StarCompliance, a leading provider of employee compliance and regulatory technology solutions to the financial services industry, today announced a majority-control, growth investment from Marlin Equity Partners. The transaction enables Star to further expand its leadership position within the global compliance market by accelerating product innovation and supporting the company's ongoing international expansion. Luminate Capital Partners, the company's majority shareholder since 2017, will retain a minority stake.
With a client base of over 500,000 users across 83 countries, Star is a market-leading, highly configurable compliance solution trusted by the world's largest regulated firms, including asset managers, investment banks, hedge funds, private equity firms, insurance companies, professional services firms, and public corporations. The company has a rich history of innovation with its mission-critical Employee Conflicts of Interest platform, complemented by its newest platform, Compliance Control Room – two comprehensive solutions that assist global firms in efficiently and effectively managing critical aspects of the complex compliance ecosystem.
"We are incredibly proud of our tremendous growth and world-class list of clients with whom we collaborate to automate and streamline compliance oversight," said Jennifer Sun, CEO at Star. "This investment accelerates our vision of serving as the preeminent leader in the employee compliance and conflicts of interest market and better positions us to help our clients navigate evolving regulation and intelligently manage risk across the employee lifecycle – from onboarding to supporting fast-moving day-to-day operations. We look forward to partnering with Marlin and Luminate for our next phase of growth."
"Regulatory requirements continue to become increasingly complex with escalating penalties for non-compliance. Star is uniquely addressing this global challenge with its industry-leading technology platform," said Michael Anderson, Managing Director at Marlin. "We are excited to partner with Star and continue to expand the company's market leadership by building upon its best-in-class product suite through further product investments and strategic acquisitions."
"StarCompliance has undergone a tremendous transformation since our initial investment, accelerating its growth, bolstering its management team, launching new products, and expanding its global reach. We are thrilled to partner with Marlin and continue to support the company," said Hollie Haynes, Managing Partner at Luminate. Dave Ulrich, Partner at Luminate added, "Since our initial investment, Star has seen accelerated demand for its software solutions as firms increasingly struggle to maintain compliance and mitigate risk through manual processes. We expect this acceleration to continue and believe Star is uniquely positioned to address key customer requirements."
The completion of the transaction is subject to applicable regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Marlin. Evercore acted as financial advisor to StarCompliance and Luminate Capital, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to StarCompliance.
About StarCompliance
StarCompliance is a leading provider of compliance technology solutions. Trusted globally by enterprise financial firms in over 83 countries—including asset managers, investment banks, broker dealers, PE firms, insurance companies, and stock exchanges—the STAR Platform empowers organizations to achieve regulatory compliance while safeguarding their integrity and business reputations. Through a customizable, 360-degree view of employee activity, STAR software enables firms to automate the detection and resolution of potential areas of conflict while streamlining daily workflows and increasing efficiency. For more information, please visit www.starcompliance.com.
About Marlin Equity Partners
Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with over $7.4 billion of capital under management. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, shareholders and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple industries where its capital base, industry relationships and extensive network of operational resources significantly strengthen a company's outlook and enhance value. Since its inception, Marlin, through its group of funds and related companies, has successfully completed over 170 acquisitions. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional office in London. For more information, please visit www.marlinequity.com.
About Luminate Capital
Luminate Capital Partners is a private equity firm investing in growth software companies. Luminate partners with management teams to provide capital to drive strategy, growth, and operational improvements. Luminate's portfolio of market leaders has also included Conexiom, Fintech, Oversight Systems, LiquidFrameworks, PDI, StarCompliance, and Thought Industries. For more information, please visit https://www.luminatecapital.com.
