Houlihan Lokey, Inc., the global investment bank, announced that it has acquired Black Stone IP LLC (BSIP), a boutique investment bank focused on valuing and trading patent and other intellectual property (IP) assets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2013, BSIP focuses exclusively on Tech+IP advisory. Its services include technology and IP valuations, developing and executing strategic IP transactions, IP-focused M&A advisory, and IP-backed capital formation and restructuring. Since its founding, BSIP has executed over 100 transaction and advisory projects for clients that span North America, Europe, and East Asia. BSIP’s client list includes more than 30 Fortune 500 companies and recognized innovators such as Avaya, Broadcom, Dolby, General Electric, Philips, Siemens, SAP, Sony, MediaTek, Lenovo, Yahoo!, and many others.
BSIP will become part of Houlihan Lokey’s Financial Advisory Services, operating as the Tech+IP Advisory practice, and will be Co-Headed by BSIP’s CEO, Elvir Causevic, and Edmund Fish. Other members of BSIP’s senior leadership include Mitchell Rosenfeld, Director, Pallavi Shah, Senior Vice President, and Matt Moyers, Vice President. The Tech+IP Advisory practice will include staff based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., serving clients across the globe.
“Intellectual property is increasingly regarded as an asset class deserving the attention of boards and investors across many industry sectors, and companies are recognizing that significant value exists in these assets,” said Jack Berka, Global Head of Financial Advisory Services. “BSIP has honed best practices from industry leaders to establish a leading Tech+IP platform comprising valuation and transaction advisory. As such, they are a perfect fit with Houlihan Lokey’s market-leading valuation, corporate finance, and restructuring services, and we’re delighted that Elvir, Ed, and the team are joining the firm,” he continued.
“We believe that Houlihan Lokey has the best combination of global footprint, complementary services, and corporate culture of any independent advisory firm in financial services,” said Mr. Causevic. “The firm’s longtime leadership in valuation services and M&A, along with its deep expertise in illiquid financial assets across industry sectors, provides a powerful combination from which our clients will derive an immediate benefit. We are extremely excited about this next phase of our growth as we join Houlihan Lokey’s extensive platform,” he added.