Uni-World Capital Invests in CAPS Universal

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Uni-World Capital, L.P., a private equity firm, has made a multi-million dollar investment in CAPS Universal, a leading provider of payroll  and benefits administration services to the entertainment industry. The recapitalization of CAPS Universal will facilitate the expansion of its service offerings and enhance customer service to accelerate its double-digit annual growth rate. CAPS Universal co-founders Howard Siegel and Eric Capogrosso maintain sizable ownership stakes in the company, and Capogrosso remains chief executive officer. Prudential Capital Group, an affiliate of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU), also participated in the transaction as a co-investor.

"The entertainment industry is perfectly suited for CAPS Universal's specialized services, as films, TV shows, commercials, venues, music tours and other live events require large numbers of employees for short periods of time," said Scott M. Porter, partner at Uni-World Capital. "Since 1991, CAPS Universal has grown from a start-up enterprise to one of the top payroll providers in this sector because their strong platform combines outstanding customer service and powerful information technology – such as a client-facing online portal – and specialty accounting services. This investment allows us to partner with Howard and Eric to capitalize future growth."

"We welcome the addition of Uni-World Capital and Prudential Capital Group as investors in CAPS Universal," said Capogrosso. "Their support validates that our business model has the right mix of 'high tech' systems and 'high touch' service to succeed in the demanding entertainment field.  The additional funding will help us accelerate our growth by enabling us to enter new sectors and geographies, while continuing to provide our current clients with the trusted and reliable services they count on from CAPS Universal."

"CAPS Universal is an exciting addition to our portfolio," said Christopher P. Fuller, managing partner at Uni-World Capital. "This is the second platform investment we have made this year, as we continue to identify strong, profitable companies that have reached a critical inflection point in their growth cycle. We believe the management insight and funding we provide will benefit all parties by helping companies like CAPS Universal achieve the next stage of growth and development."

"We are proud to support Uni-World and CAPS Universal in both growing CAPS Universal's business and expanding into new markets," said Matt Douglass, Senior Vice President at Prudential Capital Group.  "We look forward to continuing our relationship with them as they continue to grow."

About Uni-World Capital, L.P.

Uni-World Capital, L.P. is a private equity firm focused on making leveraged buyout and growth equity investments in lower-middle market companies. We seek to partner with management teams where we can leverage our team's collective business experience, corporate relationships and strategic and financial expertise in order to help enhance a company's strategic positioning and drive profitable growth. More information can be found at http://www.uniworldcapital.com .

About CAPS Universal

Founded in 1991, CAPS Universal provides payroll and other Human Resources Outsourcing (HRO) services to the film, television, music, commercials, venues and live music segments of the entertainment industry. With a management team averaging 25 years of experience, CAPS Universal has deep experience with collective bargaining agreements and the constantly changing tax code necessary to providing timely, accurate and outstanding service. For more information, visit www.capsuniversalpayroll.com .

About Prudential Capital Group

Prudential Capital Group has been a leading provider of private debt, mezzanine and equity securities to middle market companies worldwide for more than 70 years.  Prudential Capital Group manages a portfolio of more than $54 billion (as of March 31, 2011),  and is one of the world's largest providers of private placements.  Prudential Capital Group is an affiliate of Prudential Financial Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $859 billion of assets under management (as of March 31, 2011).

SOURCE Uni-World Capital, L.P.