MPK Equity Partners Successfully Exits Investment in Unleashed Brands

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Feb 27, 2023, 10:05 ET

DALLAS, Feb 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MPK Equity Partners, LLC ("MPK") announced today the sale of its portfolio company Unleashed Brands, LLC ("Unleashed") to Seidler Equity Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Unleashed is the first of its kind Youth Enrichment franchise platform, representing a collection of premier, high-growth franchise brands focused on the needs of children as they "learn, play and grow". Founded as Urban Air Adventure Park ("Urban Air") in 2011 by CEO, Michael Browning, Unleashed's platform has quickly evolved and now positively impacts America's youth at every stage of their development journey. Today, Unleashed is the #1 franchise platform serving families, and its category-leading brands currently include Urban Air Adventure Park, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Premier Martial Arts, and Class 101. These brands collectively serve over 25 million children annually.

MPK, along with AHR Growth Partners and Mantucket Capital, partnered with Michael Browning in 2018 to pursue a strategy of franchise growth with the Urban Air brand. Given the success of Urban Air, Unleashed Brands was created in 2021 to leverage the systems, platform, and outstanding team that had been built at Urban Air to develop and acquire other category-leading brands serving America's youth.

"Michael Browning is a true visionary. Over the past decade, he has evolved a simple trampoline park, headquartered in a small garage, to what Unleashed is today. He and his team continue to partner with incredible franchisees who seek to have a positive impact on the lives of every child and every family coming through their doors by providing fun, engaging, and inspiring experiences. Our society needs more visionaries and passionate entrepreneurs like Michael," said Patrick K. McGee, Managing Partner of MPK.

"It has been a privilege working with the entire Unleashed team over the last several years. We have watched them successfully navigate growing from 38 Urban Air locations at the time of our investment to over 800 locations across six brands today," said Nick Huerta, a Partner of MPK. "The team's collective dedication to Unleashed's mission of helping kids become the best version of themselves is inspiring, and we are excited to see where this next chapter takes them."

Michael Browning, Founder and CEO of Unleashed, added: "Our partnership with MPK has been wonderful. The Unleashed team is grateful for the many insights and strategic vision provided by Patrick, Nick, and the rest of the MPK team. We are all proud of what has been created and look forward to the many opportunities ahead with the Unleashed Brands."

About MPK Equity Partners

MPK is a Dallas-based private investment firm partnering with exceptional entrepreneurs and executives to invest in and acquire growing, profitable, category-leading companies. Among other high-growth sectors, MPK has a particular focus on partnering with founder-owned franchisors. In addition to Unleashed Brands, past and present MPK franchisor investments include Radiance Holdings (a leading platform for health, wellness, and beauty franchisors, including Sola Salon Studios and The Woodhouse Day Spa), Stellar Service Brands (a leading residential services platform, including Restoration 1, bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, Softroc, and The Driveway Company), Zoom Drain, and PatchMaster. For more information, please visit www.mpkequitypartners.com.

About Unleashed Brands

Unleashed Brands currently includes portfolio brands Urban Air, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101, and Premier Martial Arts and was founded to curate and grow a portfolio of the most innovative and profitable brands that help kids learn, play and grow. Over the last 10 years, the team at Unleashed Brands has built a proven platform and know-how for scaling businesses focused on serving families. Its mission is to impact the lives of every kid by providing fun, engaging, and inspiring experiences that help them become who they are destined to be. For more information, please visit www.unleashedbrands.com.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE MPK Equity Partners, LLC