Marlin Equity Partners, a global investment firm, today announced that 
Blackstone's (NYSE: BX) Strategic Capital Group has made a passive, minority 
investment in the firm.  

Blackstone's Strategic Capital Group is part of Blackstone Alternative Asset 
Management (BAAM) and specializes in minority partnerships with leading 
alternative asset managers. This investment will allow Marlin to continue to 
invest in and further expand its global investment platform, strengthen the 
commitment to and alignment with its diversified investor base, and leverage 
the global resources and capabilities of Blackstone. 

Since its inception in 2005, Marlin has rapidly grown to become a leading 
global investment firm with over $6.7 billion of capital under management and 
completed more than 140 transactions across its core targeted industries, 
including software, technology, healthcare IT, tech-enabled services and 
industrial technology.

"This investment by Blackstone further validates the best-in-class organization 
we have built and the true value proposition of our relationship-driven 
approach to investing," said David McGovern, Founder and CEO of Marlin.  "We 
are excited to welcome Blackstone as a strategic partner, and look forward to 
leveraging their expertise and extensive breadth of resources to continue to 
invest in and position our global platform for long-term success."

"Marlin's approach to investing places a heavy focus on partnering with 
management teams to support businesses, enhance operations and accelerate 
growth," said Scott Soussa, Head of BAAM's Strategic Capital Group. "This 
emphasis on long-term value creation across its underlying companies positions 
Marlin for continued success and we are excited to partner with them." 

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Evercore acted as financial advisor to Marlin Equity.  Kirkland & Ellis LLP 
served as legal counsel to Marlin Equity and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett served 
as legal counsel to Blackstone. 

About Marlin Equity Partners
Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with over $6.7 billion of 
capital under management. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, 
shareholders and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their 
business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple 
industries where its capital base, industry relationships and extensive network 
of operational resources significantly strengthen a company's outlook and 
enhance value. Since its inception, Marlin, through its group of funds and 
related companies, has successfully completed over 140 acquisitions. The firm 
is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional office in 
London. For more information, please visit www.marlinequity.com.

About Blackstone Alternative Asset Management
Blackstone Alternative Asset Management (BAAM(R)), Blackstone's Hedge Fund 
Solutions platform, is the world's largest discretionary investor in hedge 
funds, with approximately $80 billion in assets under management. BAAM manages 
a diversified set of businesses including a customized solutions business, a 
special situations platform, a hedge fund seeding business, an open-ended 
mutual fund platform and a business that purchases stakes in established 
alternative asset managers. In all of BAAM's business lines, it carefully 
selects and partners with fund managers across a variety of asset classes and 
strategies to create solutions for its investors. Through its sharp focus on 
clients' goals, a rigorous due-diligence process and access to Blackstone's 
global insights, BAAM strives to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns 
across market cycles while preserving capital during stressed market 
environments.
 
SOURCE: Marlin Equity Partners

CONTACT: Peter Spasov, +1 310-364-0100, pspasov@marlinequity.com