Kester Spindler

Kester is a top M&A advisor with 25+ years of experience guiding private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, and strategic buyers and sellers through complex US and cross-border transactions. While particularly known for his work with software and intellectual property-intensive businesses, Kester has led significant deals across the infrastructure, industrials, business services, healthcare, consumer goods and cannabis industries. Clients value his ability to thoughtfully navigate sector-specific risks while maintaining commercial focus and momentum.

Kester’s representations include Albertsons Companies, Bertram Capital Management, CAI Capital Partners, Enhanced Healthcare Partners, Halifax Capital Partners, Lee Equity Partners, Main Post Partners, Manna Tree Partners, PharmaCann, Prospect Partners, Rubicon Technology Partners, Schwazze, TA Associates and Wynnchurch Capital.

Kester also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on immigration and empowerment.

Kester’s recent transactions include:

• Bamboo Rose, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Supply Pilot and Backbone PLM
• Cin7, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Inventoro, DEAR Systems* and Orderhive*
• Conquer, a Camden Partners and Evergreen Mountain Equity Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of Full Circle Insights
• Gimmal, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its sale to Morae Global
• Lumivero, a former Rubicon Technology Partners and current TA Associates portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Citavi* and Planet Software*
• Midwestern Electric (now GreenArrow), a CAI Capital Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Earthbound Electrical, James D. Hinson Electrical Contracting, Bear Electrical Solutions, Kuharchik Construction and Wyoming Electric & Signal
• Nulogy, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of AuditComply
• Presence Marketing, a former Vestar Capital Partners portfolio company, in its sale to PLTFRM
• Priority Ambulance, a former Enhanced Healthcare Partners and current Consonance Capital Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of multiple ambulance companies, several joint ventures and sale to Consonance Capital Partners
• Rubicon Technology Partners in multiple acquisitions, investments, recapitalization and sales, including Vimly Benefit Solutions, Nulogy, Ascend Analytics, and Tacton, as well as past matters* involving Bamboo Rose, Vision Government Solutions, Uplight, Uptempo, ABOUT Healthcare, Harver, Cin7, Lumivero, Scaled Agile, AppNeta, Gimmal, AudienceView, Aucerna and 4tell
• TA Associates in a confidential acquisition
• Uptempo, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of OptiMine and Allocadia*
• Vision Government Solutions, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its majority recapitalization with Great Hill Partners

Kester’s past transactions* also include:

• ABOUT Healthcare, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Acuity Link and Ensocare
• Albertsons Companies in several minority equity and debt investments, partnership with Instacart and acquisition of Plated
• Aperture Pet & Life, a Bertram Capital portfolio company, in its acquisitions of EcoTech Marine, Neptune Systems and Marine Depot
• Aphena Pharma Solutions in the disposition of its health and beauty division
• API Abroad, an Avathon Capital portfolio company, in its potential acquisition of an overseas study program
• AppNeta, a former Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its sale to Broadcom
• Astute Solutions, a former Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of Wilke Global and sale to Audax Private Equity
• Aucerna, a former Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Palantir Solutions, Aclaro Softworks, Energy Navigator and Enersight, and sale to Thoma Bravo
• AudienceView, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Vendini and TheaterMania
• Avathon Capital in its recapitalization of API Abroad and growth equity investment in Panopto
• Bertram Capital in its acquisitions of ReVamp Companies (formerly TSR Concrete Coatings), Aperture Pet & Life (formerly Bulk Reef Supply), and Killstar, and acquisition and subsequent sale of Enthusiast Auto Holdings
• CAI Capital Partners in its investments in Midwestern Electric and CMT Engineering Laboratories, and its acquisition and subsequent sale of GeoStabilization International to KKR
• Código 1530 Tequila in its joint venture with Pernod Ricard
• Costco Wholesale Corporation in its investment in Navitus Health Solutions
• Crocs in a $200 million private investment in public equity (PIPE) by Blackstone
• DirectLink in its sale to BAM Broadband
• Eating Recovery Center, a former Lee Equity Partners portfolio company, in several acquisitions of eating disorder facilities and separate sales to CCMP Capital and Lee Equity Partners
• Ecoserv, a former Lariat Partners portfolio company, in its sale of Ecoserv Industrial Disposal to US Ecology
• Endeavour Capital Partners in its investment in Temperatsure
• Enthusiast Auto Holdings, a former Bertram Capital portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Texas Speed & Performance and Turner Motorsport, and sale to Cortec Group
• Fastwyre Broadband in several potential acquisitions
• GeoStabilization International, a former CAI Capital Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of Access Limited (formerly GeoBuild) and sale to KKR
• Guardian Healthcare Group, a former Enhanced Healthcare Partners portfolio company, in its sale to Envision Healthcare
• Halifax Capital Partners in its acquisitions of Summit Behavioral Health and Delphi Behavioral Health Group
• Harver (formerly Outmatch), a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Harver, Checkster, LaunchPad and FurstPerson
• Lariat Partners in its combination of Newpark Environmental Services and Offshore Cleaning Systems to create Ecoserv
• Lee Equity Partners in its acquisition of The Living Company and establishment of The Prelude Network
• Life Line Ambulance Service in its sale to Envision Healthcare
• Main Post Partners in its investment in DeMert Brands and acquisition of EagleRider
• Noosa Yoghurt in its sale to Advent International
• Novanta in its sale of certain subsidiaries and assets
• Paula’s Choice, a former Bertram Capital portfolio company, in its majority recapitalization with TA Associates
• PCA Medical Group in its acquisition of an independent physician association
• Personify, a former Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of WildApricot and sale to Pamlico Capital
• PharmaCann in its acquisition of LivWell Enlightened Health and several potential joint ventures and acquisitions
• Pink Lily, a Bertram Capital portfolio company, in its sale to Cortec Group
• Prelude Fertility (now The Prelude Network), a Lee Equity Partners portfolio company, in its acquisitions of Vivere Health, Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, Pacific Fertility Center, and Reproductive Biology Associates and MyEggBank to form Prelude Fertility
• Prospect Partners and Waste Harmonics in the sale of Waste Harmonics to Arcapita
• Provenance in several growth investments in Knot Standard
• Registrar, a former Bertram Capital portfolio company, in several asset acquisitions
• ReVamp Companies, a Bertram Capital portfolio company, in several add-on acquisitions
• Scaled Agile, a former Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of Conteneo
• Schwazze in its acquisitions of certain assets of Lightshade Labs, Urban Health & Wellness, certain assets of Smoking Gun, Southern Colorado Growers, certain Star Buds dispensaries, and other confidential cannabis-related assets, licenses and entities
• Strata GPO in an investment by Linsalata Capital Partners
• Trimble in several acquisitions and divestitures of operating subsidiaries and assets, including Beena Vision, Cadec Global, Vico Software and ALK Technologies
• Uplight, a Rubicon Technology Partners portfolio company, in its $1.5 billion recapitalization with Schneider Electric, The AES Corporation, Coatue Management and Inclusive Capital Partners, conversion to a public benefit corporation, merger with Simple Energy, and acquisitions of FirstFuel and EnergySavvy
• Valley Anesthesiology in its sale to Envision Healthcare
• Varsity Healthcare Partners in its recapitalization of Essential Anesthesia Management
• WhiteGlove Health, a former Enhanced Healthcare Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of Glenridge HealthCare Solutions

* Transaction handled before joining Cooley