Veronis Suhler Stevenson
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment management, Private equity |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | John J. Veronis, John S. Suhler |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | North America, Europe |
Key people | Jeffrey T. Stevenson (partner) |
| Products | Private equity funds, investment management |
Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS) is a privately held investment company focusing on sectors such as information, business services, healthcare IT, education, media, and marketing throughout North America and Europe.
Since its inception in 1987, VSS has overseen seven private investment funds with initial capital commitments exceeding $3 billion. These include four equity funds alongside two structured capital funds. Through these vehicles, the firm has invested in 74 platform enterprises that have collectively executed more than 330 add-on acquisitions.
The firm's main office is located in New York City, with additional operations conducted in London under the name Veronis Suhler Stevenson International Ltd.
Corporate history
Originally established in 1981 as Veronis, Suhler & Associates (VS&A) by John J. Veronis, cofounder of Psychology Today, and John S. Suhler, former president of CBS Publishing Group, the company expanded when Jeffrey T. Stevenson joined in 1982 and was later named partner in 2001.
Investment and buyout activities
By 2013, VSS's equity and capital funds had supported 74 companies involved in over 300 acquisition transactions. Among its prominent portfolio companies are Infobase Publishing, Kansas Broadcasting System, ITE Group, Granada Learning, CSC Media Group, Cambium Learning Group, and Yellow Book USA. The firm initiated management of equity and mezzanine funds in 1987, completing roughly 25 media-related deals valued at more than $1 billion that year. By 2006, total managed commitments had grown beyond $2.8 billion.
In 2005, VSS collaborated with Mecom Group, led by former Mirror Group CEO David Montgomery, to purchase Berliner Verlag—the publisher behind Berliner Zeitung and Berliner Kurier—for £53 million from Holtzbrinck. This acquisition represented the first instance of a foreign entity taking control of a German daily newspaper.
Media industry publications
In addition to its investment and recapitalization endeavors, VSS produces research focusing on financing, market forecasts, and trends within the media, publishing, and communications industries. It publishes two principal American media sector periodicals: Communications Industry Forecast and Communications Industry Report, both widely recognized within the field.