StepStone Group announces five new hires

July 17, 2007, La Jolla, CA – StepStone Group LLC today announced five additions to its investment team: Scott Hart as a Senior Associate, Erika Streck as an Associate, John Coelho as an Associate, John Kettnich as an Analyst, and Anthony Cusano as an Analyst. All five will be members of StepStone’s research and due diligence team. StepStone Group provides customized private equity investment management and advisory services to institutional investors.

Mr. Hart, Senior Associate, was previously an Associate with Texas Pacific Group (“TPG”), where he participated in all aspects of investment evaluation. While at TPG, Mr. Hart was involved in the analysis of some of the largest buy-out transactions in US history. Prior to TPG, Mr. Hart was an Analyst at Morgan Stanley in the firm’s Investment Banking, Retail and Consumer Group. Mr. Hart earned a BBA in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, summa cum laude. He is on the leadership board of the Joy of Sports Foundation, an organization that teaches critical life success skills to at-risk children through sports.

Ms. Streck, Associate, was previously an Associate at Allied Capital Corporation in Washington, D.C. where she focused on direct private equity investments. Prior to Allied, she was a financial Analyst at Edgeview Partners, a boutique investment bank. Ms. Streck holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead Scholar. She is on the board of Breakthrough Collaborative, an after-school summer enrichment program in the District of Columbia.

Mr. Coelho, Associate, was previously an Assistant Vice President with ATEL Capital Group, a middle market lending institution. Prior to ATEL, Mr. Coelho was an Associate with Plantagenet Capital Management, where he focused on direct private equity investments. Before that, he was an Associate in the Investment Banking Group at Piper Jaffray & Company. Mr. Coelho received his MBA and BS in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley.

Mr. Kettnich, Analyst, was previously an Analyst with Pacific Corporate Group, where he focused on direct private equity investments and portfolio analytics. Mr. Kettnich received his BBA from the University of San Diego, summa cum laude, in Business Administration where he focused his studies on Private Equity and Venture Capital.

Mr. Cusano, Analyst, was previously an Analyst with the Meridian Value Fund (where he advised the fund on its growth strategy) and Cornell Capital Partners (where he analyzed hedge fund investments in public and private securities). Mr. Cusano received his MBA in Entrepreneurial Finance from the University of California San Diego, and his BS, summa cum laude, in Business Administration with a concentration in Financial Management from California Polytechnic State University.

“We are delighted to welcome Scott, Erika, John C., John K. and Anthony to StepStone Group,” said Thomas Keck, Chief Investment Officer and head of StepStone’s Research Group. “These additions to the StepStone team have a complementary mix of analytical and transactional experience, with a concentration of backgrounds in direct private equity investing. This group provides a strong foundation for the industry leading research capabilities that we have built. StepStone was founded on the principle that our primary asset is our people, and we will continue to focus on attracting and developing top talent like these five professionals.”

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