LONDON, July 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (“LLCP”), a global private equity firm, announced today that it has agreed to invest in Improve International Group (“Improve International” or the “Company”) in partnership with its management team. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1998, Improve International is the world leader in veterinary postgraduate training and education. Founded by vets for vets, the Company is committed to elevating veterinary practice worldwide, giving veterinary professionals the confidence and skills to deliver compassionate animal care. Improve International works with veterinary professionals globally to upskill them, while also providing content and training for ongoing Continuing Professional Development requirements. Improve International leverages state-of-the-art training facilities with engaging digital content to deliver courses in 20 countries and in 9 different languages. Headquartered in Swindon, UK, the Company has more than 170 employees, with offices in Germany, Spain, Portugal, the United States and France.
Improve International will continue to be led by CEO Heber Alves and the existing management team.
Heber Alves commented, “Our partnership with LLCP comes at a very exciting time for Improve International. We are proud of the offering we have built and are excited to continue to broaden access to veterinary professionals across the world, so they can enjoy their lifelong learning journey, and benefit greatly from its many rewards along the way. LLCP’s deep experience in education and medical training will be highly valuable to us as we enter the next phase of growth.”
Josh Kaufman, Partner and Head of Europe at LLCP, said, “We are delighted to partner with Improve International. The management team has built a leading education business that is well positioned to service the growing needs of the veterinary industry globally. We are excited to help them scale the business through organic initiatives, including new course development and geographic expansion, as well as through strategic M&A.”
Improve International will be the seventh investment of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners Europe II, SCSp. Across its funds, LLCP has invested extensively in education, including GL Education, Skill Dynamics, Therapeutic Research Center, Squla, CJ Fallon and Mander Portman Woodward. LLCP has also invested in the veterinary space through Suveto in the U.S.
LLCP was advised by DC Advisory (debt), KPMG (financial), Deloitte (tax), Willkie Farr & Gallagher (legal) and CIL (commercial).
LLCP has acquired its stake in Improve International from lower middle-market private equity firm RJD Partners and members of the Company’s management team. The vendors were advised by EY (lead advisory), Capital Law (legal), Strategy& PwC (commercial) and Deloitte (financial and tax), whilst management advice was provided by Jamieson (equity terms), K&L Gates (legal) and RSM (tax).
About Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLC is a middle-market private equity firm with a 40-year track record of investing across various targeted sectors, including Business Services, Franchising & Multi-unit, Education & Training and Engineered Products & Manufacturing. LLCP utilizes a differentiated Structured Private Equity investment strategy, combining debt and equity capital investments in portfolio companies. LLCP believes that by investing in a combination of debt and equity securities, it offers management teams growth capital in a highly tailored, flexible investment structure that can be a more attractive alternative than traditional private equity.
LLCP’s global team of dedicated investment professionals is led by 10 partners who have worked at LLCP for an average of 19 years. Since inception, LLCP has managed approximately $14.8 billion of institutional capital across 15 investment funds and has invested in over 100 portfolio companies. LLCP currently manages $10.2 billion of assets and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, London, Stockholm, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.
Media Contact: Cathy Thomas; [email protected]
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