Profile
Anayo J. Umeh advises private equity sponsors, portfolio companies, strategic buyers and sellers, and special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) on mergers and acquisitions. His private M&A work covers buy-side and sell-side transactions, including equity and asset acquisitions, carve-out divestitures, add-on acquisitions, and majority investments across industries such as food manufacturing, industrial manufacturing, specialty chemicals, environmental services, health care and clinical research, consumer brands, restaurant franchising, and software and technology-enabled services. On the public side, he handles SPAC business combinations and Nasdaq listings, public company mergers, and related private placements.
Cross-border transactions are a consistent part of Anayo's practice. He works with acquirers and sellers based in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East on U.S. and multinational acquisitions, which gives him a practical view of how deal terms, diligence, and closing mechanics come together across jurisdictions.
Concentrations
- Mergers & acquisitions (public and private)
- Private equity
- Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and De-SPAC transactions
- Public company transactions
- Cross-border transactions
- Strategic acquisitions and divestitures
- Corporate governance
תחומי התמחות
ניסיון מקצועי
- Represented Salm Partners, a portfolio company of Entrepreneurial Equity Partners (e2p), in its sale to Johnsonville, LLC, a leading family‑owned food manufacturer, supporting e2p’s exit following significant operational scaling and capacity expansion during its ownership.
- Represented Coalesce Capital in its acquisition of Miller Environmental Group, a leading national environmental services provider, supporting Coalesce’s investment strategy focused on human capital-driven and technology‑enabled services businesses.
- Represented Consello Capital on its acquisition of EHE Health, a national health care provider network in preventive health.
- Represented Marquee Brands, a Neuberger Berman affiliate, in its acquisition, alongside Randa Apparel & Accessories, of Totes Isotoner Corporation, expanding Marquee’s global brand portfolio through ownership of the totes and isotoner brands.
- Represented Fontana Finanziaria S.p.A., a global leader in high‑quality fasteners, in its $265 million acquisitions, through its affiliates, of the equity interests of Fitzgerald Finishing, LLC and Cadon Plating and Coatings, LLC, and the assets of MNP Corporation, a U.S. manufacturer of fasteners and cold‑formed components.
- Represented an investment fund affiliated with Rhône, a global private equity firm, in connection with its acquisition of Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers from Thompson Street Capital Partners. Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is a leading fast-casual franchise concept with over 550 locations across the United States and Canada.
- Represented investment funds affiliated with Carrick Capital Partners in their majority investment in Intelligo, a leading artificial intelligence‑driven risk‑intelligence and background‑checking platform, supporting Carrick’s strategy of scaling high‑growth, software‑enabled businesses.
- Represented BharCap Partners and its portfolio company ARMStrong Receivable Management in the sale of ARMStrong’s commercial services division, Altus Commercial Receivables, to Astira Capital Partners.
- Represented Praana Group, an India-based holding company with a diversified portfolio of industrial businesses, in connection with:
- Its acquisition of Owens Corning’s (NYSE: OC) glass reinforcements business at an enterprise value of $645 million.
- Its acquisition of a portion of Halliburton Company’s (NYSE: HAL), Multi-Chem business, which is a specialty chemicals service business with 5 advanced chemical facilities across the U.S. and the Middle East — including the state-of-the-art Desert Rose plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia — as well as 10 U.S. field locations and key sites such as Geismar, Bayport, Sonora, and the Houston research & development center.
- Represented Worldwide Clinical Trials, a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Co., in its acquisition of Catalyst Clinical Research, a specialized oncology contract research organization, supporting Kohlberg’s strategy of scaling high‑growth, expertise‑driven clinical research platforms.
- Represented Project Energy Reimagined Acquisition Corp. in its business combination with Heramba GmbH, culminating in the Nasdaq listing of Heramba Electric plc (Nasdaq: PITA, PITAW) and supporting the integration of the Kiepe Electric e‑mobility platform.
- Represented Concord Acquisition Corp II in its execution of a merger agreement with Events.com, Inc., an industry-leading event management platform, which valued Events.com at a pro forma enterprise value of approximately $400 million.
- Represented Innovative Rocket Technologies (iRocket) on the signing of a definitive merger agreement with BPGC Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. The proposed transaction reflects an equity value of iRocket of $400 million, before potential earnouts based on share price performance. iRocket is an aerospace company developing fully reusable launch vehicles and rocket engines.
- Represented Hyperliquid Strategies Inc. (HSI) on its business combination with Sonnet BioTherapeutics and Rorschach I LLC (an Atlas Merchant Capital affiliate), including a 5‑for‑1 exchange ratio and HSI’s transition to a publicly traded digital‑asset treasury reserve company focused on accumulating HYPE, the Hyperliquid blockchain’s native token.
- Represented UWM Holdings Corporation in its $1.3 billion definitive agreement to acquire Two Harbors Investment Corp., a publicly listed mortgage‑servicing‑rights real estate investment trust, involving a fixed exchange ratio of 2.3328 UWMC shares per TWO share and resulting in a 93% increase to UWMC’s public float.
- Represented Cartesian Growth Corporation III, a SPAC, in connection with its business combination with Factorial Inc., a leader in solid-state battery technology. The transaction valued the combined company at a pro forma equity value of approximately $1.5 billion and included $100 million in new capital committed by institutional investors in a private placement of common stock.
- Representation of Trasteel Holding S.A., a European leader in steel trading and processing, on the execution of a definitive business combination agreement with Sizzle Acquisition Corp. II, a SPAC, to form a new global steel trading and industrial public holding company. The transaction values Trasteel at a pre-money equity value of approximately $1.3 billion.
- Represented Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. III, a SPAC, on its business combination with General Fusion, Inc., a leader in the global race to commercialize fusion energy. General Fusion entered the public markets with approximately $150 million in cash, inclusive of net transaction proceeds from the private placement and trust capital, to advance its practical fusion energy technology.
- Extern, Sixth Amendment Center, 2022
- Prosecutor Intern, Des Moines County Attorney’s Office, 2021
הישגים ותפקידי מפתח
- Member, New York Bar Association
- Member, Nigerian Bar Association
הכשרה מקצועית וכישורי שפה
השכלה
- J.D., University of Iowa
- LL.M., University of Minnesota Law School
- LL.B., Anambra State University
הסמכות
- New York
כישורי שפה
- English
- Igbo