• PF3 closes oversubscribed at US$2.0 billion hard cap
• US$3.2 billion invested and committed in 39 closed or pending transactions since inception
• Team grows to 38 individuals

TORONTO, October 15, 2019 – Dawson Partners (“Dawson”), a specialized investment manager focused on providing structured liquidity solutions to the alternative asset class, today announced a successful final close for Dawson Portfolio Finance 3 (“PF3”) at its US$2.0 billion hard cap. This is in excess of its US$1.5 billion target and double Dawson’s US$1.0 billion PF2, which closed in August 2018.

Dawson’s diversified investor base is comprised of leading insurance companies, public and corporate pension plans, family offices, financial institutions and individual investors.

Yann Robard, Managing Partner of Dawson, said, “We are pleased to announce the final closing of PF3 at our hard cap of US$2.0 billion. We remain grateful for the confidence, conviction and support provided to us by our investors. Without investors, there would be no Dawson. The increase in the size of PF3 reflects the scale of the market opportunity we have created and are capturing. Dawson’s partnership-based approach has resulted in rapid market adoption and a significant and growing pipeline of opportunities. We have executed on 39 pending or closed transactions representing US$3.2 billion since establishing Dawson in August 2015. We remain committed to scaling successfully through measured growth of our organization. Our team has grown to 38 people and counting as we seek to plan for rather than react to complexity.”

With regards to the fundraise, Michael Gubbels, Partner of Dawson, said, “PF3 was oversubscribed and completed its final closing less than a year from its launch. We attribute the speed and success of our PF3 fundraise to the continued support of our existing investor base and the conviction of investors who are new to Dawson. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our investors for their belief in Dawson.”

With regards to the market opportunity, Giorgio Riva, Partner of Dawson, added, “Dawson’s traction in the private equity market is the result of our focus on offering nimble, customized and aligned liquidity solutions and finding the win-win in all that we do. Our innovative and flexible approach has been additive to the secondary market, offering a differentiated means of accelerating liquidity for the alternative asset class.”

With regards to the growth of the team, Rob Gavin, Partner of Dawson said, “To effectively capture the growing market opportunity, we have continued to expand our team. The Dawson team is currently comprised of 38 professionals across Dawson’s three core functions – Capital Management, Firm Management and Asset Management – and we anticipate adding more talent in the coming year.”

Sean Connor, Chief Financial Officer and Partner of Dawson, added, “In the last year alone, Dawson has nearly doubled the size of its operations team to support the growth in the business. Through hiring a team of talented, specialized professionals, we have built an institutionalized operations department.”  

Leah Boyd, General Counsel of Dawson, added, “We are proud of the exceptional team that we continue to build at Dawson and thankful to everyone for their dedication and hard work. Likewise, we are grateful for the strong support of our limited partners and focused on continuing to come through on our commitments to them.”

Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel for Dawson and PF3.

About Dawson Partners (“Dawson”)

Dawson is a private equity firm focused on providing structured liquidity solutions to the alternative asset class. Dawson has identified what it believes is a significant and untapped market opportunity in the utilization of structured products to generate liquidity on private equity portfolios. Dawson was formed in 2015 and seeks to provide customized and flexible liquidity solutions for private equity investors. Dawson has raised US$3.4 billion in committed capital across three funds and has closed or committed to 39 transactions with a value of over US$3.2 billion. For more information, please visit https://www.dawsonpartners.com.