New York, February 18th 2025 | Drake Star won USA Deal of the Year (lower mid-markets) at the recent 16th Annual Americas M&A Atlas Awards by The Global M&A Network for advising Proviso Capital on its sale of Kerr Consulting to Cherry Bekaert, a Parthenon Capital Partners Portfolio Company. The award further extends Drake Star’s leadership position in the Digital Services M&A space. The award ceremony took place at the Metropolitan Club, New York on February 6, 2025.
Sam Levy, Partner at Drake Star, said: "We are really pleased to be winning this prestigious deal of the year award. It's been a pleasure to work with the Kerr team and help them join forces with Cherry Bekaert and Parthenon. Drake Star’s strong market presence and relationships in the Digital Transformation sector continue to produce extraordinary outcomes for our clients."
Gregory Bedrosian, Drake Star CEO, commented: "We are deeply honored to win this prestigious USA M&A Deal of the Year award from the Global M&A network. A big congratulations to the Drake Star, Proviso Capital, Kerr Consulting and Cherry Bekaert teams in achieving this great outcome. Our mission at Drake Star is to deliver superior outcomes to our clients and we work relentlessly at this pursuit each and every day. It is wonderful when we are recognized for excellence in Tech M&A by the broader market. And this further reinforces our position as a leader within the Digital Services sector."
In completing the deal, Cherry Bekaert, a leading national accounting, advisory and tax firm expanded its geographic footprint and solutions capabilities by adding premier technology solutions provider Kerr Consulting to its portfolio. Cherry Bekaert is backed by private equity firm Parthenon Capital Partners based out of Boston, MA. Drake Star acted as exclusive financial advisor to Proviso Capital and Kerr Consulting on this transaction.
Headquartered in Houston Texas, Kerr provides award-winning ERP accounting software, office support, IT managed services, and custom software development to clients in the South and Midwest regions of the United States. The transaction gives the Cherry Bekaert platform added geographic presence, and further enhances its business applications and cloud technology portfolio solutions.
For more information, click here to read the full deal announcement.
For important disclosures about the awards, please head over to: globalmanetwork.com.
About Drake Star
Drake Star is an award-winning global tech investment bank that has completed over 500 transactions since 2003. The Drake Star global team of experienced professionals and senior advisors across offices in New York, Munich, London, Paris, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berlin, and Dubai* focuses on mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance services worldwide in Software/SaaS, HR Tech, Digital Services, FinTech, Digital Media, Industrial Tech, Consumer & Retail Tech and Mobility & Sustainability.
Drake Star is the marketing name for the global investment bank Drake Star Partners Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates. In the USA, all securities are transacted through Drake Star Securities LLC. In the USA, Drake Star Securities LLC is regulated by FINRA and is a member of SIPC. Drake Star UK Limited (FRN 942020) is an appointed representative of Razlin Ltd (FRN 730805), which is authorized and regulated by the FCA. © 2025 Drake Star Partners Limited.
*Partner Office