GP Investments

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GP Investments, Ltd
Type Public Held Company
Traded as BM&F Bovespa: GPIV11
Industry Private equity
Founded 1993
Headquarters São Paulo, Brazil
Hamilton, Bermuda
Key people Antonio Bonchristiano, (CEO), Fersen Lambranho, (CEO)
Products Investments in four main asset classes: private equity, real estate, infrastructure and liquid investments
Revenue Increase US$ 78 million (2012)
Net income Increase US$ 10 million (2012)
Total assets US$ 982 million (2012)
Employees 75
Website www.gp.com.br

GP Investments (also GP Investimentos), is a leading alternative investment firm in Latin America with a strong presence in asset management, principally private equity funds. The firm's shares are listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and trade on BM&FBovespa, the Brazilian Stock Exchange, via Brazilian Depositary Receipts (BDRs).

Since its foundation in 1993, GP Investments has raised US$5 billion from investors worldwide and has completed investments in more than 50 companies in 15 different industries.

GP Investments is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. The firm also has an office in São Paulo, Brazil.

History

History of private equity
and venture capital

Early history
(Origins of modern private equity)

The 1980s
(Leveraged buyout boom)

The 1990s
(Leveraged buyout and the venture capital bubble)

The 2000s
(Dot-com bubble to the credit crunch)

1993 to 2005

GP Investments was founded in 1993 to focus on investments in Latin America, what was at that point a nascent market in private equity.

In 1994, GP raised its first investment fund with US$500 million of investor capital which it followed up with its US$800 million successor fund, GP Capital Partners II, in 1997.

In 2001, the firm completed fundraising for its first local private equity fund raising R$130 million to focus on technology investments. In 2003, the current executive partners, Antonio Bonchristiano and Fersen Lambranho assumed the leadership of the firm as part of a natural succession plan and the following year they completed the acquisition of 100% control of GP Investments.

Since 2005

By the mid-2000s, GP was once again growing rapidly. In 2005, the firm, under its new leadership, was able to raise its third private equity fund, GP Capital Partners III, which closed on US$250 million of investor capital in 2005.

The firm underwent a novel structural change in 2006, selling shares to the public to raise permanent capital for future transactions. That year, GP completed a US$308 million initial public offering, listing its shares on the capital markets and becoming the first listed private equity company in Latin America. The firm has used the capital to make investments on behalf of the firm's balance sheet alongside its family of private equity investment funds.[1][2] The following year, in 2007, the firm raised its largest fund to date with US$1.3 billion of capital as interest in emerging markets and the BRIC countries increased dramatically.[3] Also in 2007, the firm was able to raise US$190 million of debt through an offering of perpetual notes, followed in 2008 by a US$232 million follow-on equity offering which increased its permanent capital base.[4][5]

After raising GP Capital Partners V in 2010, with total commitments of US$1.1 billion, the company today has also investments in real estate and infrastructure, beyond its original private equity focus and in addition to its direct and controlling stake in BRZ Investimentos, an asset management subsidiary.

Investments

The firm invests across a range of industries in Latin America, with bigger focus in Brazil. Among the firm's most notable current investments are:

  • BHG - Brazilian Hospitality Group
  • Magnesita[6]
  • San Antonio
  • Estácio
  • BR Towers
  • Centauro
  • APEN

References

External links

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