Houlihan Lokey Advises VMG Partners

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that VMG Partners (VMG), a private equity firm investing out of two distinct fund families, has sold a non-controlling, passive minority equity GP Stake to Bonaccord Capital Partners (Bonaccord). Houlihan Lokey served as exclusive sellside financial advisor to VMG Partners.

Founded in 2005, VMG is a leading private equity firm focused on the branded consumer sector. The company has established itself as the go-to investor for emerging consumer brands by building a strong ecosystem of founders, operators, subject matter experts, retailers, and strategic buyers to collectively support the growth of their portfolio.

VMG has invested in more than 70 portfolio companies since its inception across its five VMG Growth funds and its two VMG Catalyst funds. VMG funds have backed well-known brands such as Briogeo Hair Care, Daily Harvest, Drunk Elephant, Hello Bello, Justin’s, KIND, Perfect Snacks (Perfect Bar), Pirate Brands (Pirate’s Booty), Snack Factory (Pretzel Crisps), Spindrift, and Sun Bum. Notably, 22 of VMG’s 29 portfolio company exits since inception have been to strategic buyers helping drive the firm’s premier investment performance track record.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in New York, Bonaccord is a private equity firm that makes non-control investments in leading middle-market financial sponsors. Bonaccord generally targets sponsors with $1 billion–$10 billion of AUM across private market strategies, including private equity, private credit, real estate, and real assets. Bonaccord is committed to partnering with exceptional mid-market sponsors to support their transition from founder-led boutiques to enduring institutions.

VMG will use the proceeds from the transaction to further invest in existing VMG investment strategies, assist in employee retention, and support the future growth of the company. There will be no changes in the strategy, management, investment process, or day-to-day operations of VMG or any VMG-managed products resulting from Bonaccord’s investment.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to VMG and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction. The transaction represents another successful engagement for Houlihan Lokey’s market-leading GP Advisory platform.