Edison Partners, a leading growth equity firm, announced that it will exit portfolio company Budderfly, in which Partners Group acquired a majority stake. Upon closing, the transaction will deliver a strong cash return.
“We were then able to reach national scale with Edison Partners’ support. The team at Edison provided us with a consistent edge, and we’re thrilled to provide such a successful exit as we enter our next phase of growth with Partners Group.”
Edison first invested in the company in June 2017, when it led an initial $22 million financing round. Later, they participated in follow-on rounds where Budderfly raised an additional $55 million in June 2019, bringing the total funding to date to $84.5 million. Since 2017, Budderfly has grown its revenue ~250% CAGR.
With more than 2,750 customer sites across 49 states, Budderfly leads the digital transformation of the energy conservation sector. The Connecticut-based company provides a holistic, outsourced solution for energy management, and infrastructure upgrades, for underserved commercial and industrial businesses with repeatable footprints, such as restaurant chains, assisted living facilities and retail franchises. Budderfly works with household names such as Dunkin, Subway, Wendy’s, YMCA and IHOP, among others. Its proprietary energy software and technology upgrades provide immediate, guaranteed efficiency improvements and usage reductions with zero project risk or out-of-pocket costs. The company’s solutions support more than 400 utility companies in North America.
“Edison has been an incredible, long-term partner, as we honed in on how to offer energy and bill savings through intelligent software for no capital outlay,” said Albert Subbloie, founder and chief executive officer of Budderfly. “We were then able to reach national scale with Edison Partners’ support. The team at Edison provided us with a consistent edge, and we’re thrilled to provide such a successful exit as we enter our next phase of growth with Partners Group.”
The Budderfly exit closes Edison Partners’ fourth deal alongside Subbloie. The firm previously invested in Operative, Tangoe, and Information Management Associates (IMA), backing two of these companies at the Series A stage with spectacular results, before Subbloie revolutionized corporate spend in energy-efficiency-as-a-service and scaled Budderfly to a mid-10 digit run rate.
“Budderfly exceeded our expectations as an industry disruptor. Al has a history of building transformative businesses, and Edison has stood firmly behind him. Having invested in two of Al’s prior companies, one of which returned tenfold to Edison, this was another great outcome. His vision for the energy services market and leadership skills have taken Budderfly’s success to great heights,” said Gary Golding, general partner at Edison Partners, who served on Budderfly’s board of directors.