Not Disclosed
has made a strategic
investment in
a portfolio company of Serent Capital
August 2025
Technology
Derek Smith
Managing Director, Financial Services
About Derek
Derek Smith is a managing director for William Blair based in the firm’s Chicago office. He joined William Blair’s investment banking team in 2024. Before William Blair, he worked for Waller Helms Advisors, Macquarie Capital, CNA Financial, and General Electric.
Community Involvement
Economic Club of Chicago
Notable Transactions
$832,236,804
Initial Public Offering
July 2025
Financial Services
William Blair acted as a joint bookrunner on a $832 million initial public offering for Accelerant Holdings (NYSE: ARX), a data-driven risk exchange connecting underwriters of specialty insurance risk with risk capital providers.
Read more
Not Disclosed
has been acquired by
July 2025
Tech Enabled Services
$126,500,000
Initial Public Offering
May 2025
Financial Services
Not Disclosed
has made a majority investment in
January 2025
Financial Services
William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to GRAM’s Americas Buyout Fund, the private equity division of GRAM, in connection with its majority investment in UniVista Insurance, a leading distributor of insurance products and services to Hispanic communities in Florida and Texas.
Read more
Not Disclosed
has made a strategic
majority investment in
December 2024
Financial Services
William Blair acted as the financial advisor to Genstar Capital, a leading private equity firm, in connection with its strategic majority investment in Aperture, LLC, a national platform of best-in-class forensic experts and portfolio company of Trinity Hunt Partners.
Read more
$8,500,000,040
Follow-on Offering
December 2024
Financial Services
$121,440,000
Follow-On Offering
August 2024
Financial Services
Rigorous pursuit of your success. Every transaction. Every time.
Our investment bankers are 100 percent committed to your organization’s sustained success. By drawing on our deep industry and product experience as well as our dedicated global resources, we provide advisory and financing services that allow you to capitalize on today’s opportunities and anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.
More about investment banking at William Blair
Financial Services
Financial services investment banking at William Blair draws on the firm’s deep expertise and relationships throughout the sector to deliver objective advice and execution excellence. We have built a leading franchise helping financial services companies maximize the value of their businesses. Our clients turn to us for outstanding execution for their M&A advisory and capital-raising objectives.
The strength of our relationships with strategic and financial buyers in the financial services sector and our global reach have allowed us to deliver outstanding results for our clients.
More about our financial services expertise
About William Blair
William Blair is a premier global partnership with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.*
-
1935Year William Blair was founded
-
2,000+Employees worldwide
-
145 billion+Client assets
-
90 YearsIndependent and employee-owned
-
20+Offices worldwide
-
650+Companies under coverage
As of June 30, 2025
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.