Leeds Equity is the pioneer in private equity investing in the Knowledge Industries.

Leeds Equity Partners Invests in Scaled Agile

New York-based Leeds Equity Partners to partner with Scaled Agile, Inc., developer of SAFe® and leading global provider of enterprise agility solutions

NEW YORK, July 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, the New York-based private equity fund focused exclusively on investing in the Knowledge Industries, announced today that it has made an equity investment in Scaled Agile, Inc. ("Scaled Agile", "SAI" or the "Company") in partnership with the Founder, Dean Leffingwell, the management team, and Rubicon Technology Partners.  Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Leeds Equity, which manages over $1.7 billion in assets, seeks to invest in leading companies in sectors across the Knowledge Industries where the firm can partner with management to drive innovation and business growth.  Leeds Equity identified Scaled Agile through its immersion in training and certification and numerous touch points with existing and prior investments.  The Company is the eighth platform investment for Leeds Equity Partners VI, L.P., Leeds Equity's most recent fund.

Scaled Agile was founded in 2011 by Dean Leffingwell and Andrew Jemilo to provide best-in-class enterprise agility solutions through their Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) knowledge base and website, high quality courseware, certification and membership offering.  Since inception, Scaled Agile and its partners have trained and certified over 450,000 SAFe® professionals in 110+ countries and counts 70% of the U.S. Fortune 100 companies as clients.

"We are excited to partner with Leeds Equity.  Their resources, insight, experience, and capital will enable Scaled Agile to capitalize on the significant global market opportunity in front of us," said Dean Leffingwell.  "Our community will benefit from additional investments in our core solutions, including broader services for enterprise implementation, and deeper membership offering."

"For the last two decades we have partnered with companies that provide skills and knowledge to individuals for specific roles.  With SAI we are working with an extraordinary team that has moved beyond what an individual needs to providing enterprises the framework to adapt and to thrive in a globally competitive marketplace" said Scott VanHoy, Partner of Leeds Equity Partners. "We look forward to working together on the next phase of the business' evolution with Dean, Drew, Chris and the broader leadership team." 

"Rubicon has been a great partner for the management team at SAI and we would like to thank them for their continued support as we look to achieve further success in driving enterprise agility across the globe," said Christopher James, President and CEO of Scaled Agile.

"SAI's market leadership in enterprise agility and extraordinary management team create an exciting opportunity for continued growth at the Company," said Steve Carpenter, Partner of Rubicon Technology Partners.  "We look forward to a great new partnership with both Scaled Agile and Leeds Equity Partners."

Scaled Agile represents Leeds Equity's latest partnership in workplace solutions, professional training and certification. Other current investments in the sector include: BARBRI, a global legal education provider; Prosci, an industry-leading provider of change management training and solutions; CeriFi, a provider of education and licensure solutions to financial institutions; and LRN, a global provider of ethics & compliance education, learning technology and data analytics to Fortune 2000 companies.

Latham and Watkins, LLP served as legal counsel to Leeds Equity Partners.  Cooley LLP served as legal counsel to Scaled Agile, Inc.  Perkins Coie LLP served as legal counsel to Rubicon Technology Partners.

About Scaled Agile:
Scaled Agile, Inc., is the provider of SAFe®, the world's leading framework for enterprise agility. Through learning and certification, a global partner network, and a growing community of over 450,000 trained professionals, Scaled Agile helps enterprises build better systems, increase employee engagement, and improve business outcomes. Scaled Agile is a contributing member of the Pledge 1% corporate philanthropy and community service movement. 

For additional information on Scaled Agile, Inc., see https://www.scaledagile.com/

About Leeds Equity Partners:
Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, is a New York-based private equity firm dedicated exclusively to partnering with management teams in the education, training and information services industries (the "Knowledge Industries"). The firm was founded in 1993 and currently manages $1.7 billion of capital across a broad spectrum of companies within the Knowledge Industries. Leeds Equity seeks to leverage its sector-focused expertise and market insights to create long-term value for its partner companies.

For additional information on Leeds Equity Partners, see http://www.leedsequity.com/

About Rubicon Technology Partners:
Rubicon Technology Partners invests in enterprise software companies with proven products and talented management teams to help grow and scale their businesses. Rubicon enables companies to adapt to the changing requirements of their businesses as they grow and scale using a proven set of proprietary processes, best practices and a portfolio-wide engagement model called RTP Change Management. With offices in Boulder, CO, Palo Alto, CA, and Stamford, CT, Rubicon has over $850 million in cumulative capital commitments.

For additional information on Rubicon Technology Partners, see http://www.rubicontp.com