Conversations with Thought Leaders from the M&A Community

Michael Wolverton - Accessing Private Equity Buyers

Posted by John Slater on April 9, 2008

Michael Wolverton - Accessing Private Equity Buyers: Play Now | Play in Popup

Michael Wolverton When I first became active in M&A there were perhaps 150-200 private equity firms (then called LBO shops) in the United States. Today there are probably 1500-2000 such firms which collectively own at least 20,000 portfolio companies. Additionally there are myriad Sovereign Wealth Funds, international private equity firms, family offices and hedge firms active in the U. S. M&A market.

Matching a specific deal with those financial buyers most likely to be interested in that specific deal from an industry, size and risk perspective is a very difficult challenge akin to finding that proverbial needle in a haystack. Our guest today, Michael Wolverton has developed a unique approach to meeting this challenge. Michael is the founder and president of Cathedral Partners located in the Philadelphia suburb of Conshohocken.

Cathedral enhances communication between private equity firms and intermediaries by creating a platform that allows for confidential, controlled and efficient communication between its members. By acting as a single connectivity point for buyers and sellers, Cathedral allows intermediaries to expand their reach while allowing private equity firms to augment their deal flow.

Prior to founding Cathedral Partners, Michael was responsible for leading the business development efforts of LLR Partners, a $620 million private equity firm based in Philadelphia. Before LLR, Michael served as Vice President for Penn Capital Management, a $4.5 Billion asset management firm. Michael received a BS in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh.

Length: This interview is about 17 minutes.

Categories: Intermediaries, Private Equity, Business Acquisition, Business Sale, Audio