AST Receives Equity Investment from Tailwind Capital

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Tailwind Capital, a leading middle market private equity firm investing in growth-oriented companies in targeted sectors within healthcare, business services and industrial services, today announced that it has made an equity investment in AST, a leading pure-play Oracle Corporation ORCL consulting, implementation and managed services firm.

"AST is a trusted Platinum level member of the Oracle PartnerNetwork and is well positioned to support the growing demand for Oracle solutions that drive innovation and growth for AST's customers," said Jim Hoch, partner at Tailwind Capital. "AST's proven track record of delivering large and complex Oracle- based solutions to public and private sector enterprises attests to the talent and commitment of AST's consultants and executive management team."

AST has made significant investments in becoming an Oracle cloud leader, with more than ninety percent of AST's workforce now cloud certified, and has become a trusted partner in navigating its customers' transition to the cloud, from development of an internal cloud strategy and framework, to full implementation and ultimately to post-deployment support and managed services.

"As a member of the exclusive group of Oracle Cloud Premier Partners, AST represents an attractive opportunity as a leader in the continued transition of enterprise applications to the cloud," said Gurvendra Suri, an Operating Executive of Tailwind Capital and incoming Chairman of AST's Board of Directors. "We are confident in this team's ability to take AST to the next level, particularly with the current and potential growth in Oracle's cloud business and the continued need for services partners to implement, integrate and manage Oracle's extensive suite of products for public and private enterprises."

AST has been a pure-play Oracle services partner since its founding in 1995. Founders Pravin Kumar and Shaji Zechariah held prior roles at Oracle Corporation before leveraging their project management expertise and close Oracle relationships to build AST. "AST has over twenty years of experience solving the challenges of public and private sector clients by making strategic investments in Oracle technologies and by developing innovative solutions for our customers," said Pravin Kumar, CEO of AST. "We look forward to continuing our close partnership with Oracle serving as the trusted advisor to our clients to help them meet and exceed their business objectives through innovative solutions that improve operational efficiency."

AST was represented in this transaction by martinwolf, a leading M&A advisory firm serving the mid-market IT industry. William Blair & Company acted as financial advisor to Tailwind during the transaction.

About AST

Established in 1995, AST is a Platinum level member of Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN), and Oracle Cloud Premier Partner. AST's services encompass all aspects of Oracle Cloud Applications, Business Intelligence, Enterprise Performance Management and Middleware implementations. AST offers flexible Managed Services and comprehensive Oracle University courses customized to the needs of its Public Sector and Commercial customers. Clients look to AST for leadership and assistance in systems integration, business process redesign, project management, systems administration and training.

About Tailwind Capital

Tailwind Capital is a leading middle market private equity firm focused on growth-oriented investments in targeted sectors within healthcare, business services and industrial services. Tailwind partners with experienced management teams and entrepreneurs to transform businesses through organic growth initiatives, acquisitions, and operational and strategic improvements. Since inception, Tailwind has managed funds with $2 billion of committed equity capital, having invested in 32 portfolio companies and 49 add-on acquisitions. For more information about Tailwind Capital, visit www.tailwind.com.

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