Swoon Acquires KSA Technology Partners

February 13, 2025 – Chicago-based recruiting firm Swoon has acquired KSA Technology Partners, a staffing firm specializing in telecommunications and digital infrastructure such as wireless telecom, fiber broadband and data centers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Both Swoon and KSA Technology Partners share a commitment to innovation, excellence, and delivering exceptional value to our clients,” said Lori Miller, president of Swoon. “At Swoon, we pride ourselves on cultivating expertise in emerging technologies, and this partnership presents exciting opportunities to explore new frontiers together. With our shared values and vision, this expansion is a natural progression in Swoon’s growth journey. It not only unlocks new opportunities but also positions us as a key player in the digital infrastructure space, furthering our mission to become the go-to partner for industry leaders.”

KSA is based in San Diego and was founded in March 2020 by Amy Moreno. The entire KSA team will join Swoon’s telecommunications sector, with Ms. Moreno serving as executive VP. “This acquisition reflects Swoon’s long-term investment in delivering exceptional value and staying at the forefront of industry trends,” the firm said. By expanding our capabilities, we are further reinforcing our dedication to empowering clients to achieve their goals both now and in the future.

“Our team is small, but we have been able to differentiate ourselves due to our longevity in this space,” said Ms. Moreno. “We have key relationships that span decades, and we recognize that it starts and stops with our candidates and how we treat them. Our knowledge and expertise have allowed us to recognize gaps in clients’ hiring models, and we have helped them create more efficient and effective hiring processes.”

“There is a huge opportunity within the data center space that is ready for a major staffing player like Swoon to come in and help upskill, reskill, and identify new talent for the overwhelming hiring efforts that will be taking place within the next several years,” Ms. Moreno said. “I truly believe this partnership will open up new doors for everyone involved—whether that’s providing our employees with more career growth opportunities, offering our clients enhanced support and more flexible staffing solutions, or giving our candidates a chance to build meaningful, long-term careers in a variety of industries.”

Recent M&A Activity

Acquisitions and consolidations continue to make news in the recruiting industry, with a number of notable purchases in recent months. Here is a sampling from the Hunt Scanlon Media archives:

Global talent advisory firm ZRG has acquired Aspen Leadership Group, a search firm focused on placing and supporting top fundraising leaders and executive talent in educational institutions and the broader non-profit sector. Hunt Scanlon Ventures, the Greenwich, Connecticut-based human capital M&A advisory firm, served as an advisor on the deal. “The addition of Aspen Leadership Group is nothing short of transformative,” said Larry Hartmann, CEO of ZRG. “Their expertise in development and advancement is the perfect complement to our growing education practice, and as we roll into 2025 we are unlocking the collective power of these exceptional niche businesses under the unified banner of ZRG’s education practice, creating unmatched solutions for academic and non-profit leadership.”

Talento Human Capital (TalentoHC) has acquired The PeterSan Group and PeterSan Legal Staffing. Hunt Scanlon Ventures, based in Greenwich, Conn., served as an advisor to both organizations. The merger brings expertise in legal recruiting to TalentoHC’s customer experience model and comprehensive human capital services, including retained executive search, professional and management recruiting, RPO, staff augmentation, and human capital consulting. Managing partners Peter Gosule, Peter Goldfeder, and Sandy Friedman of The PeterSan Group will lead the TalentoLegal business unit from New York City, where the firm has been rooted for three decades. “The PeterSan transaction fits in well with our platform strategy as we build onto our customer-centric model and expand our industry and functional vertical focus,” said Juan Gaitan, CEO of TalentoHC, based in Coral Gables, FL. “The intersection of these two approaches will create opportunities for continued growth and value for our customers, candidates, associates and shareholders.”

Hanold Associates HR & Diversity Executive Search has been acquired by entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Co-founded by Neela Seenandan and Jason Hanold, Hanold Associates recruits diverse corporate officers and board directors, with a significant focus on leading high-profile searches for chief people and HR officers across a wide array of industries. Hanold Associates’ team of 20 colleagues will be folded into CAA’s executive search division. “We continue in our longstanding efforts to innovate growth opportunities across all facets of CAA that further our commitment to providing unmatched resources to our esteemed clients worldwide,” said Paul Danforth, CAA managing director and president, CAA Sports. “CAA was the first talent agency to launch an executive search division, and we are thrilled with the incredible success that Joe Becher, Asher Simons, and their team consistently deliver to their clients across sports and entertainment. The addition of Hanold Associates, and its unique expertise, will amplify our efforts in this important service area and we are excited to see what these two teams can accomplish together.”

Related: M&A Deal Volumes Jump As CEOs Hunt Down Acquisitions

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor  – Hunt Scanlon Media