Houlihan Lokey Advises The Vistria Group

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce The Vistria Group (Vistria) has made a strategic investment in Tampa-based MGT Consulting (MGT), a portfolio company of Trivest Partners (Trivest). The transaction closed on April 10, 2023.

Founded in 1975, MGT provides specialized solutions that address the broad array of challenges and opportunities faced by organizations focused on achieving sustainable performance improvement. The company has successfully served more than 15,000 clients in all 50 U.S. states and internationally, delivering mission-critical information technology and cybersecurity upgrades, financial and operational performance improvement, and student learning advancement. MGT’s clients include many of the nation’s largest K-12 school districts and higher education institutions, including 30 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Led by CEO Trey Traviesa and a seasoned, diverse management team, the company has continued its upward trajectory of social impact and strategic growth through seven acquisitions since 2020.

“Our mission is to become the social impact and performance leader in our industry. By delivering world-class technology, education, and performance solutions, our people improve lives in the communities we serve through their incredibly meaningful work,” Traviesa said. “We recruit and acquire the best talent and technology to help our clients drive results, accelerate operational performance, and advance community well-being. We are all excited about our new partnership with The Vistria Group as we elevate into our plans during this next chapter of impact and growth.”

“Our partnership with MGT further represents The Vistria Group’s mission of aligning with partners who prioritize impact as a driver to accelerated growth and improved student performance. A strong IT infrastructure is the backbone of an organization’s operational effectiveness in delivering on long-term goals,” said Phil Alphonse, Senior Partner and Co-Head of Knowledge & Learning Solutions at Vistria. “Trey and his team are impressive individuals who have demonstrated MGT’s potential, and we are pleased to partner with them through this investment.”

As the world becomes more digitized, many organizations are finding themselves behind the curve. With an aging IT infrastructure and shortage of IT professionals, public agencies, in particular, have become increasingly susceptible to cyberattacks, resulting in increased, avoidable costs.

“In a tech-driven world, it’s critical to embrace new technologies and adapt to changing methodologies to improve critical outcomes,” said Yash Kandoi, Principal of Knowledge & Learning Solutions at Vistria. “We’re excited about our partnership, which allows us to help address these fundamental challenges.”

Through this investment, Vistria will work alongside Traviesa and MGT’s management team to support organic growth, accelerate acquisitions, invest more in sales and marketing, turn legacy products into SaaS solutions, expand product offerings, and develop key growth partnerships. Traviesa and MGT partnered with Trivest’s noncontrol fund extension, Trivest Growth Investment Fund (TGIF), in early 2020.

“By partnering with The Vistria Group, our people have access to a powerful platform of intellectual capital and operational resources needed to accelerate our development as a category-of-one leader in our industry,” Traviesa added.

Vistria is building a new kind of private investment firm that seeks to deliver both financial returns and societal impact. It invests in essential industries like healthcare, knowledge and learning, financial services, and real estate that deliver value for investors as well as communities, employees, and consumers. With more than $10 billion in AUM, Vistria works as a true partner with its portfolio companies, drawing on its deep sector knowledge, operational expertise, unique network, diverse team, and impact orientation to achieve transformational growth.

Trivest, with offices in Miami, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Toronto, is a private investment firm that focuses exclusively on the support and growth of founder-led and family-owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada in both control and noncontrol transactions. Since its founding in 1981, Trivest has completed more than 500 investments, totaling nearly $8 billion in value. The firm has roughly $5 billion in assets under management, with a growing team of more than 70 professionals.

Houlihan Lokey served as the financial advisor to Vistria.