Unless you follow the private security contractor business you probably don’t recognize the name Constellis, but chances are good you know Blackwater.
Blackwater started as a private training facility in the late 90s by former Navy SEAL, Erik Prince, the company was sold in 2010 under the name Xe, after becoming a contracting powerhouse, to investment firms Forte Capital Advisors LLC and Manhattan Strategic Ventures LLC. At that point they rebranded as ACADEMI. Then, in 2014, Forte Capital and Manhattan Strategic purchased Triple Canopy and created Constellis Holdings. Interestingly, the Training Center in Moyock, North Carolina, initially founded by Prince, is but a shadow of its former self and it seems as if the Triple Canopy management has taken over. Last year, Constellis bought Olive Group, making it even larger.
Now, Apollo Global Management LLC, a private equity company, is in negotiations to purchase Constellis in a deal said to be worth up to $1 Billion.
