William Blair offers a dedicated private capital investment program available to qualifying Private Wealth Management clients.
Our Capabilities:
Merchant Banking
Questions to Consider
Are you interested in curated, exclusive private capital investment opportunities sourced through William Blair’s firm-wide deal-making network and investment solutions ecosystem?
Do you want to invest in differentiated private capital funds, fund co-investments, and/or direct private investments?
Are you looking to diversify your existing assets by adding private market solutions to your portfolio?
Our Merchant Banking program draws on proprietary access to the breadth of William Blair’s deal-making network and investment solutions ecosystem to source select private capital investment opportunities.
Dedicated Program for Qualifying Wealth Management Clients
The Merchant Banking program is open to qualifying wealth management clients of William Blair. Participants in the Merchant Banking program invest at their discretion in as many or as few opportunities as they select, each a single-purpose investment vehicle. William Blair partners may share in this opportunity.
Differentiated Insights and Access
William Blair is the premier global partnership and a firm of choice for corporations, financial sponsors, and owner/entrepreneurs around the world. Reflective of the firm’s strong culture of partnership and collaboration, Merchant Banking has access to William Blair’s global scale, network, and expertise, including:
- Our investment bankers and their collective intellectual capital and deep sector expertise.
- Our equity research analysts and their independent thought leadership and proprietary insights into companies, market trends, and sectors.
- Our consulting services research team and their industry-leading, open-architecture alternatives platform.
Investment Sector and Market Expertise
Merchant Banking typically targets private capital investment opportunities within William Blair’s established areas of sector and market expertise, such as:
- Aerospace, Defense, & Government Services
- Biopharma
- Consumer Products & Services
- Financial Services
- Healthcare IT
- Healthcare Services
- Industrial Growth Products
- Medical Technology
- Supply Chain & Commercial Services
- Tech Enabled Services
- Technology
Curated Private Capital Investment Opportunities
Merchant Banking private capital investments are opportunistic in nature and typically U.S.-based, including:
- Select private capital funds, typically with limited availability, a differentiated investment thesis, and/or other distinguishing characteristics.
- Co-investments in private companies with reputable financial sponsors and asset managers.
- Direct private company investments, typically minority equity investments with shareholding groups consisting of institutional investors and/or large family offices.
Ongoing Active Monitoring and Management of Investments
Merchant Banking endeavors to partner with financial sponsors, owner/entrepreneurs, and management teams to support value creation throughout the life of an investment.
Client Story
Our client was looking for private investments that would enable them to diversify their portfolio which was primarily composed of public investments, alternatives, and a significant holding in a family manufacturing business. Wanting to access opportunities outside of their business expertise and personal network, the client joined William Blair’s Merchant Banking program. We have a long-standing relationship with a top tier fund manager historically focused on public markets. As the fund manager began expanding its business into private markets, it approached us with an opportunity to invest in a later stage equity financing round for a marquee technology business, a sector with which William Blair has established expertise. In recognition of the relationship with William Blair, this high demand co-investment opportunity was offered to Merchant Banking with preferential terms typically only available to large institutional investors. Through the Merchant Banking program, the client gained access to a differentiated investment under terms not broadly available.
Contact Us
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact your William Blair Wealth Advisor or PWM@williamblair.com.
Resources and capabilities of William Blair are subject to certain legal, internal and regulatory restrictions. Private capital investments involve a high degree of risk, including the risk of total loss of capital, the use of leverage, lack of liquidity, and volatility of returns. Private capital investments may involve complex tax and legal structures and accordingly are only suitable for sophisticated investors.
Participation in the Merchant Banking program is subject to approval and certain client parameters, including, among other things, (1) minimum requirements for assets under management at William Blair; (2) sophisticated investors that have (i) expressed interest in potentially high-risk / high-reward opportunities, (ii) demonstrated risk tolerance and capacity to withstand potential losses, and (iii) the ability to accept illiquidity and the potential for permanent capital loss; and (3) limitations on total investment assets in any single investment and total illiquid individual investments.
Participation in the Merchant Banking Program is subject to and governed by applicable Merchant Banking documentation.
No binding agreement or obligations shall exist prior to the execution, delivery and acceptance of such definitive legal documentation related to an investment in the Partnership (including an Investment Election in respect of the applicable investment). The final capital commitment amount (if any) allocated to any participant in respect of any investment shall be determined by the General Partner in its sole and absolute discretion.