M/C Partners

M/C Partners
Private
Industry Private equity
Predecessor TA Associates Media / Communications Group
Founded 1986
Founders David Croll, Jim Wade
Headquarters Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Products venture capital, private equity
Total assets $2.0 billion
Number of employees
 20+
Website www.mcpartners.com

M/C Partners is a private equity firm focused on growth equity investments in emerging companies in the media and communications industries. M/C invests in early, mid, and late stage companies as well as turnarounds and buyouts in its sectors of focus. The firm was formerly known as Media Communications Partners.

The firm, which is based in Boston, Massachusetts, was founded in 1986 as a spinout from pioneering venture capital firm, TA Associates. M/C has offices in San Francisco and London.

The firm has raised approximately $2.0 billion since inception across six funds.

History

M/C Partners, formerly known as Media Communications Partners, was founded in 1986. The firm traces its roots to Boston-based TA Associates, a pioneering venture capital firm. David Croll, who founded M/C joined TA in 1976. In 1982, Croll was named Managing Partner in charge of the TA's Media/Communications Group. Also, in 1982, M/C co-founder Jim Wade joined Croll in the Media/Communications Group at TA.[1]

In 1986, the Media/Communications group and the funds it managed completed a spinout from TA to form an independent firm.[2] The firm raised its first fund Media / Communications Partners in 1987 with $283 million of investor commitments. In 1992, the firm's second fund was raised with $167 million of capital and then four years later Media / Communications Partners III was raised with $265 million of capital.

As the market for venture capital investments accelerated in the late 1990s, M/C raised its fourth fund with $230 million in 1999 and a year later the firm raised M/C Venture Partners V, its largest fund to that point, with $550 million.

Initially, M/C focused primarily on investments in US telecommunications providers and communications-related IT Services. In more recent years, the firm has expanded its investment focus to include fixed and mobile wireless broadband operators, wireline operators, managed IT service providers, media content providers and communications and infrastructure software developers.

In 2006, the firm completed fundraising for its current M/C Venture Partners VI with $550 million of investor commitments to focus on later stage growth capital investments.[3]

Investments

The firm invests in emerging communications related information technology companies in the US and internationally. M/C is currently investing out of its sixth fund, M/C Venture Partners VI, a $550 million venture fund raised in 2006.

Among the firm's most notable investments are such notable companies as: AccentHealth,[4] Airband,[5] Cellular One, Fusepoint Managed Services, HyPerformix, ICG Communications,[6] Legendary Pictures, MetroPCS,[7] Nuvox, PlumChoice, Inc., Revol Wireless, Triton PCS, Western Wireless Corporation, and Zayo Bandwidth.

References

  1. ↑ #53 James Wade. Forbes Midas List, January 29, 2009
  2. ↑ Cruikshank, Jeffrey L. Shaping the waves: A History of Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. 2005
  3. ↑ M/C Ventures raises $550m. Private Equity Week, August 21, 2006
  4. ↑ M/C Venture Partners and Banc of America Capital Investors Acquire AccentHealth. Sept 8, 2008
  5. ↑ M/C Venture helps rock Airband’s $3M funding. Journal of New England Technology, February 17, 2009
  6. ↑ M/C Venture partners in ICG acquisition. Boston Business Journal, July 19, 2004
  7. ↑ MetroPCS Pays the Price for a Warm Reception. The Deal, Feb 6, 2009

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