Driving Deals Forward: A Leading Private Equity Dealmaker’s Perspective
In an evolving private equity landscape, Katya Daniel stands out as a skilled dealmaker, helping clients navigate complex transactions with precision and strategic foresight. Katya is a Member in Mintz’s Boston office, representing private equity sponsors and strategic investors in structuring and negotiation of leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and minority investments. She concentrates her practice on middle market transactions across multiple industries, including health care, technology, manufacturing, media and marketing, and retail. Katya also advises private equity clients and their portfolio companies on general corporate governance matters.
Looking to the Future
Entrenched in her market, Katya anticipates several key trends that will shape private equity in 2025.
As traditional exit opportunities are still limited, private equity sponsors are increasingly turning to continuation vehicles to provide liquidity while holding on to high-performing assets. These vehicles offer flexibility and allow sponsors to adjust their investor base while keeping strong companies in their portfolios.
Katya also points to the fact that regulatory agencies are keeping a closer eye on mergers and acquisitions, making deals take longer and adding extra compliance costs. While a shift toward deregulation under the new administration could ease some restrictions, expanded Federal Trade Commission reporting rules mean companies will need to provide more details about deal structures and past transactions, slowing things down.
Another trend she sees impacting deal activity is the decline in interest rates. Deal activity is expected to accelerate, with a narrowing gap between buyers’ and sellers’ pricing expectations as interest rates decline. However, potential tariff policies could introduce inflationary pressures, complicating market dynamics.
Lastly, Katya points to higher capital costs, which have widened the risk tolerance gap between buyers and sellers. Buyers are demanding stricter risk controls in response to increased due diligence scrutiny, which could lead to more protracted negotiations or deal terminations post-exclusivity.
Busy Start to 2025
Since the start of the year, she has played a pivotal role in numerous high-profile transactions, helping clients expand their market presence and strengthen their competitive positioning.
Katya was part of a Mintz team that advised Searchlight Cyber, a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners, on its acquisition of Assetnote, an Australian-based Attack Surface Management (ASM) platform provider. This transaction combined Assetnote’s ASM solution with Searchlight’s dark web intelligence and monitoring capabilities, creating a robust Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) platform. Katya led the Mintz team advising Searchlight Cyber alongside Private Equity practice Co-chair Greg Fine and Associate Jon Taylor. Other attorneys on the team included Members Benjamin Ferrucci, Gregg Benson, Bret Leone-Quick, Matthew Gautier, Special Counsel Laura Huber, Of Counsel Michelle Capezza, Associates Tom Pagliarini, Jabril Wilson, Garrett Galvin, Brendan Chaisson, Derek Flynn, and former Mintz attorney Elana Lerner Brockmann.
In late January, the firm represented Quorum Cyber Security, another Charlesbank Capital Partners platform company, in its acquisition of Kivu Consulting, a global cybersecurity firm specializing in incident responses. The deal significantly expanded Quorum Cyber Security’s presence in the US and UK incident response markets. Katya led the transaction with Private Equity practice Co-chair Greg Fine and Associate Jon Taylor. The Mintz team also included Members Laura Franco, Gregg Benson, Benjamin Ferrucci, Geoff Smith, Bret Leone-Quick, Matt Gautier, Of Counsel Michelle Capezza, Special Counsel Bill Squires, and Associates Brendan Chaisson, Libby Decker, Zachary Liebnick, David Salamon, Tom Pagliarini, Sarah Jonny, Katie Bekel, Chris Buontempo, and Derek Flynn.
In collaboration with Private Equity practice Co-chairs Greg Fine and Kurt Steinkrauss, Katya advised Foster Corporation, a leading compounder of biomedical polymers, in its acquisition by GEON® Performance Solutions. This move strengthened GEON’s position in the high-value medical market, with Foster Corporation leading its medical end market efforts. Mintz Associate Zachary Liebnick also advised.
Each of these recent matters underscores Katya’s ability to guide clients through complex transactions, helping them capitalize on new opportunities while mitigating risks. As 2025 unfolds, dealmakers must be prepared for a dynamic and potentially turbulent market. Katya Daniel’s strategic insight and ability to anticipate challenges make her a trusted advisor for private equity clients navigating these shifting conditions. She helps them seize opportunities and get the deal done.