Endeavor’s Whitesell to launch Silver Lake-backed outfit with $250m war chest

Endeavor Group executive chairman Patrick Whitesell is set to launch a new media company with US$250m in seed equity from tech-focused private equity company Silver Lake.

Patrick Whitesell

The new firm plans to invest in and provide services to companies in the entertainment, media and sports businesses and will develop, produce and finance content across TV, film and audio. It will also be involved in talent management and consultancy.

Plans for the company, which will be founded, managed and controlled by Whitesell, were disclosed by US-based media giant Endeavor in a securities filing on Wednesday. According to the filing, the executive’s role at Endeavor won’t change with the planned launch of the new company.

Whitesell has been executive chairman of Endeavor Group Holdings since 2017 and also sits on Endeavor’s board of directors. He was formerly co-CEO of Endeavor after having served as co-CEO of talent management giant William Morris Endeavor.

The disclosure came the day after the announcement that Silver Lake will take US-based media giant Endeavor private less than three years after its initial public offering. Through the deal, Silver Lake will acquire 100% of the shares in Endeavor that it does not already own.

The transaction values Endeavor at around US$13bn and, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions, is expected to conclude by the end of the first quarter of 2025.

The deal does not include UFC and WWE parent firm TKO Group, which launched last year after Endeavor acquired WWE, merged it with UFC parent company Zuffa and spun off the companies into a new publicly traded entity.