Private Equity-Backed Staffing & HR Acquisitions

Trinity Hunt Partners has launched Allvia, a workforce services platform, through its investment in Melita Group, a San Jose-based HR, benefits administration, and payroll provider. Fred Pettijohn will serve as CEO of Allvia as Trinity Hunt supports platform growth via organic initiatives and additional partnerships to expand service capabilities and geographic reach.

A&M Capital Partners, the private equity arm of Alvarez & Marsal Capital, has acquired Asurint, a provider of technology-enabled background screening solutions. Guidepost Growth Equity, which first invested in Asurint in 2017, sold all of its shares as part of the transaction; A&M plans to invest in the company’s technology and expand its service capabilities and M&A activity to drive growth.

WorkWise Compliance, a portfolio company of CriticalPoint, has acquired Bizhaven, an HR and workplace safety compliance provider based in Sacramento, California. The add-on acquisition expands WorkWise's HR and safety compliance capabilities, creating a broader suite of services for businesses; financial terms were not disclosed.

Integrum, a private investment firm, made a significant strategic investment in True, the Philadelphia-based executive talent management platform, to fund True's next phase of growth. As part of the partnership Integrum is adding senior leaders to True’s board to support expansion of its technology-led talent, advisory, and search offerings.

Program Productions has acquired Barney Monk, a Cleveland-based provider of event staffing and employer-of-record payroll services, to expand its live-event labor and payroll capabilities across North America. The acquisition broadens Program Productions' family of companies and enhances its workforce management offering (including its ProCrewz technology) to better serve venues, tours, trade shows and corporate events.

Starfish Partners has acquired Huey Enterprises, Inc. (HEI), a boutique executive search firm led by Scott Huey. Following the acquisition, Scott Huey will join Kaye/Bassman International Corp (a Starfish Partners company) as Managing Partner to expand KBIC’s construction and commercial real estate recruiting practice across the U.S. Midwest.

ProRank, an AI-enabled sourcing platform, and Goodwork, a healthcare job board and talent marketplace, have completed a merger to create a combined healthcare talent solution. Caduceus Capital Partners invested $3 million in the merged company's seed round and the combined business will be led by Adam Seyb as CEO.

ZRG, the global talent advisory firm backed by RFE Investment Partners, has acquired boutique executive search firm NextCap Search to deepen its financial services and investment banking recruiting capabilities. NextCap founders Jill Feldman and Tom Labadie will join ZRG and co-lead investment banking search efforts, enabling ZRG to offer expanded sector depth and broader global reach across executive search, interim solutions, and advisory services.

Starfish Partners, an investment and ownership platform for specialized executive search firms, has acquired HireMinds, a Boston-based executive search firm founded in 1998 with expertise in marketing, communications, life sciences, and finance & accounting recruitment. The acquisition brings HireMinds into the Starfish Partners family to expand capabilities, geographic reach, and resources across high-growth sectors.

Miami-based private equity firm Diatonic Healthcare has made a majority growth investment in Denver-headquartered Quantix Consulting, a 23-year IT and cybersecurity staffing specialist serving healthcare and other regulated industries. The capital will be used to accelerate Quantix’s product and service innovation, support growth initiatives and sponsor future add-on acquisitions; Quantix’s founder and CEO Michael Haase will remain involved following the transaction.

HireRight has acquired ClearChecks, a background screening provider focused on small-to-medium-sized businesses, to strengthen its backgroundchecks.com SMB platform and expand technology, ATS integrations, and live-person support. The deal integrates ClearChecks’ technology and customer support into HireRight’s SMB offering to deliver a faster, more integrated screening experience.

CongruityHR, a North Carolina-based Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners, has acquired Total Team Solutions (TTS), a Glastonbury, Connecticut-based provider of payroll, employee benefits and HR services for small- and mid-sized businesses. The deal expands CongruityHR's regional footprint and service capabilities, strengthening its position in the outsourced HR/PEO market.

Kingswood Capital Management has completed a strategic growth investment in Infotree Global Solutions, a Plymouth, Michigan–based provider of international workforce management solutions. Infotree, founded in 2002, has more than 5,000 employees operating in 80+ countries and offers EOR, contingent staffing, SOW and independent contractor management primarily to U.S.-domiciled Fortune 500 clients; co-founders Raman Sawhney and John McKimmy remain significant shareholders post-closing. Kingswood will provide capital and operating support to help scale the business and invest in additional growth initiatives.

24 Seven, a New York–based marketing, creative and digital talent solutions firm, has acquired Toronto-based CORE Resources, a provider of technology talent solutions serving Canada's financial services sector. The deal expands 24 Seven's capabilities in fintech and technical staff augmentation, adding expertise in network security, full-stack development, and capital markets technology.

AURELIUS, a European private equity investor, is acquiring Lernia, a Swedish staffing, recruitment and training group, from the Swedish Government. Lernia is headquartered in Stockholm, operates almost 100 locations across Sweden and employs about 5,300 people; AURELIUS says private ownership will enable operational restructuring and value creation.

Keystone Partners, a Silver Oak Services Partners portfolio company, has acquired CCI Consulting, a provider of HR consulting, executive search, leadership development and career transition services based near Philadelphia. The add-on expands Keystone's talent management and leadership transformation capabilities and broadens its reach across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

UK-based recruitment platform nGAGE Talent has acquired Science Solutions Recruitment Limited, a specialist life sciences and chemical engineering recruiter. The business will be rebranded into two niche brands, Smart4Sciences and Smart4Chemicals, and will continue to be led by founders Andrew Corness and Joseph Mulligan as part of nGAGE's strategy to expand its STEM-focused recruitment capabilities.

Eliassen Group, a strategic consulting and talent solutions firm based in Reading, Massachusetts, has acquired VIA Technical, an IT talent services firm serving the San Diego market. The acquisition expands Eliassen's Southern California footprint and broadens its access to mid-to-senior technical talent and services across areas like applications, network/systems infrastructure, and end-user support.

CareerBuilder LLC has completed the acquisition/combination of Monster Worldwide from Randstad N.V., creating a combined job-board business referred to as CareerBuilder + Monster. CareerBuilder is majority-owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management; the transaction is intended to consolidate scale and capabilities across both brands and better serve employers and job seekers.

Zirtual, a provider of virtual assistant services owned by PennSpring Capital, has acquired Double, an AI-powered executive assistant provider. The acquisition adds Double's experienced, college-educated executive assistants and its AI-driven matching and delegation software to Zirtual's platform as an add-on to the company's 2024 M&A activity.

BenefitHub, a portfolio company of Philadelphia-based Inverness Graham, has acquired Abenity, a Tennessee-based provider of private perks programs, to expand its employee perks and voluntary benefits offerings. Balance Point provided debt and equity financing to facilitate the transaction; terms were not disclosed and Abenity was advised by Lincoln International.

Los Angeles-based private equity firm LightBay Capital has made a strategic growth investment in Questco, a Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO) headquartered in metro Houston. The partnership will support Questco’s direct sales and channel expansion, technology investments, and pursuit of add-on acquisitions; Parallel49 Equity is referenced as the departing investor/partner.

Investment funds affiliated with General Atlantic and Stone Point Capital completed an all-cash merger to acquire HireRight Holdings Corporation for an enterprise value of approximately $1.7 billion (cash consideration of $14.35 per share). HireRight, a Nashville-based provider of global background screening and workforce risk-management solutions serving roughly 37,000 customers, will be taken private and its common stock has ceased trading on the NYSE.

Oxford Global Resources, a portfolio company of H.I.G. Capital, has acquired Linksap Europe Limited, a specialist SAP staffing firm. The acquisition expands Oxford's high-end SAP capabilities and geographic footprint in targeted European markets, with Linksap's co-founders and team joining Oxford to continue leading the business.

Keystone Partners, a Silver Oak Services Partners portfolio company, has acquired The Ayers Group, a New York–headquartered leader in executive coaching, leadership development and outplacement services, from Kelly Services, Inc. The acquisition expands Keystone's capabilities and presence in the New York metropolitan area and strengthens its career management and leadership development offerings.

Freeland Group, supported by investor MML Capital Partners, has acquired Asenium, a specialist in deploying freelancers skilled in ERP and CRM environments. The add-on expands Freeland's freelance talent pool and strengthens its presence across Europe and internationally.

CVC has agreed to invest in World of Talents and will become the company’s majority shareholder. Baltisse is selling its majority stake while reinvesting a significant portion; World of Talents’ management remains on board and CVC will support the group’s growth, capability diversification and international expansion.

ZRG has acquired Wiser Partners, a nearly 30-year-old boutique retained executive search firm focused on marketing, sales and go-to-market leadership. The acquisition expands ZRG's functional expertise in marketing, sales and analytics and gives Wiser access to ZRG's global platform; ZRG is backed by private equity investor RFE Investment Partners.

Waterland has acquired a majority stake in NFP Group, the Dutch specialist in secondary employment benefits and lease-bike solutions, to support the company's next phase of growth. The investment will fund improvements to NFP's IT platform, expansion of its lease-bike (NFP Fietslease) offering and broader service development while current management remain involved.

TPG (via TPG Capital) has acquired a stake in G&A Partners, a Houston-based professional employer organization (PEO), in a transaction that resulted in The Riverside Company exiting its investment. G&A Partners, which supports more than 3,000 small- and medium-sized businesses with HR, payroll and benefits services, will partner with TPG and management/employees to pursue further growth; terms were not disclosed.

DISA Global Solutions has acquired the background screening and compliance services business of CastleBranch Inc., effective March 1, 2024. The transaction transfers CastleBranch’s screening and compliance operations to DISA while CastleBranch retains its clinical experience platform (CB Bridges), which will operate separately as Bridges EXP.

Zirtual, a US-based virtual assistant services provider backed by PennSpring Capital, has acquired Delegated, a national provider of elite US-based virtual assistants. The transaction brings Delegated's executive-focused assistant capabilities into Zirtual's PE-backed platform as Zirtual seeks to consolidate complementary virtual assistant providers and pursue further add-on acquisitions.

INSPYR Solutions, backed by A&M (Alvarez & Marsal) Capital Partners, has acquired Advantis Global, a technical solutions firm that generates over $100 million in revenue and employs a nationwide team of technology consultants. The acquisition expands INSPYR's national presence and enhances its IT consulting and talent solutions capabilities for large enterprise clients.

Tandym Group, a national consulting, recruitment, and workforce solutions provider backed by Mill Rock Capital and ICG, has acquired Kolter Solutions, a Maitland, Florida-based technology staffing and recruitment firm. The add-on acquisition expands Tandym's presence in Florida and strengthens its Healthcare IT staffing capabilities; terms were not disclosed.

Onex Partners V, part of Onex Corporation, has completed a majority investment in Morson Group, a Manchester-headquartered engineering and technical staffing and workforce solutions business. The investment was made alongside founding CEO Ged Mason and members of management to support Morson's growth across the UK, U.S., Canada, Australia and other markets; financial terms were not disclosed.

MidOcean Partners has made a significant investment to acquire The Re-Sourcing Group from McNally Capital, providing capital and resources to accelerate the company's growth and expand its solutions and geographic footprint. Re-Sourcing is a professional services and staffing platform specializing in finance & accounting, legal & compliance, and IT, operating multiple branded businesses with more than 200 employees across roughly 19–20 offices.

Three Hills has made a £32.5 million growth investment in London-headquartered LCap Group to support the company's active M&A strategy and expansion into new sectors and geographies. LCap Group is a specialist leadership advisory, executive search and analytics firm (brands include Drax, Rowan and Altus) serving PE-backed and high-growth companies; the capital will be used to accelerate M&A-led growth and broaden the group’s data‑driven services.

HeadFirst Group (HeadFirst Global B.V.) agreed to acquire AIM-listed Impellam Group plc in a recommended transaction valued at about £483.2 million, creating a leading global provider of MSP and STEM talent solutions. The combination brings complementary geographic footprints and capabilities, with the enlarged group positioned for accelerated growth across North America, the UK, Europe and APAC; the transaction was announced in December 2023 and expected to close in H1 2024.

Mobeus has committed £10m to acquire a significant minority stake in Ellis Recruitment Group, a specialist IT recruitment consultancy focused on Oracle and SAP ERP resourcing. The minority growth investment from Mobeus's UK-focused small‑cap buyout fund (Mobeus 2) will support Ellis's hiring and geographic expansion across Europe and the United States.

24 Seven, a New York–based marketing, creative and tech recruiting firm, has acquired McKinley Marketing Partners, a Washington, D.C.-area marketing and communications staffing firm. McKinley's founder Michelle Boggs will remain on as a strategic advisor as the firm is integrated into 24 Seven's family of brands to expand talent solutions and geographic reach.

NSC Technologies, a portfolio company of White Wolf Capital Group, has acquired Shipyard Staffing to expand its marine and skilled trades staffing capabilities. The add-on strengthens NSC's platform in the shipyard and marine infrastructure market; financial terms were not disclosed.

Talent Groups, a Houston-based IT staffing platform backed by Osceola Capital, has acquired Phoenix-based Progilisys Solutions, an IT staffing and managed solutions provider. The add-on expands Talent Groups' national footprint and strengthens its capabilities in systems assessment, architecture, application management and managed IT services.

Houston-based IT staffing platform Talent Groups, backed by Osceola Capital, has acquired Dallas-based Abacus Technical Services and The InSource Group to expand its national IT staffing footprint and capabilities. The acquisitions (closed in Q3 2023) are add-on deals to Talent Groups' platform; financial terms were not disclosed.

Humly has acquired M2 Education, a specialist education staffing agency with offices in Newcastle and Preston, to deepen its presence in the North West and North East of England. The deal expands Humly's UK footprint and strengthens its capabilities in supply teacher and education staffing services.

S.i. Systems ULC has acquired Minneapolis-based Elign Consulting to expand its U.S. footprint and broaden its tech-enabled staffing and workforce solutions capabilities. Elign will remain headquartered in Minneapolis with founder and CEO Linh Cravens continuing to lead the business as part of the S.i. Systems organization; terms were not disclosed.

Chicago-based Surestaff, LLC, a partner company of Austin private equity firm Owner Resource Group (ORG), has acquired Cardinal Staffing, a northern Ohio / southern Michigan staffing firm founded in 1994. The add-on expands Surestaff's light-industrial, office/clerical and professional staffing footprint in the Midwest; key Cardinal executives will remain to support growth.

The Specialist Group (TSG) has acquired the technical staffing business unit of Sweden's Umia Innovation and rebranded the acquired entity as Altio, which will operate under TSG's STAR label. The add-on expands TSG's presence in the Nordics—adding about 100 technical specialists—and bolsters its capabilities in energy-transition staffing across renewables, battery storage, hydrogen and related projects.

Airswift has agreed to acquire Energy Resourcing, Worley's global recruitment and contractor management business, with completion expected in August 2023. The deal integrates Energy Resourcing into Airswift's brand and systems to expand its global workforce solutions capability and geographic footprint across the energy, infrastructure, mining and construction markets.

WorkGenius has acquired Expertlead, a Berlin-based technology firm that connects companies with tech freelancers and offers live coding assessments. The deal, announced by Riveria Investment Group, expands WorkGenius's freelance marketplace capabilities and technical assessment offering.

24 Seven, a leading talent solutions firm, has acquired IT staffing firm The Cydio Group to expand its IT staffing capabilities and deliver integrated digital, creative and technology talent solutions. The Cydio Group, founded in 2006, will join 24 Seven's family of brands and enhance the buyer's ability to provide contract, contract-to-hire, and permanent IT placements.