Published : 7 years ago, on 06/06/2018

Knowledge Industries focused private equity firm invests in leading information governance and E-Discovery software provider

Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, the New York-based private equity firm which invests exclusively in the Knowledge Industries, announced today that it has completed a significant strategic investment in Exterro Inc. (“Exterro” or the “Company”).

Exterro is the leading provider of information governance and e-discovery software specifically designed for in-house legal and information technology teams in Global 2000 and AmLaw 200 organizations. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Leeds Equity, which manages over $1.7 billion in assets, seeks to acquire leading companies in sectors across the Knowledge Industries where the firm can partner with management to drive innovation and business growth. Leeds Equity identified Exterro through its immersion in the information governance sector with a particular focus on legal software that facilitates compliance, risk management, business insights and cost containment. Exterro is the fifth platform investment for Leeds Equity Partners VI, L.P., Leeds Equity’s most recent fund, and represents the fifth platform investment in the Information Services vertical over the last two funds.

“We have been engaged with Exterro for several years and are excited to begin our partnership,” said Jacques Galante, Managing Director of Leeds Equity Partners. “Bobby and his team have built a market leading business through deep strategic vision, leading product innovation and a constant focus on customer success. We look forward to partnering with them to further execute on the numerous strategic growth opportunities within the e-discovery and information governance markets.”

Founded in 2004 by Bobby Balachandran, Exterro has expanded its customer base to include hundreds of multi-national corporations that rely on the Company’s software to optimize internal litigation and data management processes. Exterro’s market leading Orchestrated E-Discovery Platform is one of the only integrated e-discovery platforms in the market that delivers critical functionality for every phase of the e-discovery process.

“Exterro was founded with the simple vision that applying the concepts of process optimization and data science to the way companies respond to litigation would drive more successful outcomes at a lower cost,” said Bobby Balachandran, President and CEO, Exterro. “I am excited to begin work with our new partners from Leeds Equity Partners to increase operational efficiency, drive growth and create long-term business value for our customers.”

“Exterro is a market leader with a strong track record of developing new products to address the evolving needs of corporate legal departments,” added Kevin Malone, Vice President of Leeds Equity Partners. “We are thrilled to formally partner with Bobby and the Exterro team to accelerate investment in the Company’s innovative software suite and execute on Exterro’s strategic objectives.”

Reed Smith served as legal counsel to Leeds Equity Partners. Marks Baughan Securities served as financial advisor to Exterro, and Morris Manning & Martin served as legal counsel to Exterro.