Edison Partners on Monday said it is continuing to invest in its future with three promotions and the appointment of John Shearburn, a former Warburg Pincus managing director, as its senior adviser. The promotions follow two new partner hires and six portfolio company investments since the fourth quarter and reinforce the Princeton-based firm’s commitment to building a “forever firm.”
Steve Zieja has been elevated to principal, Grace Hahn to senior associate and Dylan Kiger to associate.
These promotions and the senior adviser appointment closely follow the promotion of Kelly Ford as Edison Partners’ first chief operating officer; the new hires of Rush Baker as partner, head of investor relations, and Casey Myers as partner, head of the Edison Edge value creation platform; and six investments since the fourth quarter of 2022: Field Effect, SPHERE, Lokavant, K1x, MacroFab and RapidDeploy.
“All of these developments underscore our commitment to investing in Edison Partners’ future, building a forever firm with enduring culture, a stellar portfolio and a talented and fully integrated team whose expertise and work together span investment execution and value creation throughout the entire investment lifecycle,” Chris Sugden, managing partner, Edison Partners, said.
“We’re proud of the talents, drive and value alignment that Steve, Grace and Dylan have brought to our firm. With these promotions, we recognize not only meaningful professional growth and results, but also the ‘whatever it takes’ attitude these individuals demonstrate every day that drive our firm’s culture, build for its future and, ultimately, benefit our limited partners and portfolio companies,” said Kelly Ford, general partner and chief operating officer, Edison Partners.
Zieja joined Edison in early 2022. He focuses on investments in the enterprise solutions sector, including the firm’s $20 million investment in Field Effect. Zieja also leads Edison’s investment development team.
Hahn focuses on identifying, evaluating and executing investment opportunities. She has made significant contributions to the firm’s investment development processes and, most recently, played an integral role in Edison’s investment in K1x.
Kiger joined Edison in 2020 as a summer intern. He focuses on sourcing and evaluating investments across financial technology, health care information technology and enterprise solutions sectors.
Shearburn brings to Edison a long and highly successful career in fundraising, investor relations, strategy and firm management. In this senior adviser role, he will provide guidance and support to the firm, particularly related to fundraising and investor relations.
“I am very pleased to join the Edison Partners team,” Shearburn said. “The growth equity space is exciting, Edison’s approach is differentiated and the team is exceptional. I look forward to applying my private equity experience, industry network and firm management skills to help the firm strengthen and expand limited partner relationships and scale Edison’s growth.”
