Matthew Kautz
Biography
Overview
Matthew Kautz is a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at White & Case, based in the New York office.
Matthew has extensive experience advising private equity funds and corporate clients in private and public domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate carve-outs, leveraged buyouts, dispositions, rollover equity investments and De-SPACs in a broad range of industries. He is adept at guiding clients through complex transactions structured as competitive auctions as well as bilateral negotiations, ensuring optimal outcomes in both domestic and international markets.
Matthew is a trusted partner for a number of strategic private equity clients, including Quad-C Management and Dominus Capital, having advised them and their portfolio companies on numerous acquisitions and dispositions for over a decade.
In addition to his robust private equity practice, Matthew has a proven track record of advising corporations and infrastructure funds on their most complex and innovative transactions across the infrastructure sector. His expertise in this area includes navigating the unique regulatory and commercial challenges associated with infrastructure investments and transactions across multiple infrastructure asset classes. His breadth of practice and decades of experience allows him to anticipate concerns, propose commercial solutions and promote agreement.
Clients in both public and private sector businesses benefit from his strategic counsel on general corporate matters, restructurings, and corporate governance.
Experience
Recent matters include the representation of:
Private Equity Experience:
Global Infrastructure Partners in its entrance into a strategic joint venture with Hess Corporation through the US$2.675 billion acquisition of a 50 percent interest in the owner of Hess's midstream crude oil and natural gas infrastructure assets located primarily in the Bakken Shale.
Quad-C Management, Inc. in numerous acquisitions, including its investments in AIT Worldwide Logistics; Engineered Fastener Company; IGH Investment Holdings; Joerns Healthcare LLC; McKissock LP; Network Hardware Resale; Pharm-Olam International Ltd.; Rainbow Early Education; The Wolf Holdings Organization, Inc.; VACO; and VMG Health.
Quad-C Management, Inc. in various dispositions, including the sale of Balboa Water Group; Curvature; Durcon; Generation Brands; NuSil Technology and Vaco.
Dominus Capital in its sale of On Campus Marketing, the largest provider of affinity programs for universities and colleges across the US; and in its investment in League Collegiate Outfitters, a college apparel company.
InterWrap Holdings Inc., a portfolio company of Quad-C Management, Inc. and a leading manufacturer of roofing underlayment and packaging materials, in its US$450 million sale to a wholly-owned subsidiary of Owens Corning.
Cloverhill Holdings, the indirect parent of Cloverhill Bakery and a portfolio company of Quad-C Management, in its US$700 million sale to Switzerland-based food group Aryzta AG.
Certares Management LLC, a leading US-based investment specialist which focuses its activities on several key sectors including travel and tourism, hospitality, business and consumer services, in its sale of AMA Waterways, a leading luxury river cruising company, to global investment firm L Catterton.
Mubadala Investment Company in its participation in a joint venture alongside NextDecade Corporation (ND), Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), GIC and TotalEnergies in connection with the financing of the construction of the first three liquefaction trains at ND's 27 million tonnes per annum Rio Grande LNG export facility in Brownsville, Texas). This transaction involved total financing of US$18.4 billion, making it the largest greenfield energy project financing in US history.
Good Springs Capital Fund I LP in its acquisition of a majority control of Kimbel Mechanical Systems, Inc., a national mechanical contractor performing all phases of plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work on new construction for mid to large-sized single-family residential projects, as well as multi-family residential projects.
Corporate/M&A experience:
Fortis, Inc. (NYSE, TSX: FTS), Canada's largest publicly-owned distribution utility, in its US$11.3 billion acquisition of ITC Holdings Corp. (NYSE: ITC); its US$4.3 billion acquisition of UNS Energy Corporation; and its US$1.5 billion acquisition of CH Energy Group (the transaction, which marked Fortis' entry into the US market, was named "Energy Deal of the Year" by The M&A Advisor).
BlackRock and First Reserve in acquiring a 45 percent interest in two natural gas pipelines in Mexico from PMI, a unit of state-owned oil and gas company Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX).
Met invest, B.V, the subsidiary of a privately-held Ukrainian conglomerate, in its acquisition of United Coal Company LLC, a coal producer with significant operations and reserves in the Central Appalachian region of the United States.
SSAB in its US$4.038 billion sale of four subsidiaries to Evraz Group, S.A., one of the world's largest vertically integrated steel and mining businesses. Matthew previously advised SSAB on its US$7.7 billion acquisition of Canadian steel producer IPSCO Inc.
WellPoint, the leading health benefits company in the US, in its US$6.5 billion acquisition of WellChoice, Inc., the largest health insurer in New York and the parent company of Empire BlueCross BlueShield.
De-SPAC experience:
Byte Acquisition Corp. on its US$225 million acquisition of Airship AI Holdings, Inc., a robust AI-driven edge video, sensor and data management platform for government agencies and enterprises.
Inflection Point Acquisition Corp., special purpose acquisition company, on its definitive business combination agreement with Intuitive Machines, LLC, a leading space exploration, infrastructure and services company.
Colonnade Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company (NYSE: CLAA), on its entry into a definitive agreement and plan of merger with Plastiq Inc., a B2B payments company for small and midsize businesses (SMBs).
Falcon's Beyond Global, LLC, a leading fully integrated global entertainment development company specializing in intellectual property creation and expansion, on its entry into a definitive merger agreement with FAST Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: FZT), a hospitality and entertainment focused special purpose acquisition company.
Zanite Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ZNTE), a special purpose acquisition company focused on the aviation sector, on its agreement to enter a definitive business combination agreement with Embraer S.A. to acquire EVE UAM, LLC (Eve), an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) business spanning electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) design and production, service and support, fleet operations and urban air traffic management.
CM Life Sciences III (NASDAQ: CMLT), a SPAC sponsored by affiliates of Casdin Capital, LLC and Corvex Management LP, in its US$3.65 billion business combination with EQRx, Inc.
CM Life Sciences II (NASDAQ: CMII), a SPAC sponsored by affiliates of Casdin Capital, LLC and Corvex Management LP, in its US$1.23 billion business combination with SomaLogic, Inc.
CM Life Sciences (NASDAQ: CMLF), a SPAC sponsored by affiliates of Casdin Capital, LLC and Corvex Management LP, in its US$2 billion business combination with Mount Sinai Genomics, Inc. d/b/a Sema4.
HighCape Capital Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: CAPA), a SPAC sponsored by HighCape Capital LP, a healthcare growth equity fund, in its US$1.46 billion business combination with Quantum-Si Incorporated, a pioneer in next generation semiconductor chip-based proteomics.
Leading Lawyer for Private Equity in the United States, Euromoney's Expert Guide, 2021
Recognized Individual for Private Equity Buyouts, Legal 500 USA, 2017
