Grain Management, LLC

This month, Grain’s Founder & CEO, David J. Grain, joined other Black business leaders and innovators for Goldman Sachs’ annual Views from the Vineyard summer reception. Joined by President & COO of Goldman Sachs, John Waldron, David shared the Firm’s core philosophy of “Doing the Right things, for the Right reasons, in the Right way, at the Right time.” These four Rs drive everything we do at the Firm, from evaluating investments, to growing our employee base and empowering our partners. Thank you to Goldman Sachs for inviting David to speak. We look forward to attending next year’s reception and hearing from other industry leaders.

Last month, the Grain Team Arya Heidari Jeff Freyer Suraj Aulakh alongside CORE Data Centres hosted the Annual BBQ/ Pizza cookout at the Firm’s premier Tier III data center, 55H. Strategically located in Brampton Ontario, 55H is positioned near Canada’s business and financial capital and is ready to meet the growing demand of the Canadian market. Special thank you to our guest speaker, Ross DiStefano, SVP of Global AI Solutions and Services from Infostream Solutions Inc. With technologies like AI at the top of everyone’s mind, it was great to provide a space for dialogue, fellowship….and some good BBQ! For more information on 55H or any of Grain’s investments, visit our website. https://lnkd.in/eWcVqRFC

Grain Management is proud to announce the Firm has completed its acquisition of 123NET, a premier commercial & residential fiber internet, data center interconnectivity & colocation, and business voice services provider based in Michigan. Grain’s majority interest in 123NET is a continuation of the Firm’s industry-specialist approach to creating value through investments in fiber and data center technology. “Grain is thrilled to be collaborating with the accomplished executive team at 123NET,” said Raghav Nayar, Managing Director at Grain. “Their data-driven approach to growth and innovation combined with their commitment to community is inspiring. We believe that 123NET’s culture aligns perfectly with Grain’s commitment to precision and innovation, and to our dedication to creating sustainable value in our interconnected world.” Our combined teams are excited to get to work to serve 123NET’s loyal customers and advance on new, exciting opportunities on the horizon. For more information on the acquisition, read the full press release. https://lnkd.in/eYAdwYhn

Grain Management is excited to announce that Alares Internet, an independent operator of telecommunications services in Brazil, has agreed to acquire Azza Telecom. Since joining the Grain platform in 2021, Alares has experienced tremendous growth, offering internet access via fiber optics, subscription TV, wireline and streaming. Partnering with Azza will represent another important step in Alares’ growth strategy and reinforce its performance as a key player in the consolidation of the Brazilian broadband market. With this acquisition, Alares will serve more than 765,000 customers in 228 cities across seven states in the Southeast, Northeast, and South regions of the country, and solidify its position as the #1 provider in 40% of the cities in which it operates and the #2 provider in 24%. Please join us in congratulating the Alares team on this strategic move, making Alares the sixth largest ISP in Brazil. For more information on the transaction, read the full press release below. 

Army Veteran and Grain Managing Director, Chad Crank, recently sat with CoBank's Digital Infrastructure Lead Economist, Jeff Johnston, CFA, for their All Day Digital Podcast series. The monthly series connects communications executives and thought leaders to get their perspective on what’s shaping the industry. In this latest episode, the pair discussed the benefit of public/private sector cooperation and the new business opportunities the Department of Defense represents for rural operators. You can listen to the episode in the link below, if you have any questions about Grain’s portfolio visit our website. https://lnkd.in/eWcVqRFC

Earlier this year, our Founder & CEO David J. Grain joined Verdun Perry of Blackstone and Marty Nesbitt of The Vistria Group for a panel at Harvard Business School for their annual H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference. The conference, named after the notable 1933 alum, gathers HBS alumni, current students, and other professionals to discuss culture and politics across all major industries. David was honored to share his experience founding and scaling a private equity firm alongside his panelists who faced similar feats as they advanced in their careers. Higher education and entrepreneurship have always been a passion of David’s, and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate today’s holiday by reflecting on his mission to instill these core tenants in the next generation of diverse leaders. Thank you to Harvard’s African American Student Union and their Black Investment Club for the invitation to speak. We are excited to see what’s in store for next year.

Council of Urban Professionals’ (CUP), recently named Grain’s Founder & CEO, David J. Grain, as this year’s Breakthrough Leadership Award recipient. CUP’s mission is to elevate the next generation of diverse leaders, David is honored to accept this award for his exceptional leadership and achievements in business and his community. David will receive the award on June 20th at CUP’s annual Leadership Gala in New York City, please join us if you are in the area. For more information on David and his accomplishments, visit Grain’s team page. https://lnkd.in/egZitfgw

This morning, Managing Director Nikola Trkulja, will be speaking on the “Keep Capital Flowing Into Passive Telecom Infrastructure” panel at this year’s TowerXchange - a techoraco brand Meetup Americas conference. The two-day conference is a must attend industry event for investors, towercos, and operators in the Latin American telecom ecosystem. If you are in the Miami area, stop by to hear Nikola and other industry experts discuss the evolving tower financing landscape. If you have any questions about Grain or our investment professionals check out our website. www.graingp.com

Grain is always exploring ways to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for our employees, especially those in the earlier stages of their career. Leveraging the breadth of knowledge and experience at the Firm, our young professionals Employee Resource Group, Generation Grain (GenG), began hosting Career Fireside Chat events where members can hear from our senior leadership and industry partners. Last month, GenG kicked off the speaker series with Grain Senior Advisor Franklin Raines, retired Chairman & CEO of Fannie Mae with decades of investing and management experience under his belt. Vice President Tanner Goode interviewed Mr. Raines in a discussion of how he successfully navigated challenges and capitalized on opportunities throughout his impressive career. Huge thank you to our Senior Advisor Frank Raines for sharing his wisdom with the young men of GenG. We can’t wait to hear from the next dynamic speaker in this series. Great job Tanner Goode and Nicholas Schulkin for coordinating this insightful conversation. For more information about Grain’s Employee Resource Groups, check out our Responsibility Page. https://lnkd.in/e5tcRzgX

Our belief in the idea that diversity of thought and background has the potential to create long-term value is reaffirmed through the success and deep experience of our diverse team. Currently, diverse professionals represent 60% of our deal team and 60% of the Firm’s senior leadership. As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are honored to highlight one of our investment team leaders who embodies our core philosophy. Investment team Principal Jeff Zhou joined the firm in 2020, he has over a decade of experience in media and communications both in investment banking and in corporate development. His unique work experience and interdisciplinary fields of study help make him an integral part of the Grain deal team. As the current co-chair of GenG, Grain’s employee resource group (ERG) fostering the growth of young professionals, and the membership committee lead of MOSIAC, Grain’s ERG supporting diverse professionals, Jeff is committed to championing diversity within our industry and helping shape the leaders of tomorrow. We are proud to partner with him and other Grain leaders as we work together to reach new heights. To learn more about Grain’s diversity, visit our Corporate Responsibility page. https://lnkd.in/e5tcRzgX