News

Serent Capital said Aug. 30 that it has invested in ArbiterSports. Financial terms weren’t announced. ArbiterSports, of Sandy, Utah, provides software and payment solutions for referee assigners, athletic directors, organizers, and officials.

PRESS RELEASE

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Serent Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity firm focused on investing in high-growth technology and services businesses, has made an investment in ArbiterSports (Arbiter), a leading provider of sports management solutions to the youth sports, K-12 and higher education end markets.
ArbiterSports provides an end-to-end suite of software and payments solutions that enable referee assigners, athletic directors, organizers, and officials to easily manage all aspects of their responsibilities. The company’s offerings include solutions for game officiating management (ArbiterOne), eligibility / education (ArbiterWorks), payments and contractor compliance (ArbiterPay), and mobile access (ArbiterMobile). Arbiter also offers a growing portfolio of solutions to enable game scheduling and management (ArbiterGame), athlete registration (ArbiterAthlete), and game data distribution (ArbiterLive). Today, thousands of schools, sports leagues and associations make nearly 15 million assignments to more than 500,000 officials every year using ArbiterSports technology.
“I’m delighted to partner with Serent in the next phase of Arbiter’s growth,” said Jeff Triplette, Chief Executive Officer of ArbiterSports. “Serent’s business-building resources, focus on investing in growth businesses like ours, and education market experience will enable us to accelerate Arbiter’s growth trajectory. With Serent’s support, we plan to invest behind our existing offerings and customer support, expand our product portfolio, and broaden our sales and marketing reach in order to deliver even greater value to our customers.”
The NCAA has been the majority owner of ArbiterSports since 2008, and they will continue their strong partnership with Arbiter going forward. “The NCAA is very pleased to find a partner like Serent Capital to carry the ArbiterSports mission forward,” said Kathleen McNeely, Chief Financial Officer of the NCAA. “Although we are stepping aside as a shareholder, we are committed to continuing our partnership into the future, and we are excited to see the innovation that Serent’s investment will help fuel.” In conjunction with the transaction, the NCAA and Arbiter have executed a multi-year service agreement to extend their partnership.
“We feel privileged to partner with Jeff and the ArbiterSports team in supporting the next several chapters of the company’s growth,” said Lance Fenton, Partner at Serent Capital. “ArbiterSports’ strong history, impressive client base, and strong track record in sports management lay a terrific foundation for long-term success. We are excited to work with the team to help accelerate the success they have had within their current offerings and pursue new adjacent growth opportunities.”
Serent’s investment in ArbiterSports represents its fourth investment in the education technology and services space. Prior investments include Digital Architecture (2016), DiamondMind (2014), and C2 Education (2011).
About ArbiterSports
As a leader in athletic event management, ArbiterSports helps athletic departments and sports leagues simplify the process of managing athletic events, assigning officials, paying event workers, and informing athletes, families and fans. The product suite, including ArbiterGame, ArbiterAthlete, ArbiterOne, ArbiterPay, ArbiterMobile, ArbiterWorks, ArbiterLive and Arbiter360, delivers control and visibility over the entire athletic event process. ArbiterSports products are built on a powerful web-based platform that allows secure access from anywhere and provides seamless integration with the ability to add features. Sports leagues, commissioners, athletic directors, assigners, officials, and event workers rely on ArbiterSports to do their jobs effectively.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.arbitersports.com or call 1-800-576-2799.
About Serent Capital
Serent Capital invests in growing businesses that have developed compelling solutions that address their customers’ needs. As those businesses grow and evolve, the opportunities and challenges that they face change with them. Principals at Serent Capital have firsthand experience at capturing those opportunities and navigating these difficulties through their experiences as CEOs, strategic advisors, and board members to growing businesses. By bringing its expertise and capital to bear, Serent strives to help growing businesses thrive. For more information on Serent Capital, visit www.serentcapital.com.
Disclaimer
This information is intended exclusively for the use of the person to whom it was delivered on behalf of Serent Capital Management Company, L.L.C. (“Serent”) and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose. It does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy interests in any private investment vehicle managed by Serent (collectively, the “Funds”). Offers and sales will be made only pursuant to a confidential private placement memorandum (the “Memorandum”), which describes the terms and risks of an investment. Nothing presented herein is intended to constitute investment advice, nor sales material, and no investment decision should be made based on any information provided herein. Information provided reflects Serent’s views as of a particular time and are subject to change without notice. Any forward looking statements or forecasts are based on assumptions and actual results are expected to vary from any such statements or forecasts. While Serent has used reasonable efforts to obtain information from reliable sources, we make no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of third party information presented herein.
Past performance is not indicative of future results. There can be no guarantee that any investment strategy employed by Serent will be successful. An investment in the Funds managed by Serent is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including possible loss of principal.
The portfolio companies highlighted do not necessarily represent all of the investments made or recommended by Serent, and it should not be assumed that the specific investments identified and discussed herein were or will be profitable. It should be specifically noted that not all transactions entered into by Serent will be profitable or will equal the performance of the companies described herein. No guarantee of investment performance is being provided and no inference to the contrary should be made.