Lightyear Capital is a

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

firm focused on

leveraged buyout A leveraged buyout (LBO) is the acquisition of a company using a significant proportion of borrowed money (Leverage (finance), leverage) to fund the acquisition with the remainder of the purchase price funded with private equity. The assets of t ...

and

growth capital Growth capital (also called expansion capital and growth equity) is a type of private equity investment, usually a minority interest, in relatively mature companies that are looking for capital to expand or restructure operations, enter new markets ...

investments in

financial services Financial services are service (economics), economic services tied to finance provided by financial institutions. Financial services encompass a broad range of tertiary sector of the economy, service sector activities, especially as concerns finan ...

companies. The firm, which is based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, was founded in 2002 with the backing of

UBS AG UBS Group AG (stylized simply as UBS) is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland, with headquarters in both Zurich and Basel. It holds a strong foothold in all major fina ...

by Donald Marron. Marron is best known for building up PaineWebber over a 23-year career and completing its sale to

in late 2000 for $10.8 Billion. Marron was also a founder of Data Resources Inc. The firm has raised approximately $3 billion since inception across its five funds. In May 2002, Lightyear closed on its first fund, The Lightyear Fund, with $750 million of investor commitments, approximately $500 million of which came from

. In 2006, the firm completed fundraising for its second

private equity fund A private equity fund (abbreviated as PE fund) is a collective investment scheme used for making investments in various equity (and to a lesser extent debt) securities according to one of the investment strategies associated with private equity. ...

, with $850 million of commitments from over 40 investors. In March 2021, the firm filed documents stating that it had raised over $1.27 billion with 24 investors for its fifth fund, Lightyear Capital V. Among the firm's most notable investments are Collegiate Funding Services (acquired by

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...

), ARGUS Software, Higher One, NAU Country Insurance Company (the nation's third-largest crop insurer), Antares Holdings, New Flyer Industries, and Goldleaf Financial Solutions. In 2013, Atlanta, divested its RidgeWorth Investments to Lightyear Capital LLC for up to $265 million. In May 2019, Lightyear Capital acquired a controlling stake in Lighthouse Technologies Holdings Corporation. In September 2021, Lightyear Capital acquired assets and partnered with Schellman & Company, LLC for the delivery of Information Technology and cybersecurity compliance services.

References

External links

Lightyear Capital
(company website) Private equity firms of the United States UBS Financial services companies established in 2002 Companies based in New York City 2002 establishments in New York City {{US-private-equity-company-stub