Leeds Equity Partners and OptionMetrics Partner to Expand Options and Futures Data Solutions

Private equity firm dedicated to creating long-term value for companies in Knowledge Industries makes significant investment in leading options and futures data and analytics provider

Leeds Equity Partners (“Leeds Equity”), the New York-based private equity firm, and OptionMetrics, the options and futures database and analytics provider for institutional investors and academic researchers worldwide, announced today that Leeds Equity is investing in OptionMetrics. OptionMetrics represents the first investment platform for Leeds Equity Partners VII, L.P. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Leeds Equity actively partners with exceptional management teams to drive innovation and growth in leading companies across the Knowledge Industries, and its investment in OptionMetrics will enable the Company to expand its data and analytics solutions, build upon client services and delivery tools, and meet the emerging needs of its customer base. The partnership strengthens OptionMetrics’ ability to support increasing investor demands for trading and risk assessment tools and represents Leeds Equity’s latest investment in a growing number of financial information services businesses, including Fulcrum Financial Data and CeriFi.

“We were impressed with Leeds Equity’s experience, expertise, and proven track record of success in working with information services providers and the academic world. We also appreciated the time they took to get to know us and our business,” said OptionMetrics Chief Executive Officer David Hait, Ph.D. “This partnership will be instrumental in giving us an edge as we continue to expand as a provider of critical data and information to financial market stakeholders and academic institutions.”

Hait, who founded the business over twenty years ago, will continue to lead as Chief Executive Officer and will also serve on the Board of Directors. Eran Steinberg will continue to serve as Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff.

Since its launch in 1999, OptionMetrics has become the premier provider of historical options and implied volatility data to portfolio managers, traders, and quantitative researchers at corporate, institutional investor and academic institutions worldwide. It recently added futures data to its U.S., European, Asian, Canadian, and Global Indices options data portfolio.

“We look to partner with innovative executives leading companies that address important challenges and deliver measurable, best-in-class outcomes,” said Scott VanHoy, Partner at Leeds Equity Partners. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with David, Eran, and the entire OptionMetrics team to continue to drive value to institutional investors and academic research clients.”

“OptionMetrics’ solutions deliver compelling trade analysis, risk assessment, and empirical research capabilities to the global investor and academic research communities,” said David Neverson, Principal at Leeds Equity Partners. “We are excited to partner with the OptionMetrics team to continue to support its loyal client base through investments in new products and inorganic growth initiatives that will enhance the Company’s data sets and provide greater distribution.”

Marlin & Associates served as financial advisor and Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP provided legal counsel to OptionMetrics. Polsinelli PC served as legal counsel to Leeds Equity Partners.

About Leeds Equity Partners:

Leeds Equity Partners is a New York-based private equity firm dedicated exclusively to partnering with management teams in the education, training, and information services industries (the "Knowledge Industries"). The firm was founded in 1993 and has managed $3.9 billion of capital across a broad spectrum of companies within the Knowledge Industries. Leeds Equity seeks to leverage its sector-focused expertise and market insights to create long-term value for its partner companies.

For additional information on Leeds Equity, see www.leedsequity.com.

About OptionMetrics:

With over 20 years as the premier provider of historical options and implied volatility data, OptionMetrics distributes its IvyDB databases to leading portfolio managers, traders, and quantitative researchers at corporate and academic institutions worldwide. Used to construct and test investment strategies, perform empirical research, and accurately assess risk, IvyDB provides comprehensive coverage of the equity, index, futures, and ETF options markets in the U.S., as well as Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Canada. Its IvyDB Futures offers settlement price data on 34 of the most liquid U.S. futures, beginning as early as 2005, and includes underlying futures and futures option settlement prices.

For additional information on OptionMetrics, see www.optionmetrics.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook.

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