Lightyear Capital Announces the Formation of ProfitSolv
Integrated B2B Payments and Software Platform for Professional Services Providers
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lightyear Capital LLC (“Lightyear”), a New York-based private equity firm focused on financial services, announced today that investment funds affiliated with Lightyear have established ProfitSolv (or the “Company”) to acquire integrated billing, payments, and software solutions for legal, accounting, and other professional services firms including consulting, architecture, and engineering firms. ProfitSolv has made three acquisitions to date:
- Rocket Matter, a leading cloud-based legal billing, practice management, and payment processing software business;
- TimeSolv, a provider of cloud-based software for legal billing and timekeeping; and
- ImagineTime, a practice management and payments company serving accounting and other professional services firms.
Investment funds affiliated with Lightyear are the Company’s lead investor, and Greater Sum Ventures (“GSV”) holds a significant minority stake. The Company will seek to execute strategic acquisitions that will help expand its footprint within the professional services software and payments solutions industry, a highly fragmented market with a large number of small providers. Lightyear estimates the total addressable market for these solutions is approximately $1.4 billion in the legal vertical alone.
Kelley Castell has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of ProfitSolv. Mr. Castell joins ProfitSolv after having served in a variety of senior leadership roles at fintech and payments companies including Bluefin Payment Systems, Oasis Outsourcing, and First Data. “I am excited to be working with the experienced teams from Lightyear and GSV to build on ProfitSolv’s strong customer- and product-oriented strategy, achieve strong organic growth, and expand the business through acquisitions,” said Mr. Castell.
“Our investment in ProfitSolv reflects our long-term investment thesis that embedding payment solutions in vertically integrated, sector-specific software will continue to gain market share from more traditional software providers,” said Mark F. Vassallo, Managing Partner of Lightyear. “We believe that solutions which integrate and automate billing, invoicing, and electronic payments will deliver stronger, more efficient receivables management, particularly since most small businesses still process paper checks.”
Lightyear’s affiliated investment funds have successfully invested in embedded and vertically integrated payments companies, including realized investments in HigherOne, which serves higher education institutions, and Alegeus, which manages consumer-directed healthcare payments, and a current investment in Therapy Brands, which serves behavioral and mental health professionals. In addition, Lightyear has accumulated considerable expertise in building companies through mergers and acquisitions with over 90 acquisitions made through its affiliated funds’ portfolio companies since 2000.
About Lightyear Capital LLC
Founded in 2000, Lightyear is a financial services-focused private equity firm based in New York. Through its affiliated private equity funds, Lightyear makes primarily control investments in North America-based, middle-market companies associated with financial services, including asset management and wealth management, banks and brokerage, commercial and consumer finance, financial technology, healthcare financial services, insurance, and tech-enabled business services. Lightyear brings focus and discipline to its investment process, as well as operating, transaction and strategic management experience, along with significant contacts and resources beyond capital. For more information, please visit www.lycap.com.
About Greater Sum Ventures
Greater Sum Ventures (GSV) is an entrepreneurial growth equity firm that invests in lower-middle market tech-enabled business services companies. With entrepreneurial roots and proven operational and investing experience, GSV builds platforms of growing technology companies that revolutionize the industries they serve. Guided by a unique perspective and playbook, GSV adds exceptional value to its growing portfolio, which includes Community Brands, Inhabit IQ, Therapy Brands, Transit Technologies, and Government Brands, among others. The firm was established in 2015 by the founders and leadership team of Ministry Brands, which would become the 2017 Private Equity Deal of the Year. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, GSV provides access to capital and consulting services to startups all over the world. To learn more, visit GreaterSumVentures.com.
Contacts
Elliot Sloane
ThroughCo Communications
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917-291-0833
