Dechert’s Private Equity Team Advises Blackstone on Combined US$525 Million Strategic Investment in Property Finder

Dechert's London private equity team is advising Blackstone Growth on its investment in Property Finder, a leading property portal in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), as part of a US$525 million strategic investment round led by funds advised by Permira. Funds managed by Blackstone Growth are purchasing part of a stake held by private equity firm General Atlantic who will retain a significant minority shareholding, alongside the Founder and CEO of Property Finder, Michael Lahyani.

Blackstone is the world's largest alternative asset manager. Property Finder operates the MENA region's largest and most preferred property portal. The combined investment represents a meaningful minority stake and reaffirms Property Finder's position as a market leader and technology innovator in MENA's fast-growing property classifieds market.

The investment is intended to support Property Finder's next phase of growth by leveraging Blackstone's and Permira's international expertise, along with General Atlantic's network, to continue to scale the platform, expand into new markets across MENA and accelerate the use of technology and AI to improve the property search and transaction experience for consumers and partners. The transaction is subject to customary approvals.

The Dechert team that advised Blackstone was led by private equity partners Joseph Dennis and Nick Tomlinson, supported by tax partner, Dan Hawthorne and included corporate associates Freddy Bouttell and Liam Partridge; employment partner Jason Butwick, counsel Emma Byford and associate Antonina Szlesinger; intellectual property, IT, AI and privacy partner Paul Kavanagh; and Dubai based partners Amanjit K. Fagura and Colin Sharpsmith.

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