | $7,919 | 13 | 115 | 12 | $7,419 | 1 | $500 |
| December 10, 2022 | 14 | $10,093 | 12 | 88 | 11 | $7,093 | 3 | $3,000 |
| December 3, 2022 | 26 | $12,800.9 | 11 | 172 | 20 | $4,141 | 6 | $8,659.9 |
| November 26, 2022 | 8 | $2,266.7 | 8 | 5 | 3 | $76 | 5 | $2,190.7 |
| November 19, 2022 | 21 | $2,886 | 15 | 212 | 19 | $2,550 | 2 | $336 |
| November 12, 2022 | 13 | $15,093.7 | 9 | 81 | 9 | $14,200 | 4 | $893.7 |
| November 5, 2022 | 25 | 19,337.2 | 16 | 509 | 22 | $8,267.2 | 3 | $11,070 |
| October 29, 2022 | 15 | $7,805.3 | 9 | 116 | 14 | $7,180.3 | 1 | $625 |
| October 22, 2022 | 20 | $8,193.5 | 13 | 253 | 13 | $5,442 | 7 | $2,751.5 |
| October 15, 2022 | 9 | $3,046.1 | 9 | 139 | 7 | $2,588.3 | 2 | $457.8 |
| October 8, 2022 | 19 | $2,011.8 | 12 | 114 | 16 | $833.8 | 3 | $1,178 |
| October 1, 2022 | 23 | $5,532.9 | 16 | 156 | 18 | $4,952.3 | 5 | $580.6 |
| September 24, 2022 | 18 | $5,194 | 14 | 216 | 15 | $4,050 | 3 | $1,144 |
| September 17, 2022 | 21 | $8,352.3 | 12 | 320 | 15 | $4,759.6 | 6 | $3,592.7 |
| September 10, 2022 | 15 | $19,853.5 | 10 | 126 | 13 | $19,403.6 | 2 | $450 |
| September 3, 2022 | 9 | $2,312 | 9 | 62 | 9 | $2,312 | 0 | 0 |
| August 27, 2022 | 16 | $30,891.7 | 10 | 135 | 15 | $30,666.4 | 1 | 227.7 |
| August 20, 2022 | 12 | $1,977 | 8 | 152 | 9 | 925 | 3 | $1,052 |
| August 13, 2022 | 18 | $8,004.7 | 11 | 242 | 11 | $2,844.7 | 7 | $5,160 |
| August 6, 2022 | 24 | $7,948.9 | 12 | 240 | 17 | $3,577 | 7 | $4,371.9 |
| July 30, 2022 | 8 | $6,941 | 9 | 78 | 7 | $6,839 | 1 | $102 |
| July 23, 2022 | 11 | $801 | 11 | 92 | 10 | $801 | 1 | 0 |
| July 16, 2022 | 14 | $3,650 | 10 | 122 | 14 | $3,650 | 0 | 0 |
| July 9, 2022 | 10 | $3,557.7 | 7 | 68 | 9 | $3,557.7 | 1 | 0 |
| July 2, 2022 | 18 | $8,609.4 | 13 | 152 | 15 | $2,754.4 | 3 | $5,855 |
| June 25, 2022 | 15 | $6,142 | 13 | 146 | 9 | $2,017 | 6 | $4,125 |
| June 18, 2022 | 17 | $11,890.1 | 14 | 228 | 15 | $11,410 | 2 | 479.7 |
| June 11, 2022 | 17 | $7,600 | 12 | 123 | 10 | $2,300 | 7 | $5,300 |
| June 4, 2022 | 12 | $2,937 | 10 | 127 | 9 | $692 | 3 | $2,245 |
| May 28, 2022 | 9 | $3,197.6 | 11 | 86 | 9 | $3,197.6 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2022 | 14 | $7,284.5 | 12 | 185 | 11 | $6,609 | 3 | $675.5 |
| May 14, 2022 | 11 | $306.6 | 9 | 80 | 10 | $306.6 | 1 | $225 |
| May 7, 2022 | 16 | $10,451.75 | 12 | 108 | 12 | $1,827 | 4 | $8,624.75 |
| April 30, 2022 | 16 | $2,296.5 | 16 | 157 | 12 | $895.5 | 4 | $1,401 |
| April 23, 2022 | 10 | $2,241 | 11 | 58 | 8 | $1641 | 2 | $600 |
| April 16, 2022 | 11 | $6,643 | 7 | 156 | 8 | $2,359 | 3 | $4,284 |
| April 9, 2022 | 17 | $4,429 | 14 | 184 | 11 | $1,690 | 6 | $2,739 |
| April 2, 2022 | 13 | $1,755 | 8 | 84 | 10 | $1,145 | 3 | $610 |
| March 26, 2022 | 11 | $3,205 | 8 | 65 | 6 | $200 | 5 | $3,005 |
| March 19, 2022 | 13 | $2,239.17 | 9 | 106 | 13 | $2,239.17 | 0 | 0 |
| March 12, 2022 | 18 | $12,016 | 11 | 239 | 15 | $11,965 | 2 | $51.35 |
| March 5, 2022 | 17 | $6,786 | 13 | 137 | 13 | $5,161 | 4 | $1,625 |
| February 26, 2022 | 12 | $5,095 | 8 | 149 | 9 | $4,437.5 | 3 | $658 |
| February 19, 2022 | 17 | $22,229 | 17 | 174 | 14 | $21,354 | 3 | $875 |
| February 12, 2022 | 12 | $2,344.7 | 10 | 73 | 8 | $641.7 | 4 | $1,703 |
| February 5, 2022 | 11 | $2,503 | 8 | 99 | 11 | $2,503 | 0 | 0 |
| January 29, 2022 | 11 | $3,872 | 12 | 101 | 12 | $3,872 | 0 | 0 |
| January 22, 2022 | 13 | $5,143.5 | 10 | 99 | 12 | $4,842.5 | 1 | $301 |
| January 15, 2022 | 12 | $7,605 | 9 | 155 | 9 | $6,480 | 3 | $1,025 |
| January 8, 2022 | 13 | $8,256.2 | 11 | 102 | 13 | $8,256.2 | 0 | 0 |
| January 1, 2022 | 9 | $1,273.8 | 6 | 50 | 9 | $1,273.8 | 0 | 0 |
| December 25, 2021 | 21 | $4,734.75 | 11 | 176 | 16 | $3,410 | 5 | $1,324.75 |
| December 18, 2021 | 26 | $7,325.2 | 15 | 193 | 18 | $3,640.2 | 8 | $3,685.2 |
| December 11, 2021 | 16 | $5,017 | 10 | 109 | 13 | $1,417 | 3 | $3,600 |
| December 4, 2021 | 14 | $2,310 | 8 | 86 | 8 | $2,310 | 6 | $1,882.05 |
| November 27, 2021 | 9 | $3.460.1 | 10 | 101 | 6 | $1,758 | 3 | $1,702.6 |
| November 20, 2021 | 20 | $22,792 | 15 | 157 | 12 | $18,864.5 | 8 | $3,928 |
| November 13, 2021 | 21 | $26,729 | 12 | 178 | 13 | $11,822 | 8 | $14,907 |
| November 6, 2021 | 12 | $8,303 | 13 | 157 | 10 | $6,682 | 3 | $1,621 |
| October 30, 2021 | 21 | $10,368 | 15 | 218 | 15 | $9,24.4 | 6 | $1,103. |
| October 23, 2021 | 21 | $18.783.1 | 15 | 222 | 11 | $12,314 | 10 | $6,468.6 |
| October 16, 2021 | 15 | $3,868 | 11 | 118 | 15 | $2,293 | 2 | $1,575 |
| October 9, 2021 | 20 | $8,610 | 16 | 175 | 16 | $7,795 | 4 | $815 |
| October 2, 2021 | 14 | $6,250 | 11 | 137 | 10 | $5,200 | 4 | $1,050 |
| September 25, 2021 | 11 | $11,460 | 9 | 93 | 7 | $10,200 | 4 | $1,250 |
| September 18, 2021 | 11 | $16,603 | 8 | 99 | 8 | $15,084 | 3 | $1,519 |
| September 11, 2021 | 17 | $10,653 | 11 | 103 | 13 | $8,503 | 4 | $2,150 |
| September 4, 2021 | 13 | $7,222 | 10 | 89 | 11 | $6,715 | 2 | $507 |
| August 28, 2021 | 12 | $763 | 9 | 63 | 11 | $663 | 1 | $100 |
| August 21, 2021 | 12 | $29,659 | 7 | 79 | 11 | $29,579 | 1 | $80 |
| August 14, 2021 | 22 | $17,845 | 11 | 199 | 12 | $12,805 | 10 | $5,04 |
| August 7, 2021 | 17 | $13,670 | 12 | 139 | 15 | $11,766 | 2 | $1,904 |
| July 31, 2021 | 21 | $8,160 | 11 | 134 | 10 | $3,574 | 10 | $4,586 |
| July 24,2021 | 21 | $6,367 | 11 | 139 | 15 | $3,712 | 6 | $2,655 |
| July 17, 2021 | 14 | $4,009 | 11 | 124 | 12 | $2,015 | 2 | $1,994 |
| July 10, 2021 | 16 | $3,997 | 13 | 143 | 11 | $1,597 | 4 | $2,4 |
| July 3, 2021 | 24 | $7,492 | 13 | 94 | 16 | $3,769 | 8 | $3,722 |
| June 26, 2021 | 10 | $4,995 | 7 | 85 | 8 | $3,847 | 2 | $1,148 |
| June 19, 2021 | 28 | $16,830 | 8 | 228 | 9 | $1,861 | 19 | $14,968 |
| June 12, 2021 | 26 | $27,238 | 15 | 209 | 19 | $25,602 | 7 | $1,636 |
| June 5, 2021 | 15 | $15,539 | 13 | 100 | 13 | $14,709 | 2 | $600 |
| May 29, 2021 | 35 | $20,279 | 11 | 145 | 28 | $18,64 | 7 | $1,639 |
| May 22, 2021 | 24 | $53,208 | 14 | 174 | 17 | $51,047 | 7 | $2,161 |
| May 15, 2021 | 18 | $10,620 | 13 | 220 | 11 | $5,870 | 7 | $4,809 |
| May 8, 2021 | 17 | $10,400 | 11 | 156 | 15 | $8,386 | 2 | $2,500 |
| May 1, 2021 | 21 | $7,200 | 16 | 115 | 12 | $3,808 | 9 | $3,392 |
| April 24, 2021 | 8 | $20,200 | 9 | 31 | 8 | $20,200 | 0 | 0 |
| April 17, 2021 | 14 | $6,270 | 8 | 102 | 11 | $4,0180 | 3 | $2,260 |
| April 10, 2021 | 15 | $8,940 | 13 | 129 | 14 | $7,990 | 1 | $950 |
| April 3, 2021 | 18 | $19,513 | 10 | 151 | 12 | $16,923 | 6 | $2,590 |
| March 27, 2021 | 27 | $13,942 | 15 | 244 | 14 | $4,300 | 13 | $9,633.5 |
| March 20, 2021 | 11 | $2,046 | 4 | 102 | 3 | $270 | 8 | $1,776 |
| March 13, 2021 | 15 | $3,270 | 9 | 109 | 6 | $538 | 9 | $2,732 |
| March 6, 2021 | 24 | $13,617 | 10 | 196 | 13 | $10,395 | 11 | $3,222 |
| February 27, 2021 | 19 | $8,105 | 12 | 139 | 15 | $4,970 | 4 | $3,135 |
| February 20, 2021 | 9 | $8,820 | 9 | 153 | 8 | $8,520 | 1 | $300 |
| February 13, 2021 | 12 | $4,852.6 | 7 | 81 | 7 | 2,766 | 5 | $2,086.6 |
| February 6, 2021 | 18 | $9,752 | 13 | 153 | 14 | $5,222 | 4 | $4,530 |
| January 30, 2021 | 18 | $9,449 | 9 | 182 | 15 | $8753.8 | 3 | $695.3 |
| January 23, 2021 | 14 | $8,150 | 8 | 118 | 6 | $4,000 | 8 | $4,150 |
| January 16, 2021 | 17 | $6,783 | 13 | 138 | 11 | $2,400 | 6 | $4,382.9 |
| January 9, 2021 | 22 | $6,829 | 14 | 135 | 18 | $3,139.3 | 4 | $3,690 |
| January 2, 2021 | 7 | $1,466 | 7 | 60 | 7 | $1,466 | 0 | 0 |
| December 26, 2020 | 18 | $15,900 | 12 | 163 | 16 | $5,300 | 1 | $600 |
| December 19, 2020 | 18 | $9,769 | 14 | 110 | 14 | $8,426 | 4 | $1,343 |
| December 12, 2020 | 10 | $7,200 | 9 | 100 | 9 | $3,325 | 1 | $3,830 |
| December 5, 2020 | 15 | $4,261 | 9 | 122 | 9 | $2,780 | 6 | $1,481 |
| November 28, 2020 | 19 | $7,758 | 10 | 110 | 13 | $4,003 | 6 | $3,755 |
| November 14, 2020 | 14 | $864.1 | 14 | 157 | 12 | $289.1 | 2 | $575 |
| November 7, 2020 | 13 | $6,332 | 9 | 129 | 9 | $2,483.5 | 4 | $3,849 |
| October 31, 2020 | 10 | $3,995.8 | 8 | 103 | 6 | $3,231.1 | 4 | $754.7 |
| October 24, 2020 | 6 | $18,100 | 6 | 58 | 5 | $17,709 | 1 | $350 |
| October 17, 2020 | 8 | $351.9 | 5 | 55 | 8 | $351.9 | 0 | 0 |
| October 10, 2020 | 7 | $5,229 | 3 | 50 | 4 | $735 | 3 | $4,494 |
| October 3, 2020 | 14 | $21,428 | 9 | 173 | 9 | $17,535 | 5 | $3,893 |
| September 26, 2020 | 10 | $12,770 | 8 | 93 | 5 | $10,300 | 5 | $2,470 |
| September 19, 2020 | 14 | $8,365 | 9 | 101 | 6 | $1,020 | 8 | $7,345 |
| September 12, 2020 | 6 | $4,406 | 8 | 59 | 3 | $1,270 | 3 | $3,136 |
| September 5, 2020 | 11 | $5,191 | 8 | 117 | 9 | $4,061 | 2 | $1,130 |
| August 29, 2020 | 11 | $2,531 | 9 | 94 | 5 | $1,130 | 6 | $1,401 |
| August 22, 2020 | 18 | $6,574 | 12 | 140 | 7 | $1,930 | 11 | $4,644 |
| August 15, 2020 | 13 | $4,991 | 10 | 97 | 7 | $1,216 | 6 | $3,775 |
| August 8, 2020 | 12 | $32,092 | 11 | 112 | 9 | $30,457 | 3 | $1,635 |
| August 1, 2020 | 7 | $5,287 | 8 | 76 | 5 | $3,687 | 2 | $1,600 |
| July 25, 2020 | 9 | $18,751 | 6 | 67 | 7 | $18,403 | 2 | $348 |
| July 18, 2020 | 6 | $1,982.5 | 5 | 50 | 4 | $1,407.5 | 2 | $575 |
| July 11, 2020 | 11 | $565.1 | 12 | 75 | 10 | $65.1 | 1 | $500 |
| July 4, 2020 | 10 | $8,889 | 8 | 98 | 9 | $8,788 | 1 | $100.3 |
| June 27, 2020 | 8 | $6,874 | 10 | 50 | 5 | $4,972.5 | 3 | $2,081.5 |
| June 20, 2020 | 12 | $4,444 | 9 | 115 | 7 | $2,829 | 5 | $1,615 |
| June 13, 2020 | 6 | $3,582 | 4 | 37 | 2 | $350 | 4 | $3,232 |
| June 6, 2020 | 11 | $3,213.7 | 8 | 65 | 7 | $470 | 4 | $2,743.7 |
| May 30, 2020 | 8 | $7,335 | 7 | 48 | 6 | $4,639 | 2 | $2,697 |
| May 23, 2020 | 4 | $432.4 | 4 | 34 | 3 | $432.4 | 1 | 0 |
| May 16, 2020 | 6 | $310 | 6 | 34 | 5 | $310 | 1 | 0 |
| May 9, 2020 | 18 | $5,630 | 16 | 124 | 14 | $3,180 | 4 | $2,450 |
| May 2, 2020 | 15 | 10,400 | 10 | 90 | 8 | $1,900 | 7 | $,8,500 |
| April 25, 2020 | 8 | $3,400 | 9 | 36 | 5 | $1,000 | 3 | $2,450 |
| April 18, 2020 | 19 | $9,500 | 14 | 92 | 8 | $185.7 | 11 | $9,360 |
| April 11, 2020 | 12 | $6,000 | 9 | 40 | 5 | $190 | 7 | $5,800 |
| April 4, 2020 | 14 | $8,200 | 11 | 68 | 10 | $2,200 | 4 | $6,000 |
| March 28, 2020 | 16 | $6,500 | 13 | 96 | 10 | $3,700 | 6 | $2,800 |
| March 21, 2020 | 11 | $11,910 | 7 | 33 | 7 | $2,250 | 4 | $9,960 |
| March 14, 2020 | 7 | 809.8 | 6 | 34 | 6 | 684.8 | 1 | 125 |
| March 7, 2020 | 16 | $2,500 | 15 | 70 | 13 | $669 | 3 | $1,400 |
| February 29, 2020 | 13 | $15,260 | 13 | 128 | 11 | $11,760 | 2 | $3,500 |
| February 22, 2020 | 12 | $3,700 | 10 | 92 | 10 | $2,560 | 2 | $1,130 |
| February 15, 2020 | 16 | $1,250 | 10 | 84 | 12 | $35 | 4 | $1,222 |
| February 8, 2020 | 18 | $6,080 | 14 | 123 | 14 | $2,595 | 4 | $3,485 |
| February 1, 2020 | 21 | $20,900 | 12 | 101 | 14 | $17,860 | 7 | $3,060 |
| January 25, 2020 | 13 | $7,430 | 13 | 62 | 12 | $6,430 | 1 | $1,000 |
| January 18, 2020 | 23 | $9,580 | 15 | 120 | 19 | $6,580 | 4 | $3,000 |
| January 11, 2020 | 21 | $14,200 | 18 | 199 | 16 | $1,020 | 5 | $13,200 |
| January 4, 2020 | 22 | $6,400 | 11 | 119 | 16 | $3,204 | 6 | $3,245 |
| December 28, 2019 | 22 | $7,150 | 19 | 175 | 18 | $6,800 | 4 | $327.4 |
| December 14, 2019 | 24 | $36,300 | 23 | 167 | 19 | $9,500 | 5 | $26,800 |
| December 7, 2019 | 11 | $10,400 | 11 | 55 | 7 | $1,082 | 4 | $9,370 |
| November 30. 2019 | 14 | $2,450 | 12 | 126 | 12 | $1,760 | 2 | $692.5 |
| November 23, 2019 | 16 | $1,995 | 10 | 41 | 11 | $615 | 5 | $1,380 |
| November 16, 2019 | 15 | $3,820 | 13 | 135 | 11 | $2,500 | 4 | $1,271 |
| November 9, 2019 | 25 | $12,900 | 17 | 182 | 23 | $12,200 | 2 | $575 |
| November 2, 2019 | 10 | $2,470 | 12 | 61 | 9 | 2,450 | 3 | $22 |
| October 26, 2019 | 12 | $5,560 | 14 | 70 | 11 | $3,860 | 1 | $1,700 |
| October 19, 2019 | 8 | $6,600 | 8 | 138 | 8 | $6,600 | 0 | 0 |
| October 12, 2019 | 19 | $4,300 | 14 | 55 | 16 | $3,800 | 3 | $500 |
| October 5, 2019 | 18 | $14,500 | 19 | 166 | 15 | $11,100 | 3 | $3,400 |
| September 28, 2019 | 19 | $8,100 | 18 | 132 | 18 | $7,560 | 1 | $550 |
| September 21, 2019 | 14 | $6,300 | 16 | 66 | 11 | $2,160 | 3 | $4,170 |
| September 14, 2019 | 15 | $23,800 | 12 | 56 | 11 | $21,250 | 4 | $2,570 |
| September 7, 2019 | 17 | $3,500 | 15 | 98 | 14 | $1,900 | 3 | $1,600 |
| August 31, 2019 | 5 | $8,700 | 6 | 50 | 5 | $8,700 | 0 | 0 |
| August 24, 2019 | 16 | $10,000 | 14 | 82 | 15 | $4,250 | 1 | $5,750 |
| August 16, 2019 | 10 | $1,680 | 5 | 52 | 7 | $650 | 3 | $950 |
| August 9, 2019 | 17 | $17,700 | 15 | 68 | 14 | $3,900 | 3 | $13,800 |
| August 2, 2019 | 13 | $5,760 | 12 | 108 | 13 | $5,760 | NA | NA |
| July 27, 2019 | 11 | $7,300 | 13 | 76 | 8 | $6,570 | 3 | $730 |
| July 20, 2019 | 13 | $11,800 | 13 | 125 | 11 | $5,300 | 2 | $6,500 |
| July 13, 2019 | 10 | $775 | 7 | 46 | 8 | $542.5 | 2 | $233 |
| July 6, 2019 | 7 | $2,500 | 9 | 85 | 7 | $2,500 | 0 | 0 |
| June 29, 2019 | 23 | $8,290 | 15 | 154 | 17 | $2,300 | 6 | $5,970 |
| June 22, 2019 | 17 | $10,700 | 10 | 139 | 14 | $7,700 | 3 | $3,000 |
| June 15, 2019 | 11 | $13,500 | 14 | 160 | 11 | $13,500 | NA | NA |
| June 8, 2019 | 13 | $2,870 | 17 | 55 | 11 | $1,570 | 2 | $1,300 |
| June 1, 2019 | 10 | $4,460 | 11 | 60 | 8 | $4,140 | 2 | $315 |
| May 25, 2019 | 17 | $4,360 | 14 | 79 | 14 | $3,700 | 3 | $612 |
| May 18, 2019 | 22 | $9,000 | 17 | 150 | 16 | $3,400 | 6 | $5,600 |
| May 11, 2019 | 18 | $19,800 | 17 | 177 | 15 | $18,300 | 3 | $1,500 |
| May 4, 2019 | 10 | $7,075 | 6 | 32 | 8 | $6,900 | 2 | $175 |
| April 27, 2019 | 15 | $3,200 | 14 | 117 | 14 | $3,160 | 1 | $40 |
| April 20, 2019 | 13 | $13,500 | 10 | 90 | 9 | $12,200 | 4 | $1,300 |
| April 13, 2019 | 16 | $38,900 | 14 | 91 | 14 | $37,800 | 2 | $1,100 |
| April 6, 2019 | 12 | $6,870 | 11 | 94 | 10 | $6,730 | 2 | $50 |
| March 30, 2019 | 15 | $6,470 | 12 | 84 | 10 | $7,91.5 | 5 | $5,677 |
| March 23, 2019 | 18 | $6,450 | 14 | 91 | 14 | $5,042 | 4 | $1,408 |
| March 16, 2019 | 14 | $10,180 | 12 | 115 | 11 | $8,800 | 3 | $1,300 |
| March 9, 2019 | 9 | $1,800 | 6 | 49 | 8 | $1,300 | 1 | $500 |
| March 2, 2019 | 20 | $3,033 | 16 | 107 | 14 | $1,817 | 6 | $1,262 |
| February 23, 2019 | 12 | $2,040 | 8 | 69 | 9 | $614.6 | 3 | $1,430 |
| February 16, 2019 | 16 | $9,970 | 18 | 77 | 16 | $9,970 | 0 | 0 |
| February 9, 2019 | 14 | $6,400 | 10 | 110 | 14 | $6,400 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2, 2019 | 18 | $6,740 | 15 | 99 | 16 | $5,720 | 2 | $950 |
| January 26, 2019 | 13 | $2,770 | 11 | 67 | 11 | $918.95 | 2 | $1,850 |
| January 19, 2019 | 15 | $3,819 | 16 | 76 | 12 | $2,594 | 3 | $1,225 |
| January 12, 2019 | 18 | $7,283 | 14 | 92 | 15 | $1,683 | 3 | $5,600 |
| January 5, 2019 | 10 | $529 | 12 | 50 | 10 | $529 | 0 | 0 |
| December 22, 2018 | 17 | $2,570 | 13 | 87 | 14 | $941 | 3 | $1,629 |
| December 15, 2018 | 10 | $2,860 | 8 | 26 | 8 | $264 | 2 | $2,600 |
| December 8, 2018 | 15 | $1,819 | 16 | 65 | 12 | $552 | 3 | $1,267 |
| December 1, 2018 | 12 | $7,500 | 10 | 90 | 9 | $1,200 | 3 | $6,200 |
| November 28, 2018 | 15 | $4,500 | 11 | 107 | 14 | $4,000 | 1 | $500 |
| November 19, 2018 | 18 | $6,137 | 13 | 98 | 13 | $2,142 | 5 | $3,995 |
| November 14, 2018 | 18 | $9,200 | 13 | 152 | 15 | $8,500 | 3 | $694 |
| November 6, 2018 | 16 | $17,300 | 16 | 183 | 14 | $16,361 | 2 | $950 |
| October 29, 2018 | 14 | $14,400 | 18 | 127 | 17 | $13,800 | 1 | $600 |
| October 24, 2018 | 13 | $6,140 | 13 | 126 | 11 | $5,122 | 2 | $1,018 |
| October 17, 2018 | 18 | $18,390 | 15 | 125 | 14 | $12,292 | 4 | $6,098 |
| October 10, 2018 | 29 | $3,149 | 18 | 104 | 20 | $1,647 | 9 | $819 |
| October 2, 2018 | 18 | $9,300 | 11 | 67 | 14 | $7,300 | 4 | $2,000 |
| September 25, 2018 | 13 | $7,000 | 11 | 75 | 10 | $6,000 | 3 | $995 |
| September 18, 2018 | 9 | $3,570 | 7 | 44 | 9 | $3,570 | 0 | 0 |
| September 11, 2018 | 13 | $5,900 | 10 | 132 | 13 | $5,900 | 0 | 0 |
| September 7, 2018 | 14 | $5,000 | 15 | 86 | 11 | $4,000 | 3 | $1,000 |
| August 29, 2018 | 15 | $20,700 | 14 | 79 | 13 | $4,700 | 2 | $16,000 |
| August 20, 2018 | 10 | $12,400 | 11 | 53 | 8 | $11,380 | 3 | $1,057 |
| August 14, 2018 | 12 | $19,900 | 12 | 132 | 9 | $18,889 | 3 | $1,011 |
| August 7, 2018 | 16 | $68,600 | 11 | 106 | 13 | $67,259 | 3 | $1,340 |
| July 31, 2018 | 15 | $15,100 | 15 | 95 | 11 | $13,060 | 4 | $2,060 |
| July 23, 2018 | 13 | $2,130 | 15 | 60 | 10 | $1,804 | 3 | $1,100 |
| July 17, 2018 | 14 | $5,370 | 17 | 98 | 9 | $4,310 | 5 | $1,100 |
| July 9, 2018 | 16 | $11,200 | 15 | 74 | 10 | $11,080 | 6 | $862 |
| July 3, 2018 | 13 | $7,000 | 7 | 81 | 12 | $6,330 | 1 | $750 |
| June 25, 2018 | 15 | $8,800 | 13 | 97 | 9 | $4,970 | 6 | $3,930 |
| June 18, 2018 | 13 | $14,200 | 14 | 80 | 7 | $221 | 6 | $14,290 |
| June 11, 2018 | 12 | $6,300 | 8 | 96 | 8 | $5,910 | 4 | $803 |
| June 6, 2018 | 13 | $14,500 | 10 | 88 | 8 | $14,154 | 5 | $579 |
| May 31, 2018 | 11 | $4,890 | 10 | 63 | 8 | $3,240 | 3 | $1,790 |
| May 22, 2018 | 15 | $20,400 | 11 | 63 | 9 | $19,808 | 6 | $885 |
| May 15, 2018 | 15 | $4,700 | 15 | 106 | 10 | $3,900 | 5 | $643 |
| May 9, 2018 | 11 | $1,400 | 13 | 88 | 9 | $1,300 | 2 | $560 |
| May 1, 2018 | 8 | $14,250 | 7 | 88 | 7 | $13,400 | 1 | $450 |
| April 24, 2018 | 12 | $5,300 | 6 | 61 | 11 | $4,470 | 1 | $800 |
| April 17, 2018 | 9 | $1,800 | 10 | 44 | 7 | $2,330 | 2 | $1,434 |
| April 11, 2018 | 11 | $2,500 | 8 | 32 | 6 | $1,690 | 5 | $809 |
| April 3, 2018 | 15 | $13,400 | 11 | 121 | 9 | $12,020 | 6 | $1,090 |
| March 28, 2018 | 10 | $4,000 | 10 | 92 | 7 | $3,870 | 3 | $215 |
| March 19, 2018 | 17 | $5,800 | 13 | 51 | 10 | $590 | 7 | $5,165 |
| March 12, 2018 | 15 | $3,130 | 11 | 43 | 11 | $2,360 | 4 | $788 |
| March 6, 2018 | 19 | $5,400 | 13 | 116 | 10 | $1,530 | 9 | $4,860 |
| February 27, 2018 | 20 | $6,600 | 13 | 69 | 14 | $5,530 | 6 | $1,030 |
| February 19, 2018 | 15 | $5,500 | 14 | 111 | 10 | $3,990 | 6 | $1,980 |
| February 12, 2018 | 23 | $10,900 | 17 | 157 | 12 | $7,110 | 11 | $3,840 |
| February 5, 2018 | 16 | $8,600 | 13 | 100 | 7 | $1,330 | 9 | $7,800 |
| January 30, 2018 | 11 | $12,600 | 11 | 68 | 5 | $7,300 | 6 | $4,982 |
| January 24, 2018 | 19 | $9,400 | 15 | 129 | 5 | $2,010 | 14 | $7,337 |
| January 18, 2018 | 10 | $6,280 | 8 | 49 | 2 | $2,100 | 8 | $4,188 |
| January 9, 2018 | 12 | $16,500 | 12 | 92 | 9 | $15,890 | 3 | $475 |
| January 3, 2018 | 10 | $2,500 | 9 | 47 | 8 | $2,350 | 2 | $150 |
| December 27, 2017 | 15 | $9,000 | 15 | 113 | 9 | $7,568 | 6 | $1,784 |
| December 18, 2017 | 15 | $13,800 | 16 | 164 | 9 | $13,010 | 7 | $1,118 |
| December 11, 2017 | 14 | $9,700 | 10 | 126 | 12 | $2,940 | 4 | $8,500 |
| December 4, 2017 | 6 | $1,800 | 6 | 31 | 5 | $1,510 | 1 | $300 |
| November 28, 2017 | 7 | $3,850 | 8 | 76 | 4 | $3,260 | 3 | $285 |
| November 16, 2017 | 10 | $2,700 | 10 | 48 | 6 | $1,840 | 4 | $856 |
| November 8, 2017 | 15 | $2,380 | 17 | 91 | 10 | $1,860 | 5 | $516 |
| November 1, 2017 | 12 | $4,700 | 17 | 94 | 9 | $3,400 | 4 | $1,300 |
| October 23, 2017 | 15 | $10,500 | 10 | 67 | 10 | $9,780 | 4 | $1,530 |
| October 18, 2017 | 6 | $2,000 | 37 | 3 | $225 | 3 | $1,820 | |
| October 10, 2017 | 12 | $6,570 | 100 | 9 | $3,880 | 3 | $3,360 | |
| October 2, 2017 | 8 | $3,100 | 11 | 19 | 3 | $1,630 | 5 | $1,750 |
| September 25, 2017 | 8 | $4,880 | 8 | 79 | 5 | $2,660 | 5 | $2,070 |
| September 18, 2017 | 9 | $4,770 | 3 | $300 | 6 | $4,470 | ||
| September 12, 2017 | 11 | $4,430 | 8 | $2,030 | 3 | $2,400 | ||
| September 1, 2017 | 4 | $1,310 | 3 | $317 | 1 | $1,000 | ||
| August 23, 2017 | 11 | $13,640 | 9 | 8 | $11,840 | 3 | $1,800 |
M&A/FUNDINGS
AB CarVal invests $700M in Peregrine
Deal Description: Global alternative investment manager AB CarVal announced Aug. 29 a $700 million equity investment and debt financing for Boulder-based Peregrine Energy Solutions, a clean energy platform with a focus on utility-scale energy storage. The transaction will allow Peregrine to fund its pipeline of more than seven gigawatts of projects, including standalone battery, solar and wind technologies. Peregrine focuses on utility-scale energy storage that was established in 2022 through a partnership between Peregrine Energy Management and Castlelake, a global alternative investment manager with $20 billion in assets. Since 1987, AB CarVal has invested $143 billion in 5,680 transactions across 82 countries and deployed over $4 billion in clean energy investments. It has $17 billion in assets under management.
AB CarVal’s Outside Counsel: Latham & Watkins with a team led by partners Justin Stolte and Edmond Parhami with associates Ashley Nguyen, Greg Sorensen, Jase Burner, Gabi Hasson, and Cooper Shear. Advice was also provided on debt financing matters by counsel Bryce Kaufman and partner Trevor Wommack, with associate Jack Gillen; on tax matters by partners Eli Katz and Eric Kamerman, with associate Andrea Herman; on employment matters by partner Adam Kestenbaum, with associate Andrea Herman; on employment matters by partner Adam Kestenbaum, with associate Dane Rebkowec; on energy regulatory matters by partner Natasha Gianvecchio, with associate Richard Griffin; on antitrust matters by partner Jason Cruise, and counsels Peter Todaro and Philipp Studt; on intellectual property matters by counsel Kieran Dickinson, with associate Kellye Quirk; on data privacy matters by counsel Robert Brown; on insurance matters by partner Drew Levin, with associate Hannah Cary; on real estate matters by partner Robert Frances and counsel Aaron Friberg, with associate David Rao; on project development matters by counsel Seth Richardson, with associates Kailash Gupta and Georgia Bellett; and on environmental matters by partner Joshua Marnitz, with associate Bruce Johnson.
Peregrine’s Outside Counsel: McGuireWoods led by partners Heather Welch Arbogast in Baltimore and Durham McCormick in Houston and including partners Adam Greene and Clare Lewis and associates William Bradbury, Paul Harris, Caitlin Maloney Haus, Marc Nickel, Andrew Seward and John Yates.
Peak 10 Energy launches with $500M
Deal Description: Peak 10 Energy announced Aug. 30 its launch as an oil and gas investment platform focused on acquiring long-life oil and gas assets throughout the continental U.S. Peak 10’s assets consist of non-operated oil and gas properties in Reeves, Fisher, Scurry, Gaines, Dawson and Andrews Counties, including more than 100 producing wells and a multi-year drilling program of tier 1 undeveloped drilling opportunities. Peak 10’s inaugural platform acquisition is its purchase of non-operated upstream oil and gas and associated water handling and recycling assets in the Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin in Fisher and Scurry Counties, Texas, which closed with an unnamed private seller on Aug. 23. Peak 10’s capitalization consists of cash, contributed assets and commitments from Texas asset management firm Legacy Star Capital Partners and debt financing from Prudential Private Capital, Prudential Energy Capital Partners and Production Lending that are estimated to exceed $500 million in balance sheet resources.
Legacy Star’s/Peak 10’s Outside Counsel: (On the Acquisition) Holland & Knight led by partners Robert Dougherty and Brooke Sizer as well as Jeremiah Mayfield, Nathan Stone and Leslie Mahre. Also corporate associates Anna Boyer, Cooper Overcash, Emily Smith and Samson Goriola, tax partner Todd Keator, environmental partner Ashley Phillips and tax associate Jessica Kirk.
Peak 10 Energy Co-Counsel: (On Debt Financing) Baker Botts led by partner Clay Brett, along with Sarah Dodson, Josh Gonzales, Michael Donnellan, Chelsea Johnson, Talha Chaudhry and Jenna Kabrich (corporate); Caitlin Lawrence, Richard Sitton, Lyman Paden, Morgan Copher and Delaram Peimani (finance); Jon Lobb (tax); and Megan Young and Andrew Crayden (global projects).
Pantogran buys autism centers for $48.5M
Deal Description: Locke Lord said Aug. 29 it represented Pantogran and Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) founder Doreen Granpeesheh as bankruptcy and restructuring counsel on their acquisition of the majority of CARD’s assets following a sale process and a competitive auction conducted under Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In July, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones approved the center’s sale to Pantogran’s principals, Granpeesheh and her business partner Sangam Pant and asset manager Audax Group for $48.5 million. Pantogran acquired 112 centers across the country, including intellectual property, longitudinal data and CARD’s clinical database. CARD is a provider of evidence-based applied behavior analysis for individuals of all ages diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
From Locke Lord: The team was led by David Kupetz (Los Angeles) with assistance from Sean Feener (New York), Simon Mayer (Houston), Denise Hanna (Washington, D.C.), David Szabo (Boston), Ashley Wheelock (Austin), Nina Huerta and Eve Tilley-Coulson (both of Los Angeles) and Jaremi Chilton (San Francisco).
TeleVet announces $43 Million Series B, rebranding as Otto
Deal Description: Otto, once known as TeleVet, an Austin-based customer engagement platform for veterinary clinics, announced Aug. 31 a $43 million Series B round of equity financing by existing investors Mercury Fund and Boehringer Ingelheim and joined by new investor Hill’s Pet Nutrition. As part of the transaction, Heath Butler, venture partner at Mercury, will join Otto’s board, and Nicki Baty, president and GM of Hill’s Pet Nutrition US, will join as a board observer. The new funding comes on the heels of record growth for the company, to more than 8,000 veterinary professionals over the last two years. Over the past year, Otto has evolved to its core communication platform, Flow, including adding a modern payments solution. In April, Otto launched its Care membership plans.
Qase raises $7.2M to enhance software testing
Deal Description: Austin-based Qase announced Aug. 25 the company raised $7.2 million in Series A and seed funding rounds led by Chrome Capital with participation from Finsight Ventures and S16VC. The funds will be used to scale its team and launch the first Jira-like marketplace for test management tools. Since 2019, Qase processed more than 27 million test results for over 100,000 developers. Its customers include Wolt (acquired by DoorDash), Asana and SeatGeek. The company was founded by Nikita Fedorov.
ControlRooms attracts $10M
Deal Description: ControlRooms.ai, an Austin-based industrial manufacturing troubleshooting platform, announced Aug. 29 it raised $10 million in Series A funding led Origin Ventures. Amity Ventures, Tokio Marine Future Fund, S3 Ventures, GTM Fund, Alpha Square Group and FJ Labs also participated. ControlRooms.ai was co-founded in 2021 by Monte Zweben and Omar Talib, who previously worked for a company that delivers AI solutions to energy producers. ControlRoom.ai launched its first product last year and has five customers using it, according to TechCrunch.
Kinjo raises $10M
Deal Description: Kinjo, an edtech startup focused on improving the value of children’s screen time, raised a $6.5 million seed round on Aug. 21 led by LiveOak Venture Partners, Silverton Partners, Breyer Capital, Roble Ventures and others to further scale access and expand monetization. Its CEO Charles Thornburgh founded Civitas Learning, which uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve graduation rates across Higher Ed.
Kinjo’a Outside Counsel: Evan Kastner at Kastner Gravelle
Aircon attracts $3.3M from Underscore
Deal Description: Aircon, a Dallas-based provider of a gateway-as-a-service in the air cargo industry, raised $3.3 million in seed funding on Aug. 22 led by Underscore VC. The company plans to use the funds to invest in partnerships across the air cargo and freight markets, global gateway expansion, growing its AI tech infrastructure and hiring talent. Aircon is by founder Chris Condon, former CEO of TriCon Logistics, which was sold to Visible Supply Chain Management in 2020 for undisclosed terms.
Clearlake-backed Discovery Education buys DreamBox Learning
Deal Description: Discovery Education, a global education technology company backed by Clearlake Capital Group, announced Aug. 29 it has agreed to acquire DreamBox Learning, a Bellevue, Wash.-based PK-12 education technology provider serving more than 6 million students and 600,000 educators in the U.S. Financial terms were not disclosed. DreamBox Learning’s current investors Elliott Investment Management and TPG’s The Rise Fund will keep minority stakes in the company. Clearlake, headquartered in Santa Monica with an affiliate in Dallas, currently has more than $70 billion of assets under management.
Expected Closing: Q4 2023
Discovery Education’s Outside Counsel: Sidley Austin including M&A and private equity partners Mehdi Khodadad (Century City), S. Scott Parel (Dallas) and Mark Castiglia (Century City)
DreamBox’ Financial Advisor: Moelis & Co.
DreamBox’ Outside Counsel: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Gulf & Atlantic Railways buys assets from Pinsly
Deal Description: Gulf & Atlantic Railways announced Aug. 29 its proposed acquisition of the rail assets of Pinsly Railroad Co. Terms weren’t disclosed. The assets include the 18-mile Pioneer Valley Railroad short line and Railroad Distribution Services Inc. Pioneer Valley, with access to railroads CSX and Pan Am Southern that runs from Westfield to Holyoke, Mass., serves more than 30 customers. Railroad Distribution includes two rail-served warehouses with 140,000 square feet of indoor storage and three and a half acres of outdoor storage. The purchase has to clear regulators.
Gulf & Atlantic Railways’ Outside Counsel: Sidley Austin including Chris Folmsbee, Cliff Vrielink, Rachel Kleinberg and Terry Hynes
Opposing Counsel: Michael Sweet at Bulkley Richardson and Gelinas
Pratexo snares funding from ABB
Deal Description: Pratexo, an Austin edge computing and distributed cloud platform, raised an undisclosed sum of funding from ABB Technology Ventures, part of ABB, a provider of electrification and automation technology. ABB announced the deal on Aug. 22. The company previously raised $3.5 million from Raiven Capital and Northscaler, according to Crunchbase. Pratexo was one of three winners of the ABB Electrification’s 2022 Startup Challenge. The partnership is ABB’s sixth venture capital investment this year and helps expand the company’s ecosystem of partners developing solutions that support decarbonization. Since forming in 2009, ATV has invested $300 million into startups that are aligned with its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio.
CAI Software snaps up Alerity
Deal Description: STG-backed CAI Software announced Aug. 23 that it purchased Dallas-based Alterity Inc. for undisclosed terms. The addition of Alerity’s Acctivate to the CAI portfolio adds inventory management software and capabilities to drive additional value for customers, CAI said. Together CAI Software and Acctivate will serve 1,600-plus customers across manufacturing, specialty food processing, building materials, wholesalers/distributors, metals and mining and automotive industries.
HC Private Investments acquires QEI
Deal Description: HC Private Investments, a Chicago-based family office private equity firm, announced July 27 that it acquired QEI Inc. in partnership with the company’s former owner and CEO, Normand Lavoie. Terms were not disclosed. As part of the transaction, Erik VanLaningham and CJ Kearney of Eagle Marsh Holdings will join the company’s board. Lavoie, who originally acquired the company in 1992 and sold it in 2011, will continue to serve as CEO and board member with a significant investment in the company. Based in Springfield, N.J., QEI offers automation products, supervisory control and data acquisition software solution, distribution management systems and related services to its customers in the mass transit, utility and water/wastewater industries. Signature Bank of Chicago provided debt financing for the transaction.
HCPI’s Outside Counsel: Winston & Strawn with a team led by partner Nick Golem in Chicago that included Dallas partner Andrew Betaque on tax
QEI’s Financial Advisors: England & Co.
CAPITAL MARKETS/FINANCINGS
Preylock closes $1.2B financing
Deal Description: Akin said Aug. 28 it advised Preylock Holdings, as borrower, on the closing of a $1.2 billion, commercial mortgage-backed securities financing secured by 12 distribution warehouses totaling 8.9 million square feet across 10 states.
From Akin: The team was led by real estate partner John Bain, real estate counsel Wes Smith, real estate associates Payne Roberts and Brielle Rowe and corporate associates Penelope Shumway and Hannah Bush and included investment management partner Adam Hilkemann and investment management counsel Marc Lombardi.