Harris Williams Advises International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) on its Sale to Tailwind Capital

Harris Williams, a global investment bank specializing in M&A advisory services, announces it advised International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), a portfolio company of the BERKS Group, on its sale to Tailwind Capital (Tailwind). ISSA is a pioneer in eLearning and certification for the fitness and wellness community. The transaction was led by Sam Hendler, Andy Leed and Ben de Fiebre of the Harris Williams Technology Group and Zach England and Christopher Neils of the firm’s Consumer Group.

“It was a pleasure working with the teams at ISSA and the BERKS Group,” said Sam Hendler, a managing director at Harris Williams. “Under the leadership of CEO and industry veteran Andrew Wyant, ISSA has become a leader in the fitness and wellness certification industry, and we look forward to watching the company’s continued success and growth under new ownership.”

“We are very proud of ISSA’s explosive growth while partnered with the BERKS Group’s education technology team,” said Brian Bradley, BERKS Group president. “Harris Williams recognized the quality of the company and facilitated a buyer engagement strategy that was a win for everyone.”

“We are excited to see how ISSA will continue to evolve in partnership with Tailwind over the coming years,” said Andy Leed, a director at Harris Williams. “This transaction extends our experience in the professional education sector and is further proof that best-in-class companies like ISSA will continue to command strong market interest despite uncertain economic conditions.”

“This transaction marks another successful outcome in the fitness space for Harris Williams,” said Zach England, a director at Harris Williams. “As we continue to see a growing convergence across technology and fitness, we expect there to be more transactions that will benefit from collaboration across our Consumer Group and Technology Group at Harris Williams.”

ISSA is the premier eLearning platform to the global fitness and wellness industry. Each year, ISSA educates thousands of professionals and knowledge seekers across a broad set of disciplines, including personal training, yoga, health coaching, nutrition, cycling, and strength and conditioning. For more than 30 years, ISSA has been committed to providing the highest quality certification program by merging fitness experience with practical applied sciences and building trust to help people achieve their goals. ISSA offers more than 20 specialized fitness and wellness certifications with over 8,000 established employer relationships. To date, ISSA has trained more than 300,000 students and placed personal trainers in over 140 countries, all while continuing to develop greater access to opportunities that promote a healthier world.