RLJ Equity Partners, the private equity shop started by Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson and backed by The Carlyle Group, recently named two managing directors and has plans to build a staff of eight. Daphne Dufresne, one of the managing directors, said the Washington, D.C.-based shop wants to hire six junior-level staff this year while it raises its first fund. The fund has a reported target of $500 million, but could be less, she said. Carlyle will reportedly hold a 20% stake.
Last week, RLJ announced its two managing directors, Alan Nichols and Dufresne. Nichols was the cfo of BET Holdings before moving to Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm in San Francisco. Dufresne joined RLJ from Parish Capital Advisors, a fund-of-funds that also directly invested in companies alongside buyout shops. At Weston Presidio in Boston, she played a large role in its deal for Hunter Fan Co.
The collaboration between Johnson and Carlyle launched in December. RLJ plans to invest $20-$75 million of equity in each transaction and target growing companies across a range of industries, including media, financial services and consumer products. Dufresne said Johnson brings the shop “a built-in network of proprietary deals.”
RLJ Equity Partners is a subsidiary of RLJ Companies, which houses Johnson’s other businesses.