'We are apologizing for nothing': Apollo CEO says private equity firm is leaning into the downturn (2024)

After a third consecutive quarter with his company running at a net loss, Marc Rowan, the CEO of Apollo Global Management, has no apologies to offer.

“We excel in this kind of market. We are leaning in,” he said on the company’s earnings call yesterday. “We are out talking with investors, and we are apologizing for nothing. By and large, we did what we were supposed to have done in a period of market excess, which was avoid potholes.”

The Fed continues to lift interest rates (another three-quarters of a percentage point yesterday). And the markets—both public and private—are suffering. As Rowan pointed out on Apollo’s call: Venture capital valuations are down 60%, the Nasdaq is down 30%, and the S&P is down nearly 20%. Apollo is still running at a net loss, as it has every quarter of this year.

“We have an entire generation of investors [and] investment analysts, who have really grown up just seeing the market go in one direction,” Rowan said. “And we now all know it goes both ways.”

Like many other private equity shops or venture capital firms, Apollo is positioning the downturn as a “particularly good time” for the company. After all, alternatives are supposed to help diversify a portfolio and offer some downside protection from indexation.

“We are on offense,” Rowan said, pointing out how Apollo had deployed $37 billion in capital in the third quarter, and how it was still sitting on $50 billion in dry powder. Even so, Apollo reported a net loss of $1.2 billion this quarter, now mounting to a nearly $5.7 billion net loss year-to-date, even as management fees and transaction fees are on the rise.

Apollo continues to pivot further into the high-net-worth market. The asset manager says it has been approved by three bank platforms to launch its AAA product, a core equity replacement meant to essentially be the S&P 500 of alternatives. The product has also apparently received interest from registered investment advisors, family offices, and independent broker-dealers. Rowan also said Apollo is continuing to expand in the Asia Pacific region.

“Uncertainty is not a time not to invest,” Rowan said. “Uncertainty is a time to make sure you are getting paid and going in with your eyes wide open as to a range of outcomes.”

As Anne reports from Lisbon…Apparently, Elon Musk isn’t the only one with eyes on social media. The U.K.-based payments and financial services unicorn Revolut is eyeing a further push into social media down the road. The fintech launched a new instant chat feature on its app yesterday for customers in the U.K. and EU—putting it in proximity to China-based titans like WeChat. But for the long term, Revolut might have bigger plans. Read the story here.

See you tomorrow,

Jessica Mathews
Twitter: @jessicakmathews
Email: jessica.mathews@fortune.com
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Jackson Fordyce curated the deals section of today’s newsletter.

VENTURE DEALS

- Volocopter, a Bruchsal, Germany-based battery-powered aviation startup, raised an additional $182 million in Series E funding. NEOM and GLy Capital Management invested in the round.

- Alation, a Redwood City, Calif.-based enterprise data intelligence company, raised $123 million in Series E funding. Thoma Bravo, Sanabil Investments, and Costanoa Ventures led the round and were joined by investors including Databricks Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Icon Ventures, Queensland Investment Corporation, Riverwood Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, and Union Grove.

- AMP Robotics, a Louisville, Colo.-based A.I., robotics, and infrastructure company for the waste and recycling industry, raised $91 million in Series C funding. Congruent Ventures and Wellington Management co-led the round and were joined by investors including Blue Earth Capital, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners, Tao Capital Partners, XN, Sequoia Capital, GV, Range Ventures, and Valor Equity Partners.

- project44, a Chicago-based supply chain visibility platform, raised $80 million in funding. Generation Investment Management and A.P. Moller Holding co-led the round and were joined by investors including CMA CGM, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, TPG, Emergence Capital, Chicago Ventures, Sapphire, 8VC, Sozo Ventures, and Omidyar Technology Ventures.

- Lodgify, a Barcelona, Spain-based vacation rental software startup, raised $30 million in Series B funding. Octopus Ventures led the round and was joined by investors including Bonsai Partners, Aldea Ventures, ICF, Intermedia Vermögensverwaltung, and Nauta Capital.

- Concerto Biosciences, a Cambridge, Mass.-based microbial communities biotech designer, raised $23 million in Series A funding. Safar Partners led the round and was joined by investors including Horizons Ventures, M Ventures, and others.

- Protein Evolution, a New Haven, Conn.-based carbon reduction climate tech startup, raised $23 million in funding. Collaborative Fund’s Collab SOS led the round and was joined by investors including New Climate Ventures, Eldridge, Nextrans, and Good Friends.

- AMP, a Los Angeles-based energy management company for e-mobility, raised $17.25 million in Series A funding. Ecosystem Integrity Fund and Helios Climate Ventures invested in the round.

- Momento, a Seattle-based serverless cache company, raised $15 million in seed funding. Bain Capital Ventures led the round and was joined by investors including The General Partnership and other angels.

- InterPrice Technologies, a New York-based treasury capital markets funding platform, raised $7.3 million in Series A funding. Nasdaq Ventures and DRW Venture Capital co-led the round and were joined by Bowery Capital.

- Exer AI, a Denver-based digital remote patient monitoring platform, raised $6.5 million in funding. Backstage Capital, Life Extension Ventures, Morado Ventures, Oceans Ventures, Operator Partners, Signia Venture Partners, Anne Wojcicki, and David Ko invested in the round.

- Treet, a San Francisco-based branded resale platform, raised $3.5 million in seed funding. First Round Capital led the round and was joined by investors including Bling Capital, Techstars, Interlace, Alante Ventures, BAM Ventures, and BBG Ventures.

- Flowers Software, a Munich, Germany-based organizational management system for SMBs, raised $3.2 million in seed funding. La Famiglia VC led the round and was joined by investors including LEA Partners, Collective Ventures, and other angels.

- Mozart, a San Francisco-based Web3 gaming integration platform for game developers, raised $3 million in pre-seed funding. Arcanum Capital, AG Build, Future Perfect Venture, SaxeCap, and others invested in the round.

- BuildWithin, a Washington, D.C.-based software management platform for apprenticeship and workplace training programs, raised $2.4 million in pre-seed funding. Dundee Venture Capital led the round and was joined by Black Capital.

- AiPrise, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based customer orchestration platform, raised $2 million in seed funding. Y Combinator and Okta Ventures co-led the round and were joined by investors including Restive Ventures, Liquid2 Ventures, TwentyTwo Ventures, and Wedbush Ventures.

PRIVATE EQUITY

- GTCR acquired a majority stake in Biocoat Holdings, a Horsham, Pa.-based medical device contract manufacturing company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- Medical Manufacturing Technologies, a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, acquired the equipment manufacturing group of Confluent Medical Technologies, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based material science technology and manufacturing company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- NEC, a Pfingsten portfolio company, acquired Eastern Communications, a Bloomfield, Conn.-based maintenance, repair, and upgrade services provider to telecommunications infrastructure across the New England region. Financial terms were not disclosed.

- Truist Ventures acquired a minority stake in Spectral, a New Rochelle, N.Y.-based Web3 credit risk assessment infrastructure company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

EXITS

- MTY Food Group agreed to acquire Wetzel’s Pretzels, a Pasadena, Calif.-based pretzel snack franchisor, from CenterOak Partners for $207 million.

- Aurora Capital Partners acquired Universal Pure, a Lincoln, Neb.-based food safety solutions provider for cold chain human and pet food customers, from Tilia Holdings. Financial terms were not disclosed.

OTHER

- Hint Health acquired AeroDPC, a Denver-based electronic medical record provider, and Equal Health, a Brookline, Mass.-based direct primary care network provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.

IPOS

- Ithaca Energy, an Aberdeen, Scotland-based oil and gas producer, plans to raise as much as £310 million ($357 million) in an initial public offering in London.

FUNDS + FUNDS OF FUNDS

- Sixth Street, a San Francisco-based investment firm, raised $4.4 billion for a fund focused on late- and mid-stage growth companies.

- Blackbird Ventures, an Auckland, Melbourne, and Sydney-based venture capital firm, raised A$1 billion ($637.25 million) for its fifth fund focused on pre-seed to Series B companies.

Correction: The deals section of this newsletter has been corrected to reflect that Medical Manufacturing Technologies acquired the equipment manufacturing group of Confluent Medical Technologies, not the whole company.

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'We are apologizing for nothing': Apollo CEO says private equity firm is leaning into the downturn (2024)

FAQs

What is the Apollo private equity controversy? ›

The lawsuit, filed by the estate of Martha Barotz, says Apollo is “carrying out a widespread fraudulent human life wagering conspiracy” while funneling the proceeds of illegal life insurance policies through a web of shell entities run by a secretive affiliate, Financial Credit Investment.

Is Apollo a good private equity firm? ›

The company's Flagship Private Equity business accounts for 71% of Apollo's $108 billion in equity strategy and accounts for 17% of the company's total AUM. Since its inception in 1990, Flagship Private Equity's net IRR of 24% is 10 percentage points better than its private equity benchmark.

Who is the CEO of Apollo private equity? ›

Apollo Global Management Inc. Chief Executive Officer Marc Rowan said the best investors operate in places such as Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, contending US institutions have become too focused on benchmarks.

How many employees does Apollo private equity have? ›

Apollo now serves institutional and individual investors across the risk/return spectrum – in Credit, Equity and Real Assets strategies. More than 4,900 employees across Apollo and Athene, including more than 700 investment professionals, work from our offices around the world.

Who is the largest shareholder of Apollo Global Management? ›

Largest shareholders include Vanguard Group Inc, Capital World Investors, BlackRock Inc., Fmr Llc, VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares, Tiger Global Management Llc, ANCFX - AMERICAN FUNDS FUNDAMENTAL INVESTORS Class A, Capital International Investors, State Street Corp, and VIMSX - Vanguard ...

How big is the Apollo private equity fund? ›

Private Equity is the cornerstone of Apollo's equity business, with $74.2 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. For more than three decades, our investment strategy has centered around three principal transaction types: buyouts, corporate carve-outs and deleveraging investments.

What companies are owned by Apollo Private Equity? ›

Apollo Management Holdings, L.P.'s top holdings are ADT Inc. (US:ADT) , TD SYNNEX Corporation (US:SNX) , Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (US:HGV) , Rackspace Technology, Inc. (US:RXT) , and Sun Country Airlines Holdings, Inc.

How much does a principal make at Apollo private equity? ›

The base salary range for this position is $225,000 to $300,000. This position is also eligible for a discretionary annual bonus based on personal, team, and Firm performance. Compensation ranges are based on several factors including job function, level, and geographic location.

What is the biggest private equity firm in the world? ›

Private equity titan Blackstone is the top in the United States and the world, raising $125.6 billion in capital from 2018 to 2023. Headquartered in New York, Blackstone's total assets under management stood at $991 billion as of the first quarter of 2023, and have since surpassed $1 trillion this year.

Is Apollo Global Management owned by China? ›

Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American asset management firm that primarily invests in alternative assets.

Is Apollo Capital Assets legit? ›

Established by a team of seasoned professionals with decades of collective experience in finance and investment management, Apollo Capital Assets has quickly risen to prominence as a trusted partner for individuals, families, and institutions seeking to grow and preserve their wealth.

Who is the parent company of Apollo Retail? ›

DDP Holdings is the parent company of Apollo Retail Specialists and Apollo Retail Specialists of Canada.

What is the net worth of Apollo? ›

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise
ParametersRs. Crore% Change
Net Operating Income14,663.0038.85
Profit1,056.00601.86
Assets10,587.0010.57
Net Worth5,616.000.00
3 more rows

How many people work at Apollo Global? ›

Apollo Global Management Employees

Apollo Global Management had 2,540 employees on December 31, 2022. The number of employees increased by 387 or 17.97% compared to the previous year.

What is the Apollo expense scandal? ›

At the time, Judge Kevin Castel concluded Apollo had been mistakenly and systematically charging expenses to the underlying funds, reducing their net returns and increasing Apollo's cut of overall profits.

What happened to Apollo Education Group? ›

Apollo Education Group agreed in 2017 to be acquired by a group of investors in a $1.1 billion deal that took private the publicly traded company. At the time, the new owners said the change would help the university focus on improving student outcomes.

What companies are owned by the Apollo group? ›

Among the most notable companies in which funds managed by the company have invested are ADT Inc., CareerBuilder, Cox Media Group, Intrado, Legendary Entertainment, Rackspace Technology, Redbox, Shutterfly, Sirius Satellite Radio, Qdoba, Smart & Final, University of Phoenix, and Yahoo Inc.

What is the debt to equity ratio of Apollo? ›

Financials
Key Financial Ratios of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises (in Rs. Cr.)Mar 23Mar 21
Return on Networth / Equity (%)15.662.01
Return on Capital Employed (%)15.376.45
Return on Assets (%)10.061.07
Total Debt/Equity (X)0.250.38
35 more rows

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