Strategies Direct Equity Investments

Globally diversified platform targeting the SMID market with unique positioning

Our direct equity investment strategy leverages the benefits of the Hamilton Lane platform and market access, aiming to execute high-quality direct equity investments and construct portfolios positioned to deliver compelling returns for our investors. The strategy is primarily focused on making direct equity investments in companies with small- to mid-sized enterprise values. By diversifying our investments, we seek to minimize market risks associated with over-exposure to a single general partner, geography, industry or deal type or size. Our objective is to maximize the multiple of invested capital as well as the IRR for each of the direct equity investments.

  • Leverage Hamilton Lane's extensive platform to drive unique and differentiated deal flow and access for our investors
  • Provide access to direct equity/ co-investments at preferential fees and terms versus traditional buyout funds
  • Focus on small- and mid-sized investments, with nearly 82% of investments co-underwritten or with proprietary access since 2014*

*Represents Proprietary, Advantaged, and Co-Underwritten invested deals in Hamilton Lane Co-Investment Fund III (EO III), Hamilton Lane Co-Investment Fund IV (EO IV) and Hamilton Lane Equity Opportunities Fund V (EO V) by deal count as of 6/30/2025.

654

Opportunities Reviewed YTD 2025**

$18.6B

Direct Equity AUM***

29

Years of Direct Equity Experience

**As of 10/1/2025

***Discretionary Assets Under Management ("AUM") includes all investments managed by Hamilton Lane for which Hamilton Lane retains a level of discretion for the investment decisions as of 10/11/2025. AUM equals assets under management for active accounts. AUM is equal to market value plus unfunded. AUM calculation does not include authorized to invest amounts (ANI). ANI can only be attributed to commingled fund-of-funds and separate accounts and cannot be attributed to underlying investments. Direct Equity AUM includes direct equity investments and does not include direct credit investments.


Deal Spotlights

AOM Infusion

Who they are

A leading specialty home infusion provider focused on chronic inflammatory disease therapies and biologics to treat 80+ chronic conditions.

Why it matters

The company is well-positioned to capitalize on the large market opportunity driven by an increase in home infusion as payors seek lower-cost care sites. The company's strong relationships with payors and health systems, white-glove patient service, tech stack and proprietary data and analytics infrastructure drive high satisfaction rates and position the company as a differentiated and highly scalable platform.

The HL advantage

The GP approached us early to serve as a co-underwriter, recognizing our capability to move quickly and decisively as a strategic partner. Our involvement enabled the sponsor to strengthen their position during the competitive auction process.

The bottom line

AOM has performed above expectations with LTM Q2 2025 revenue and EBITDA increasing 39% and 28%, respectively, over the prior year period.

RESA Power

Who they are

A provider of on-site electrical equipment services and solutions, including substation maintenance, electrical power system engineering and installation, and electrical component refurbishment and distribution for commercial and industrial customers.

Why it matters

The company is well positioned to take advantage of the large market opportunity as the electrical services sector rapidly expands, driven by increasing electrification demands (e.g., data centers and electric vehicles), the need for new build and support on aged, existing infrastructure and energy transition trends.

The HL advantage

We secured preferred access to the deal given our long-standing, multi-decade relationship with Kohlberg both through primary investments (LPAC member since 2001) and having collaborated on 25 co-investment deals over the past 16 years.

What's next

RESA has seen early positive momentum having outperformed budget every month in Q1 2025, with March being a record month for the company.

Bishop Street Underwriters

Who they are

A newly formed HoldCo consisting of recently acquired Managing General Agent (“MGA”) assets to create an insurance platform focused on providing terms and conditions in niche areas of expertise.

Why it matters

Bishop Street represents an opportunity to build a diversified MGA platform supported by an experienced GP. The company is positioned for substantial growth and expansion through strategic partnerships, proprietary deal sourcing and sector tailwinds in the specialty insurance market.

The HL advantage

This was a unique opportunity in which Redbird Capital showed us the initial opportunity in January 2024, which we declined due to the execution risk of identifying and acquiring the first assets on the platform. In September 2024, Redbird came back having completed several acquisitions and significantly derisking the deal. Redbird was also employing a similar playbook used for its investment in a previous buy and build strategy in the MGA space. We had exposure to this deal in a prior portfolio and it was successfully realized. We received our full allocation ask due to our long-standing relationship with Redbird and are the largest co-investor. This deal is also showing positive performance momentum with an early write-up expected.

Read our take on the current Direct Equity landscape
Our experienced, global direct equity team maintains a diverse range of sophisticated transactional skillsets, paired with differentiated sourcing capabilities to create unique opportunities in any climate. This has helped us deliver a best-in-class investor experience and consistently strong strategy performance. Our platform advantages allow us to access transactions that others cannot and utilizes a distinct private market information database to invest in the most attractive private companies around the world.
Drew Schardt
Co-Head of Direct Equity Investments

Leveraging our database of over 23,300 funds and 16,890 portfolio companies

Our data advantage is a key differentiator and allows the Direct Equity Investment Team to access an abundance of investment opportunities and information advantages throughout the investment lifecycle, from diligence to allocation to monitoring and reporting. We leverage our firm’s capabilities and in-depth knowledge of the private markets, as well as our significant technological reporting and analytical capabilities, to better understand the value drivers within a given investment and ultimately strive to generate compelling returns for our investors.

*As of 12/31/2024

Recent Content

Insights | 11 Min Read

Storm Clouds Upon Us: Navigating Private Equity's New Reality Through the Middle Market

Co-Heads of Direct Equity Investments Ken Binick and Drew Schardt discuss how middle-market business services can help investors navigate uncertainty.

Read the Research Article
Insights | 5 Min Read

Spotlighting Private Markets Education for Multiemployer Plans

A Q&A with Steve Binder, Head of Taft-Hartley Solutions, on private markets education and trends changing the investment landscape for multiemployer plans.

View the White Paper
News | 1 Min Read

KAIO Tokenizes Hamilton Lane Private Credit Fund on the Sei Network

KAIO has brought access to the private credit platform of leading global private markets investment management firm Hamilton Lane onchain through its integration with the Sei Network, expanding crypto-native access to alternative investment strategies.

Read the Press Release