Weston Presidio is an American
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
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 late-stage companies across a range of industries with a specific focus on the consumer products, business services, industrial, media, publishing, healthcare and technology sectors.
The firm, which is based in
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, has offices in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
and
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...
.
Weston Presidio was founded in 1991 by Michael Cronin, who had previously run the Boston office of Security Pacific Venture Capital Group, and Michael Lazarus who had previously been managing director of the Private Placement Department of
Montgomery Securities
Montgomery Securities is an investment bank based in San Francisco, California, that specialized in high technology and health care sectors. The firm was founded in 1978 by Thom Weisel.
The bank was acquired by NationsBank Corporation on June ...
. The firm has raised approximately $3.21 billion since inception across five funds. Weston Presidio's fifth fund was raised in 2005 with approximately $1 billion of investor commitments and has been focused primarily on investments in more mature companies.
Through the years, Weston Presidio has shifted its focus from earlier stage venture capital to investments in more mature companies and occasionally through
leveraged recapitalization
In corporate finance, a leveraged recapitalization is a change of the company's capital structure, usually substitution of debt for equity.
Overview
Such recapitalizations are executed via issuing bonds to raise money and using the proceeds to b ...
s and
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 ...
s.
Among Weston Presidio's most notable investments are: Associated Materials,
Azul Brazilian Airlines
Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (''Azul Brazilian Airlines''; or simply Azul) is a Brazilian airline headquartered in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo. The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable ...
,
BlueArc,
Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...
,
Casella Waste Systems
Casella Waste Systems, Inc. is a waste management company based in Rutland, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1975 with a single truck, Casella is a regional, vertically integrated solid waste services company. Casella provides resource manageme ...
,
Cybertrust,
DTS Digital Theater Systems,
Evenflo,
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC, or simply Fender) is an American manufacturer and marketer of musical instruments and amplifiers. Fender produces acoustic guitars, bass amplifiers and public address equipment; however, it is b ...
,
Learning Curve Brands
The RC2 Corporation, a division of Japan-based firm Takara Tomy, is a toy design, marketing, and distribution company headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1992.
Overview
RC2 markets brands such as The First Years and ...
,
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue Airways Corporation, stylized as jetBlue, is an American major airline headquartered in Long Island City, in Queens, New York City. Primarily a point-to-point carrier, JetBlue's network features six focus cities including its main hub a ...
,
Jimmy John's
Jimmy John's Franchise, LLC, commonly referred to as Jimmy John's, is an American multinational sandwich chain, headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The business was founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983. After Liautaud graduated from high sch ...
,
Lion Brewery, Inc., MacDermid,
MapQuest,
Morris Air
Morris Air was a low-fare airline in the western United States, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began scheduled operations in 1992, and was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $120 million in stock. The airline officially becam ...
,
Nebraska Book Company,
NextMedia Group
NextMedia Group was an out-of-home media company headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. NextMedia owned and operated 33 AM and FM stations, 5,700 outdoor advertising display across several regions and markets, as well as an interactive div ...
,
Papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...
,
Party City
New AmScan PC LLC formerly, Party City Holdco Inc. is an American chain of party supply stores founded in 1986 by Steve Mandell in East Hanover, New Jersey. Party City's headquarters are in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey. Party City was the largest ...
(aka Amscan),
Restoration Hardware
RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) is an upscale American home-furnishings company headquartered in Corte Madera, California. The company sells its merchandise through its retail stores, catalog, and online. As of August 2018, the company operate ...
,
Robb Report
The ''Robb Report'' is an American, English-language, luxury- lifestyle magazine featuring products, including automobiles, aviation, boating, real estate and watches. Founded in 1976, it is currently owned by Penske Media Corporation. It also ...
,
Magazines for the Superrich Are No Longer Up for Sale
New York Times, October 11, 2006 Scene7, Thomas Weisel Partners, Tweeter Home Entertainment and Wild Oats Markets
Wild Oats Marketplace (Legal name (business), registered as Wild Oats Marketing, LLC) is a producer of Natural foods, natural and Organic food, organic foods, food distributed through partnerships in the United States.
Founded in 1987 in Boul ...
.
References
External links
Weston Presidio
(company website)
Weston Presidio
Bloomberg Profile
{{private equity firms
Financial services companies established in 1991
Private equity firms of the United States