Houlihan Lokey Advises PACT Capital Partners on the Acquisition of a Minority Equity GP Stake in Accel-KKR
Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Accel-KKR (AKKR) has sold a noncontrolling minority equity GP stake to middle-market-focused GP staking firm PACT Capital Partners (PACT).
This transaction is another example of Houlihan Lokey’s market-leading GP Advisory platform. Over the past ~100 days, the team has served as the sole advisor on four GP stake transactions and one GP control M&A transaction.*
AKKR, led by Tom Barnds and Rob Palumbo, is among the top-performing technology-focused private investment firms and represents the first investment for PACT, a middle-market GP stakes platform launched earlier this year by industry veterans Christian von Schimmelmann (former Global Co-Head of GP Stakes at Goldman Sachs Asset Management) and Brian Vickery (former Partner in McKinsey & Co.’s Private Capital Practice). The bilateral transaction follows Christian von Schimmelmann’s longstanding relationship with the AKKR principals and provides AKKR with access to PACT’s proprietary imPACT platform. Proceeds from the transaction are anticipated to be used primarily to increase AKKR’s investments in its own funds.
Houlihan Lokey served as the financial advisor to PACT. This transaction represents another successful engagement for Houlihan Lokey’s market-leading GP Advisory platform.
AKKR is a technology-focused investment firm with $21 billion in cumulative capital commitments. The firm focuses on software and tech-enabled businesses, well-positioned for top-line and bottom-line growth. At the core of AKKR’s investment strategy is a commitment to developing strong partnerships with the management teams of its partner companies and a focus on building value alongside management by leveraging the significant resources available through the AKKR network. AKKR focuses on middle-market companies and provides a broad range of capital solutions, including buyout capital, minority-growth investments, secondaries, and credit alternatives. AKKR also invests across various transaction types, including private company recapitalizations, divisional carve-outs, and going-private transactions. AKKR is headquartered in Menlo Park, with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, London, and Mexico City.
PACT is an independent investment firm focused on providing capital and strategic support to middle-market alternative asset management firms. Headquartered in New York, PACT seeks to partner with high-performing established and emerging private capital firms and help them to achieve their strategic objectives. The firm was founded in 2025 by Christian von Schimmelmann (former Global Co-Head of GP Stakes at Goldman Sachs Asset Management) and Brian Vickery (formerly of McKinsey & Co.). PACT utilizes its proprietary imPACT platform to assist partner firms in accelerating capital formation, designing and launching new products, improving operations, attracting and retaining talent, leveraging cutting-edge technology, and improving outcomes for underlying portfolio companies.
*As of June 18, 2025.
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