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KPS Capital Partners Acquired Catalyst Acoustics Group in November 2024

KPS Capital Partners’ acquisition of Catalyst Acoustics Group from Stephens Group closed in November 2024. The companies did not disclose a purchase price.
From TheFinanceBase Team2 min to read
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KPS Capital Partners agreed to acquire Catalyst Acoustics Group from Stephens Group in a deal announced September 30, 2024. The acquisition later closed in November 2024, according to the companies’ completion announcements. The transaction concerned an industrial acoustics business, not a consumer soundproofing product.

What happened to Catalyst Acoustics Group?

Stephens Group and KPS announced on September 30, 2024, that KPS had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Catalyst, which was then a Stephens Group portfolio company. The parties said they expected the deal to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions and approvals. Stephens Group’s announcement and KPS’s announcement describe the agreement.

The planned transaction was completed in November 2024: KPS dated its completion announcement November 12, and Catalyst published its own post-close announcement November 13. KPS’s completion notice and Catalyst’s announcement confirm the closing.

What does Catalyst Acoustics Group do?

Catalyst is a parent group of businesses providing engineered acoustic, seismic, vibration and noise-control products and solutions. The 2024 transaction announcements named Fräsch, IAC Acoustics, Kinetics Noise Control, Lamvin, Madrid, Noise Barriers, RealAcoustix and Sound Seal. The group also includes Riverbank Acoustical Laboratories, an independent testing laboratory.

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KPS’s current Catalyst portfolio page describes the company as headquartered in Agawam, Massachusetts, with approximately 550 employees, six U.S. manufacturing facilities and a dedicated testing center. KPS says the brands, channels, products and services remain distinct while drawing on shared functional expertise, reach, resources and scale. These are operating-company details, not measures of KPS’s own size.

Was the purchase price disclosed?

No purchase price or detailed transaction terms appear in the reviewed announcements. The deal value, valuation and financing structure therefore cannot be established from those public materials.

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The 2024 announcement identified Baird as Catalyst’s financial adviser, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP as Catalyst’s legal counsel, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP as KPS’s legal counsel.

What did the companies say about the deal?

Grant Jones, Stephens Group Managing Director, called the sale a “natural evolution” and said Stephens was proud of Catalyst’s growth under its ownership. KPS Partner and Co-Head of Mid-Cap Investments Pierre de Villeméjane described Catalyst’s brands, quality commitment and channel partners as a foundation for potential future growth. These are the parties’ assessments, not independent evidence of future performance.

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Joe Lupone, identified as Catalyst’s CEO in the 2024 announcements, said the company was excited about its next chapter after the closing. That identification is historical; Catalyst’s later archive records leadership changes, so the 2024 release should not be used to infer who leads the company today. Catalyst’s news archive tracks subsequent company announcements, including acquisitions and leadership changes.

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How large was KPS when it announced the agreement?

KPS’s June 30, 2024 figures provide context for the buyer, but they are historical firm-wide measures, not current figures and not metrics for Catalyst:

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  • Approximately $21.8 billion in assets under management.
  • Approximately $19.3 billion in aggregate annual revenues for KPS portfolio companies.
  • 219 manufacturing facilities across 26 countries.
  • Approximately 47,000 employees across portfolio companies, directly and through joint ventures.

These figures were reported by KPS as of June 30, 2024, in its firm overview. They should not be confused with Catalyst’s operating figures.

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