Ducera Partners
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment banking, Financial services |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Michael Kramer, Derron Slonecker, Joshua Scherer, Agnes Tang, Adam Verost |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Advisory services related to restructuring, wealth management, growth capital |
Ducera Partners (commonly known as Ducera) is a U.S.-based boutique investment bank that concentrates on providing advisory services related to restructuring for corporate clients. In addition, through its affiliated partners, the firm extends offerings in wealth management and growth capital. The company is headquartered in New York City and operates additional branches in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Stamford.
Established in 2015 by a group of former Perella Weinberg Partners (PWP) bankers—Michael Kramer, Derron Slonecker, Joshua Scherer, Agnes Tang, and Adam Verost—Ducera has been engaged in legal conflicts with PWP.
History
The inception of Ducera occurred in 2015 when Michael Kramer, Derron Slonecker, Joshua Scherer, Agnes Tang, and Adam Verost joined forces to launch the firm. Prior to this, Kramer, Slonecker, Scherer, and Verost had worked together at PWP but were terminated and subsequently sued by the firm amid accusations that they intended to establish a competing business. The founders of Ducera responded with countersuits alleging defamation and wrongful appropriation of equity stakes, contesting the original allegations. In 2016, a New York state court dismissed certain compensation-related claims against them but permitted defamation and tortious business interference charges to move forward.
In 2015, Ducera played a key role in restructuring $72 billion of debt on behalf of bondholders associated with the Puerto Rico Government Development Bank. The next year, Ducera collaborated with Morgan Stanley to advise Monsanto during its $66 billion acquisition by Bayer, reportedly generating $50 million in advisory fees.