MGT and Ares Management Combine Forces to Create First Unicorn in SLED Services Industry

MGT and Ares Management Combine Forces to Create First Unicorn in SLED Services Industry

TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MGT, a national technology and advisory solutions leader serving state, local, and education (SLED) and government clients, announced it has closed a $350 million investment from Ares Management Corporation, valuing the company at $1.25 billion. Ares Management Corporation, one of the world's largest alternative investment managers with approximately $572 billion in assets under management (AUM), joins existing MGT backers The Vistria Group, J.P. Morgan and WhiteHorse Capital.

"This investment validates both our strategy and our commitment to building the category-of-one social impact and performance leader in SLED," said Trey Traviesa, chief executive officer, MGT. "With Ares' support, we significantly expand our capacity to undertake larger acquisitions and accelerate the high-impact growth and transformation we set out to achieve in our ambitious value-creation plan."

MGT is midway through a four-year value-creation plan following Vistria's majority investment in April 2023. Since then, the company has tripled in enterprise value with rapid growth driven by its programmatic M&A strategy, strong organic growth and ambitious business transformation execution. Steeped in SLED domain expertise, MGT's 1,100-plus employee-owners now serve over 2,500 clients, impacting over 200 million people annually, including 20 million K-12 students. The company's broad portfolio of specialized technology and advisory solutions addresses mission-critical priorities – including technology modernization and AI, cyber and campus security, human capital, fiscal and facilities management, and K-12 school improvement – for state and local government agencies, K-12 districts, and higher education institutions across the U.S.

Founded in 1975, MGT has expanded rapidly under new leadership since 2016, through a combination of organic growth and 13 strategic acquisitions. In 2025, MGT ranked No. 830 on the Inc. 5000, recognizing the nation's fastest-growing private companies, and No. 6 on CRN's Fast Growth 150 list, honoring the fastest-growing technology companies in North America.

For more information on MGT, visit mgt.us or download the Annual Impact Report at mgt.us/2024_impact_report.

About The Vistria Group
The Vistria Group is building a new kind of private investment firm that seeks to deliver both financial returns and societal impact. It invests in essential industries like healthcare, knowledge and learning solutions, financial services, and housing, which deliver value for investors as well as communities, employees, and consumers. With $17 billion in assets under management, The Vistria Group works alongside management teams as true partners, drawing on its deep sector knowledge, operational expertise, unique network, diverse team, and impact orientation to achieve transformational growth.

About Ares Management Corporation 
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity, and infrastructure asset classes. Ares seeks to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for its stakeholders and within its communities.

Media Contact:
Lawrence Cowan
COO, Revenue Operations, MGT
801‑556‑2164
lcowan@mgt.us 

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SOURCE MGT