Advent International

Advent International

Type	Private Ownership
Industry	Private Equity
Founded	1984
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Products	Private equity funds, buyouts
Total assets	$31 billion
Number of employees	300+
Website	www.adventinternational.com

Advent International is an American global private equity firm focused on buyouts of companies in Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on international buyouts, growth and strategic restructuring in five core sectors.

Since its inception in 1984, Advent has raised $31 billion (€28 billion) in private equity capital and, through its buyout programs, has completed more than 290 transactions in 40 countries.

Advent operates from 13 offices in 12 countries, with affiliates in additional countries, and employs over 180 investment professionals.

Advent was originally founded in Boston, Massachusetts as a spin-out from TA Associates by Peter Brooke. Brooke had founded TA Associates in 1968 after having expanded the venture capital operations of TA's parent Tucker Anthony & R.L. Day. In 1985, Advent raised its first fund – a $14 million corporate venture capital program for Nabisco. In 1987, the firm raised the $225 million International Network Fund, its first institutional private equity fund. The firm raised its first European fund in 1989, when the $231 million European Special Situations Fund and opened its London office.

Advent continued its expansion in the 1990s, opening offices in Frankfurt and Milan and merging with UK-based Trinity Capital Partners. In 1994, Advent completed fundraising for the first of its flagship series of funds, Advent Global Private Equity (GPE) II, with $415 million. In 1996, Advent expanded into Latin America raising a dedicated Advent Latin American Private Equity Fund and opening offices in Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo.

Advent crossed the billion dollar mark in 1997, with the raising of the $1.2 billion Advent Global Private Equity (GPE) III, and in the last few years of the 1990s, Advent raised additional sector funds focused on media and communications as well as healthcare and life sciences. Advent's founder, Peter Brooke, stepped down as the firm's CEO in 1996, but remained active as the company's chairman.