Houlihan Lokey Advises Exponent Private Equity

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Exponent Private Equity (Exponent) has formed a strategic partnership with Xeinadin Group (Xeinadin). This partnership will involve Exponent making a significant investment in Xeinadin to support the business’s ambitious growth plans. Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financing advisor to Exponent on this transaction. The transaction closed on May 23, 2022.

Xeinadin is a group of business advisory and accountancy practices in over 100 locations across the UK and Ireland that provides over 40 service lines to over 50,000 clients, predominantly small and medium sized businesses and their owner-managers. It was formed through a merger of the offices in 2019 and is now structured into 14 regional hubs.

Xeinadin has more than 1,500 employees across the UK and Ireland, and is one of the professional services market’s leading disruptors and consolidators, with annual revenues of over £100 million in its latest financial year.

Established in 2004 and headquartered in London, Exponent is a leading private equity firm that partners with management teams to create market-leading businesses. The firm focuses on primary investment opportunities and specialises within sectors; applying an integrated operational model to deliver revenue-driven profit growth for its portfolio and investors. Now investing from its fourth fund, Exponent has raised more than €3 billion to date.

The investment by Exponent will support the Group’s ambitions to grow significantly, both organically and through acquisitions, and allow it to make further investments in innovative data-driven technologies to help drive efficiencies and improve the quality, breadth and delivery of services to its clients.

Houlihan Lokey acted as the exclusive financing advisor to Exponent and arranged, structured, and negotiated the financing for this transaction.