IMPLAN Group LLC ("IMPLAN" or the "Company"), a leading provider of economic impact data and analytical software, announced today a strategic investment from Charlesbank Capital Partners ("Charlesbank"), a middle-market private equity firm with approximately $19 billion in assets under management as of 9/30/24. This investment will help the Company accelerate its development of new product capabilities, expansion of datasets, and growth of geographic coverage.
Founded in 1976, IMPLAN leverages 40+ years of expertise to deliver a comprehensive economic impact analysis platform used by highly sophisticated customers. Relied on by leading consulting firms, academic institutions, Fortune 500 enterprises, and governmental agencies, IMPLAN assists clients in quantifying the economic impact of various initiatives (ex., building a new factory or opening a new retail store), assessing strategic decisions, understanding policy change, conveying environmental impacts, and communicating with key constituents. IMPLAN's cloud-based software provides clients with easy-to-use, proven impact modeling and extensive economic analytics that enable smarter, data-driven planning and resource allocation.
Charlesbank's strategic investment will enable IMPLAN to continue to invest in additional product features, while increasing its breadth and depth in data and geographic coverage. The Company will be well-positioned to generate more detailed and impactful economic analyses, helping clients deliver informed insights to key constituents. Leveraging the partnership with Charlesbank, IMPLAN can continue to expand its international reach and look for accretive acquisition opportunities to drive additional value for clients.
"This investment comes at an exciting time for IMPLAN. Charlesbank will help us to fully capitalize on market opportunities and expand our economic analysis cloud software platform," said Justin Helmig, CEO of IMPLAN. "Their deep industry expertise and proven track record in scaling SaaS companies will enhance our offerings and allow IMPLAN to continue to deliver exceptional service to our customers."
"The need for organizations to keep public constituents informed, paired with increasing governmental incentives, has accelerated demand for comprehensive economic impact analysis, creating a unique need in the market for solutions that can quantify and evaluate the impact of economic activities across jurisdictions," said Mayur Desai, Managing Director at Charlesbank. "As a fast-growing market leader, IMPLAN is strongly positioned to capitalize on these industry tailwinds, further supported by the Company's proprietary platform and decades of institutional knowledge of data sources and economic models. We are excited to partner with the IMPLAN team to support this next phase of growth and bolster the Company's position in the economic analytics sector."
As part of the transaction, existing investor Boathouse Capital will fully exit the business.
"Over the years, IMPLAN has made tremendous strides in its mission to empower organizations with innovative economic intelligence and modeling solutions," said Boathouse Capital Managing Partner, Bill Dyer. "I extend my gratitude to each member of the IMPLAN team for their extensive economic knowledge, determination, and commitment to excellence, which have been instrumental in this journey."
Raymond James, led by Evan Schutz, served as financial advisor and Ballard Spahr provided legal counsel to IMPLAN and Boathouse Capital. Solomon Partners served as financial advisor and Mintz provided legal counsel to Charlesbank. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
