Rich Lawson's Bio

We are relationship investors with operating backgrounds who seek to partner with founder-owners, management teams and sponsors to build differentiated middle-market businesses in North America and beyond.

Rich Lawson is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of HGGC

Rich Lawson is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of HGGC. Based in Palo Alto, California, HGGC is a leading private equity firm with over $4.3 billion in cumulative capital commitments and oversees portfolio companies that employ more than 62,000 employees globally. Over its history, HGGC has completed platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of over $17 billion. Mr. Lawson has been involved in all phases of the firm’s development since its inception and directs HGGC’s firm governance, investment decisions and investor relations.

Mr. Lawson currently serves or has served as a director or chairman on the boards of HGGC’s portfolio companies, including RPX, HelpSystems, IDERA, Denodo, Nutraceutical, Aventri, Davies Group, Integrity, FPX, Selligent, Dealer-FX, Research Now SSI, Serena Software, AutoAlert, MyWebGrocer, hybris Software, Innovative Interfaces and Sunquest Information Systems.

Mr. Lawson also serves as a director, chairman emeritus or trustee of several philanthropic and cultural institutions including the Capital Impact Foundation, San Francisco Zoo, Wasatch Adaptive Sports and the Forever Young Foundation, the organization that is a primary benefactor of HGGC's carried interest proceeds used to support extensive philanthropic work in children's causes around the world.

Prior to leading HGGC, Mr. Lawson established predecessor private equity funds Huntsman Gay Capital Partners in 2007 with industrialist Jon M. Huntsman and Robert C. Gay, as well as Sorenson Capital in 2002 with medical products pioneer James LeVoy Sorenson. Mr. Lawson also worked at Morgan Stanley in its mergers and acquisitions department and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of enterprise software company Found, Inc.

About

Role Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Joined Inception
Education M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies from Amherst College

Contact

Phone650-321-4910
SocialLinkedIn

Portfolio Companies

AutoAlert

RPX

HelpSystems

Mi9

Serena

Denodo

IDERA

Nutraceutical

Aventri

FPX

Selligent

Dealer-FX

Davies Group

Integrity

Research Now SSI

MyWebGrocer

Innovative

hybris

Sunquest

HGGC leads consortium with General Atlantic and Respida Capital to create global retail software platform through merger of Mi9 Retail and MyWebGrocer

Oct 15, 2018

HGGC, General Atlantic merge portfolio companies to fight Amazon effect

Jul 13, 2018

etouches Announces Rebrand to Aventri

Jun 19, 2018

HGGC Completes RPX Buyout – Marks Second Take-Private Deal in Less than 12 Months

Jun 18, 2018

HGGC Successfully Completes Tender Offer for Outstanding Shares of RPX

May 02, 2018

The Amazon Factor: How Companies Are Contending With a Monster Competitor

Mar 30, 2018

WATCH: HGGC CEO Rich Lawson talking about private equity investing in today's economic environment

Feb 26, 2018

HGGC Strikes HelpSystems Software Deal

Feb 20, 2018

“Disruptive thinking” fuels HGGC’s latest tech investments in insurance sector

Jan 03, 2018

Deal Outlook: Facing Fierce Competition for Deals, PE Firms Work to Adapt

Dec 20, 2017

Research Now and SSI Merger Successfully Completed

Oct 12, 2017

HGGC merges SSI with Court Square’s Research Now to Create Global Data Powerhouse

Oct 12, 2017

Court Square and HGGC to Merge Market Research Leaders Research Now and SSI

Aug 23, 2017

HGGC Completes Acquisition of Nutraceutical International Corporation

Aug 23, 2017

The New Technology Investor

Aug 14, 2017

Davies Group announces CMSL acquisition in continuation of its growth strategy

Jul 19, 2017

IDERA Acquires AquaFold to Expand Database Tools Business

Jun 29, 2017

HGGC Strikes Global Deal in Spain for Software Provider Denodo

Jun 28, 2017

HGGC backs Data Virtualization Software Leader Denodo

May 31, 2017

HGGC Leads $1.125 Billion Recapitalization of IDERA

May 31, 2017

HGGC to Acquire IDERA for $1.125 Billion

May 22, 2017

Nutraceutical Enters Into A Definitive Agreement To Be Acquired By HGGC

May 09, 2017

HGGC Acquires Event Management Software Provider etouches

May 09, 2017

Leading Global Event Management Platform, etouches, is Acquired by HGGC

Apr 26, 2017

WATCH: HGGC Portfolio Company Selligent Case Study

Apr 26, 2017

WATCH: HGGC Portfolio Company Serena Exit Case Study

Apr 03, 2017

Talking Deal Prices: Offering owners a second bite at the apple for lower PPMs

Apr 03, 2017

HGGC buys Cynergie

Jan 31, 2017

HGGC Backs Claims Provider Davies Group, Betting on Tech Upgrades for the Insurance Industry

Jan 09, 2017

Former Silver Lake and KKR Execs Join HGGC Following Oversubscribed Fundraise

Dec 16, 2016

HGGC Closes Third Fund Speedily, as Buyers Seek New Technology for Old Markets

Dec 15, 2016

HGGC Surpasses $4 Billion Milestone

Dec 15, 2016

HGGC Closes on $1.84 Billion for Third Fund

Nov 22, 2016

Crunching Retail: Blackstone, HGGC and Walmart are among the buyers of coveted targets

Jul 19, 2016

HGGC Backs Integrity Marketing - Tops $6 billion in transactions during past fund cycle

Jul 19, 2016

HGGC Completes Platform Investment in Integrity Marketing Group

May 04, 2016

HGGC Completes Exit of Serena Software in $540 Million Cross-Border Transaction

Apr 27, 2016

HGGC acquire former $3 billion CPQ software provider FPX

Apr 26, 2016

HGGC Acquires CPQ Software Leader FPX

HGGC Acquires “Configure, Price, Quote” Software Leader FPX

Apr 18, 2016

Smile! HGGC marks sale by taking selfie - Pensions & Investments

Mar 27, 2016

HGGC Turned to Familiar Faces to Drive Growth of Serena Software

Mar 21, 2016

HGGC To Exit Serena Software in $540 Million Cross-Border Transaction

Feb 02, 2016

Rich Lawson confirmed speaker for SuperInvestor U.S. 2016

The Leading West Coast U.S. Private Equity & Venture Capital Event February 1-3, 2016 Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco

Jan 27, 2016

HGGC acquires Instantly and merges it with SSI

Jan 27, 2016

HGGC's Survey Sampling on a Deal Spree

Dec 30, 2015

Wall Street Journal - In Their Own Words With HGGC’s Rich Lawson

Oct 15, 2015

HGGC Merges Selligent and Strongview to Create Global Software Powerhouse

HGGC portfolio companies Selligent, a Belgium-based marketing automation and data management solutions provider and Redwood City, California-based StrongView, a contextual marketing company, have merged.

Oct 15, 2015

HGGC Combines Marketers Selligent and StrongView

In September, the tech-focused PE firm invested in StrongView and in July backed Selligent, which boasts Audi and Samsung as clients

Oct 14, 2015

HGGC CEO Rich Lawson Opening Keynote Speaker at Partner Connect

Opening the Event is Rich Lawson from HGGC

Sep 21, 2015

HGGC in deal for Sequoia Capital's Strongview

StrongView, a leading provider of contextual marketing solutions, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement for a strategic growth investment from HGGC.

Aug 31, 2015

Talking Top Quartile with Rich Lawson of HGGC

Huntsman Gay Capital Partners Fund LP, the vintage debut fund from HGGC, rang up an IRR of 18.2 percent as of Dec. 31, 2014 for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, placing close to a top-quartile performance for that vintage year.

Jul 10, 2015

HGGC Strikes Deal in Belgium for Selligent Software

Investment to Propel Company's Global Reach

Jul 10, 2015

HGGC to buy European software company Selligent

Middle market private equity firm HGGC is expected to announce an acquisition of a European automated marketing software company called Selligent for an undisclosed sum, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

May 11, 2015

HGGC CEO Rich Lawson Outlines Strategy for Deepening the Bench

Partners at the private equity firm, which include former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young, know a lot about how to draft and coach a Super Bowl-winning team.

May 04, 2015

Private Equity Firm HGGC Raises $1.3 Billion for New Fund

The men whose names were once on prominent display at HGGC may no longer work there. But the private equity firm has still managed to raise a second investment fund without them.

Mar 23, 2015

HGGC wins PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM OF THE YEAR

Closing an impressive nine acquisitions and one exit in 2014, tech-focused private equity firm HGGC also raised a successful new fund and proved its enduring vitality, despite a change in leadership and a new company name.

Mar 05, 2015

HGGC Closes Fund 2 Above Target

Private equity firm HGGC – formerly Huntsman Gay Global Capital – has held a final closing of its second fund, HGGC Fund II, LP, with total capital commitments of $1.33 billion, handily beating the target of $1 billion.

Mar 04, 2015

HGGC Raises $1.33 Billion Fund II

Mar 04, 2015

HGGC Final Close of Second Fund Illustrates Strength of Succession Plan

Founders still with the firm are Rich Lawson, Greg Benson and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young

Nov 10, 2014

HGGC to Make Majority Investment in SSI

Leading Provider of Data Solutions and Technology for Market Researchers

Nov 10, 2014

HGGC to Buy Control of Survey Sampling International

HGGC, a middle-market private equity firm, announced on Monday that it had bought a majority stake in Survey Sampling International, jumping into the business of providing corporate surveys.

May 01, 2014

Cover Story - HGGC applies an old-school PE approach to acquiring MWG

Apr 01, 2014

HGGC Revs Motor with 3 Deals in One Day

The firm, co-founded by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young (pictured), announced purchases of AutoAlert, Polaris Library Systems and closed on a Jabil Circuit unit

Apr 01, 2014

HGGC Invests in Cloud Services Provider Auto Alert

Despite rising valuations in the software industry, HGGC continues to close deals.

Mar 12, 2014

A Win-Win for HGGC and Serena Software

Mar 10, 2014

HGGC agrees to acquire Serena Software from Silver Lake

HGGC has agreed to acquire Serena Software, which provides IT application development and deployment solutions, from Silver Lake Partners.

Feb 20, 2014

Bloomberg Television's Deirdre Bolton Interviews HGGC CEO Rich Lawson

Feb 06, 2014

HGGC Kicks off 2014 with MWG Buy4Now acquisition in Ireland

Software was one of the most active sectors for middle-market M&A in 2013

Jan 08, 2014

HGGC featured in Dow Jones 2014 Private Equity Outlook Video Broadcast

Dec 24, 2013

Wall Street Journal - In Their Own Words: HGGC CEO Rich Lawson

In Their Own Words: HGGC’s Rich Lawson

Sep 10, 2013

Mergers & Acquisitions' editor-in-chief Mary Kathleen Flynn interviews HGGC CEO Rich Lawson

Acquisitions editor-in-chief Mary Kathleen Flynn interviews Rich Lawson on the generational shift.

Aug 01, 2013

HGGC Completes Sale of hybris Software to SAP

All Committed Capital from Debut Fund Returned to Investors

Aug 01, 2013

Mergers & Acquisitions - Draft Class

Several of today's PE leaders share a common past

Jun 11, 2013

HGGC Strikes Deal for MyWebGrocer

Jun 05, 2013

SAP to Acquire hybris to Deliver Next-Generation Customer Experience

Mar 28, 2013

Rich Lawson & Carl Thoma discuss future of middle market private equity

Mar 05, 2013

Meritech Leads $30M Injection into Hybris as IPO Planned for Later 2013

The Hybris deal closed Monday. Greylock Israel and HGGC, an existing investor, also participated, according to a statement.

Mar 05, 2013

Salesforce.com and Workday investors back hybris Software

Nov 06, 2012

Rich Lawson of Private Equity Firm HGGC: How to Build a GP Team, Avoid 'Fiefdoms'

Jul 30, 2012

Roper Industries to Acquire Sunquest Information Systems

Mar 02, 2012

Whodunit? HGGC and JMI, in the Library, with the Equity Investment

Dec 27, 2011

In Their Own Words: HGGC's Rich Lawson

Aug 24, 2011

HGGC invests in thriving software sector

HGGC has acquired an electronic-commerce software company based in Germany called hybris amid escalating deal activity in the software and services sector.

Aug 23, 2011

Hybris Merges With HGGC's iCongo

Aug 23, 2011

HGGC’s iCongo Completes Merger with Hybris

Private equity firm HGGC has orchestrated a triborder deal between portfolio company iCongo Inc., a Canadian commerce software company, and its German rival Hybris GmbH.

Apr 24, 2011

HGGC is 'Building Something Special'

Less than two years after closing a $1.1bn debut fund, the firm has completed 16 deals and is reaping the benefits of having built ‘a firm, not a fund,’ says co-founder Richard Lawson