Private Equity is the common term used to refer to a specific type of long-term investment activity. Typically private equity firms take a controlling stake in companies with a view to transforming their performance over a number of years such that they can be sold at a premium to the acquisition price. The private equity investor will generally be represented on the board of the company so that they can actively support management in determining the strategic direction of the business.Private equity investments can be sub-divided according to the size of the company acquired, its development stage and the type of financing provided by the private equity firm. The Permira funds are primarily involved in medium to large buy-outs. This means that they tend to acquire sizeable businesses with a long-standing trading history and a strong market position. In addition, private equity firms traditionally finance their acquisitions with a mix of equity, provided by their institutional investors, and debt.Private Equity ownership is recognised to offer a number of benefits, which stem from its long-term investment horizon and a governance structure which fully aligns management’s and shareholders’ interests for the long-term benefit of a company and its employees. For more details on the industry, please visit our 3rd Party Research section.

The Adams Express Company was founded in 1840 and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Adams Express Company (the Fund) is a closed-end investment company. The Fund is an internally managed fund, whose investment objectives are preservation of capital, the attainment of reasonable income from investments and an opportunity for capital appreciation. The Fund invests in various sectors, which includes consumer, energy, financial, healthcare, industrials, information technology, materials, telecom services and utilities. The Fund invests in common stocks and convertible securities, non-controlled affiliate, short-term investments and securities lending collateral.

First Republic Bank was founded in 1985 as First Republic Bancorp Inc. and changed its name to First Republic Bank in September 1997. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. As of September 21, 2007, First Republic Bank operates as a subsidiary of BofA Merrill Lynch. First Republic Bank provides private banking, private business banking, investment management, brokerage, trust services, and real estate lending services in California, Nevada, and New York. It provides private business banking services to accounting firms, architecture and design, art and antique dealers, business management firms, business partnerships, entertainment/media, family offices, financial services, hedge funds, independent schools, investment firms, law firms, medical firms, non-profit organizations, private equity funds/firms, property management firms, and venture capital firms.First Republic Bank company also provides private wealth management services, including asset allocation, trust administration, custody, asset management, brokerage, private placements, fixed income management, financial and estate planning, alternative investments, socially responsible investing, and multi-cap equity and management services. First Republic Bank also offers residential lending products, such as single family mortgages, vacation home mortgages, co-op and condominium loans, home equity lines of credit, bridge loans, and construction-to-permanent loans; commercial lending, including apartment building, mixed-use building, commercial real estate, and site-acquisition and construction loans; and personal lending, such as stock/bond secured loans, unsecured loans, overdraft lines of credit, letters of credit, partner capital lines, aircraft and yacht financing. The company’s deposit services comprise ATM rebate checking, money market checking, money market savings, passbook savings, and certificates of deposit.

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (Goldman Sachs) is a bank holding and a global investment banking, securities and investment management company. The Company provides a range of financial services to customers, including corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. Its depository institution subsidiary, Goldman Sachs Bank USA (GS Bank USA), is a New York State-chartered bank. It operates in three segments: Investment Banking, Trading and Principal Investments and Asset Management and Securities Services. In March 2010, the Company's subsidiaries sold the La Francia mine and related infrastructure assets, including Concession 5160, and Adromi Capital Corp., the holder of the La Francia II concession, to a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. In May 2010, Nexen Inc. sold its natural gas trading operations to a unit of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Graphite Capital Management LLP was founded in 1981 and is based in London, United Kingdom. Graphite Capital Management LLP is a private equity and venture capital firm specializing in investments in middle market companies. The firm typically invests in management buyouts and buyins, whether as part of a corporate spin-off or from within a privately held business; replacement capital; and development capital and expansion funding. It also invests in turnaround, rollouts and buy-and-build transactions. The firm invests in established companies with opportunities for growth or through add-on acquisitions. It primarily invests in retail and consumer, Industrial and Engineering, services and distribution, financial services, healthcare, and leisure and property industries. The firm invests in companies based in United Kingdom and focuses on transactions valued between £25 million ($36.2 million) and £200 million ($405.60 million). It seeks a Board seat in the portfolio company. The firm seeks to exit its investments through flotation, trade sale, and secondary buyout.

Draper Triangle Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in angel and seed/start-up stage companies. It does not invest in shops, metal bending plants, and chemical processing plants. The firm typically invests in technology companies with a focus on Internet, high-tech, bio-medical devices, and electronic services. It prefers to invest in companies based in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Midwest region of the United States. The firm typically invests between $250,000 and $2 million in first round of investments. It prefers a board seat in its portfolio company and seeks to be a lead investor for the first round of financing.

ICMA Retirement Corporation company was founded in 1972 by public-sector employers through the International City/County Management Association. ICMA Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC) offers financial planning and manages and administers retirement plans exclusively for public-sector employees. A not-for-profit organization, it offers products including retirement health savings plans, IRAs, 401(a)s, 401(k)s, and 457s. ICMA Retirement Corporation company serves more than 800,000 employees of state and local governments, offering some 900 retirement savings plans in all. ICMA-RC is sponsor of the Vantagepoint and Milestone funds.

Shattuck Hammond Partners, a division of Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc., is an investment banking and financial advisory firm with more than forty investment banking professionals and offices in New York, San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago. Founded in 1993 as a boutique focused on healthcare services, the Firm has steadily grown over the last decade and extended its expertise and success to meet the needs of clients across a variety of industry sectors, including hospitals, senior living, managed care, pharmaceuticals, medical distribution and outsourcing, healthcare information technology, real estate, higher education and specialty not-for-profit organizations.Shattuck Hammond provides comprehensive investment banking and financial advisory services, including: strategic advisory, merger & acquisition advisory; placements of debt and equity; taxable and tax-exempt debt underwriting and financial advisory; derivatives and reinvestments; and real estate transaction services. In the last ten years, Shattuck Hammond has completed more than 160 M&A transactions totaling $10.8 billion in transaction value, and has served as underwriter, placement agent, financial advisor or bid agent on capital markets transactions totaling more than $13.8 billion.

DN Partners LLC was founded in 1995 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. DN Partners is an investment banking and merchant banking firm. It focuses on mergers and acquisition advisory, capital raising projects, and in selected leveraged acquisitions. DN Partners LLC provides strategic advice on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and partnering relationships including joint ventures. DN Partners LLC also performs targeted acquisition programs, reorganizations, restructurings, fairness opinions, defense strategies, and other strategic considerations.

Jefferies Group (along with its main subsidiary Jefferies & Company) raises capital, performs securities trading and research, and provides advisory services for small and midsized companies in the US. Serving about 2,500 institutional clients worldwide, Jefferies Group, Inc. also trades derivatives and commodities and makes markets for some 5,000 US and international equities. Jefferies Group also oversees more than $3 billion on behalf of investors and private clients. Jefferies made a move into the municipal business in 2009 and now serves national and local governments. Jefferies Group, Inc. has about 25 offices in North America, Europe, and Asia.

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