30 June 2021

BDA and William Blair advise Grail Insights on sale to Escalent

a portfolio company of

divested 100% to

2021

We are pleased to announce that BDA Partners and William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisors to Grail Insights (Grail) and its shareholder, including NewQuest Capital Partners (NewQuest), on its sale to Escalent, a portfolio company of Symphony Technology Group. The transaction closed on May 26, 2021 and the terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Transaction Highlights

  • Deep company, sector and deal expertise: Grail and NewQuest valued William Blair and BDA’s extensive knowledge and experience in the Market Research, Data Science & Analytics Services space and strong relationships with likely strategic and financial buyers. The transaction team thoughtfully articulated the company’s value proposition, multi-pronged growth strategy, and mitigants to sector risks, generating strong buyer interest and optimizing value.
  • Process and execution excellence: The team was integrally involved throughout each step of a process effectively managing the carve-out process as the asset was part of a large group with several interdependences leading to process complexity. The team worked closely with Grail management and NewQuest throughout the marketing and diligence process, and effectively communicated the nuanced trends of a consulting and data driven business.
  • Longstanding relationship and guidance: The transaction team has built a strong and trusted relationship with NewQuest over many years. This is the third transaction with NewQuest.

Deal team

About Grail

Grail is a strategic insights consultancy founded by Monitor Group in 2006 that helps clients seize opportunities and respond decisively to market change by applying insights to any aspect of their business. Grail has presence across the US and in Canada, China, India, Ireland, Italy, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, UAE and the UK. For more information, please visit www.grailinsights.com.

About NewQuest

NewQuest is the leading dedicated secondary private equity platform focused on the Asia-Pacific region with offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Mumbai. NewQuest specializes in providing strategic liquidity solutions to private equity asset owners, including private equity funds, financial institutions, corporations, hedge funds and family offices. NewQuest was established in 2011 and currently manages four funds with capital commitments of over US$2.4 billion. For more information, please visit www.nqcap.com.

About Escalent

Escalent is a top human behavior and analytics advisory firm specializing in industries facing disruption and business transformation. As catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, Escalent transforms data and insight into a profound understanding of what drives human beings and markets. It also helps businesses turn those drivers into actions that build brands, enhance customer experiences, inspire product innovation and transform business. Escalent is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with offices in the UK, China and Canada. For more information, please visit https://escalent.co/.

About William Blair

William Blair is the premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.* www.williamblair.com

William Blair made a minority investment in and entered into a strategic alliance with BDA Partners in order to offer clients our collective global reach.

*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.

About BDA Partners

BDA Partners is the global investment banking advisor for Asia. We are a premium provider of Asia-related advice to sophisticated clients globally, with over 20 years’ experience advising on cross-border M&A, capital raising, and financial restructuring. We provide global reach with our teams in New York and London, and true regional depth through our seven Asian offices in Mumbai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul and Tokyo. BDA has deep expertise in the Chemicals, Consumer & Retail, Health, Industrials, Services and Technology sectors. We work relentlessly to earn our clients’ trust by delivering insightful advice and outstanding outcomes.

BDA Partners has strategic partnerships with William Blair, a premier global investment banking business, and with DBJ (Development Bank of Japan), a Japanese government-owned bank with US$150bn of assets.

US securities transactions are performed by BDA Partners’ affiliate, BDA Advisors Inc., a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). BDA Advisors Inc. is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and SIPC. In the UK, BDA Partners is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). In Hong Kong, BDA Partners (HK) Ltd. is licensed and regulated by the Securities & Futures Commission (SFC) to conduct Type 1 and Type 4 regulated activities to professional investors. www.bdapartners.com

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