A private-equity-backed data and analytics company in the Empire State is snapping up an eight-year-old indexer in Southern California. One of the acquireree's co-founders is staying on.

Jane Louise Edmondson (nee Sutherland) VettaFi Head of Thematic Strategy

Jane Edmondson, co-founder and CEO of EQM Indexes, LLC, is staying on with VettaFi after its recent purchase of EQM, a spokesperson for VettaFi confirms. Edmondson now serves as head of thematic strategy at VettaFi.

On September 11, Leland Clemons, CEO of VettaFi, and Brian Coco, head of index products at VettaFi, confirmed that New York City-based VettaFi recently purchased San Diego-based EQM from Edmondson and her fellow EQM co-founder Dan Janowiak. The deal closed on September 8, a spokesperson for VettaFi confirms.

Daniel Thomas "Dan" Janowiak EQM Indexes LLC Co-Founder

"Dan is no longer part of the team," the spokesperson tells MFWire. "Jane will continue to be based in San Diego. The firm is not currently planning on merging any offices."

Pricing and terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Edmondson and Janowiak, both alumni of Allianz Global Investors, launched EQM in 2015. Prior to the VettaFi deal, EQM offered 18 indexes powering nearly $1 billion in assets, while VettaFi offered more than 300 indices. After the acquisition, VettaFi's indexes now power nearly $19 billion in assets, and the firm has more than 100 employees.

Leland Carroll Clemons VettaFi CEO

"VettaFi does not plan on changing the name of existing indices but all go-forward innovations will be VettaFi branded unless a client wishes otherwise," a spokesperson for VettaFi writes, confirming that they plan to continue offering all of EQM's existing indexes.

Clemons lauds EQM as "one of the most creative and forward-thinking groups in the business" and a boost for VettaFi's "all-star team of indexing professionals."

Brian David Coco VettaFi Head of Index Products

"Jane and her EQM colleagues have built a team that is often the first call for anyone looking to build a sophisticated, differentiated index, and their data-driven approach is a perfect fit for our philosophy," Clemons states.

"Building custom indexes is something at which Jane and EQM have long excelled, and we are very excited to add EQM's expertise to our index offerings," Coco states.

Edmondson, for her part, praises the VettaFi team for their "passion for data, analytics, and marketing" and puts the deal in the context of EQM's focus on "creating and supporting unique and innovative index products across a broad range of themese and asset classes."

"I look forward to collaborating with the VettaFi team to drive the next wave of asset management innovation," Edmondson states.

VettaFi is principally owned by the PE firm Aretex Capital Partners. The EQM deal is the latest in a series of deals since VettaFi formed in May 2022 out of the combination of Alerian, ETF Database, ETF Trends, and S-Network Global Indexes. Other acquisitions since then then Advisor Perspectives last fall and the ROBO Global index suite last spring. Watch for the VettaFi to make more acquisitions.

"The VettaFi team will continue to invest in its business to complete its offerings for clients," a spokesperson for VettaFi writes.

Before co-founding EQM, Edmondson served as a PM AllianzGI. Earlier, she worked with Nicholas-Applegate and Merrill Lynch. She is an alumna of San Diego State University and of UC Irvine.

Janowiak worked in business development roles at Private Asset Management, AllianzGI, and American Century before co-founding EQM. He also served as a Morgan Stanley FA. He is an alumnus of Western Illinois University. 

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