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☆ Synopsys to acquire graphics software maker Ansys in $35 billion tech deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Semiconductor design and software firm Synopsys on Tuesday announced it would acquire Ansys , an engineering and product design software firm, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $35 billion. Synopsys will pay consideration of roughly $390 per share: $197 per share in cash and roughly one-third of a Synopsys share for each Ansys share. Synopsys shares were up 3% on Tuesday morning, after a 12% slump since The Wall Street Journal reported in December that the two companies were in advanced talks. Ansys shares slipped 5% but were up more than 14% in that same period since December. The remaining $3 billion nonequity consideration will come from Synopsys' cash.

Persons: Synopsys, Ansys, Sassine Ghazi, Shelagh Glaser, Ghazi, Ajei Gopal, Evercore, Cleary Gottlieb Steen, Hamilton, Goodwin Procter, Raimondo, Chips Organizations: Street, Activision Blizzard, VMware, Cisco, Splunk, Qatalyst Partners Locations: China

☆ Twilio CEO Lawson steps down after bruising activist battles
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The move comes as Twilio grapples with two activist investors who have been pushing for significant changes. In a regulatory filing announcing the move, the company also said Twilio expected fourth-quarter revenue and income to come in above its prior guidance. Lawson will also step down from Twilio's board, where he had served as chairman. "I am honored to step into the CEO role," Shipchandler said in a release. We look forward to continuing to engage with Twilio's Board and management team going forward," he added.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Spain Twilio, Twilio, Lawson, Khozema, Shipchandler, Jeff Epstein, we've, Jeff Lawson's, Sagar Gupta, Gupta, Partner's Organizations: Twilio, Mobile, Congress, Bessemer Venture Partners, Anson Funds, Legion Partners, CNBC, Qatalyst Partners, Twilio's, Partners, Twilio's Board, CNBC PRO Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Twilio

Here are 6 signals investment bankers are watching as they pray for an M&A rebound in 2024. By contrast, activity from private equity firms "was off almost 40%," he said. In 2021, private equity firms transacted $1.5 trillion across 2,869 deals, according to Dealogic. Last year, private equity M&A made up 40% of total activity, according to Goldman Sachs. AI companies, many of which are only now being formed, need to mature, and the winners and losers need to come into focus, bankers said.

Persons: Wall, LSEG, Goldman Sachs, Vito Sperduto, Sperduto, we've, Stephan Feldgoise, Hess, Anthony J, Carfang, Cash, Goldman, Goldman's Feldgoise, Feldgoise, Mark Sorrell, I'm, Harold M, Lambert, Jerome Powell, Greg McBride, McBride, Jonathan Gray, dealmaking, Gray, Rob Chisholm, Chisholm Organizations: Fed, London Stock Exchange, Business, RBC Capital Markets, Conference Board, Conference, Federal, Goldman, Federal Reserve, Private, Bankers, DOJ, FTC, Federal Reserve Board, Bankrate, of Labor Statistics, Cisco, LSEG, Qatalyst Partners, Citi, & $ Locations: LSEG, Ukraine

Pros, which has struggled to return to profitability, is being advised by investment bank Qatalyst Partners in its discussions with potential acquirers, the sources said. Many of the suitors are private equity firms whose offers Pros has rejected, the sources added. Pros shares jumped 13% on the news to $36.18 in early New York trading on Wednesday, giving the company a market value of $1.7 billion. Pros provides price optimization and revenue management software for companies in various sectors, including aviation. It reported subscription revenue of $57.3 million in the second quarter, up 14% year-over-year, with overall sales up 11% year-over-year to $75.8 million.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Qatalyst, Milana Vinn, Anil D'Silva, Jane Merriman Organizations: Holdings, Inc, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Qatalyst Partners, Wall, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Houston

Based in Palo Alto, California, Tidal was started by technology bankers David Handler and David Neequaye. Their firm, which employs just two dozen people according to its website, was the sole financial adviser to Cisco, while larger investment banking peers Qatalyst Partners and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) advised Splunk. Tidal's win comes as more technology bankers decide to launch their own firm amid an overall slowdown in dealmaking in the sector. Three former Qatalyst Partners bankers launched a new technology-focused investment banking boutique called AXOM Partners earlier this week, Reuters reported. The group went on to advise other major technology companies including Cisco, Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) and Twilio Inc (TWLO.N).

Persons: Centerview Partners dealmakers, David Handler, David Neequaye, Qatalyst, Morgan Stanley, MS.N, Splunk, David, Handler, we've, Chuck Robbins, Tidal's, Neequaye, Centerview, Milana Vinn, Anirban Sen Organizations: Centerview Partners, Cisco Systems Inc, Splunk Inc, Cisco, Qatalyst Partners, AXOM Partners, Reuters, Qualcomm Inc, Twilio Inc, UBS Group AG, Thomson Locations: Palo Alto , California, New York

☆ Cisco beefs up cybersecurity play with $28 bln Splunk deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of networking gear maker Cisco Systems Inc is seen during GSMA's 2022 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Acquire Licensing RightsSept 21 (Reuters) - Cisco Systems (CSCO.O) on Thursday agreed to acquire cybersecurity company Splunk (SPLK.O) for about $28 billion, in its biggest acquisition ever that would bolster its network security business. "Combined, Cisco and Splunk will become one of the world's largest software companies and will accelerate Cisco's business transformation to more recurring revenue," the companies said in a joint statement. Cisco shares were down nearly 5% in premarket, while trading in Splunk stock was halted. The deal, which was unanimously approved by the boards of both Cisco and Splunk, is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2024 subject to regulatory approvals.

Persons: Simpson Thacher, Moore, Morgan Stanley, Flom, Splunk, Yuvraj Malik, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Cisco Systems Inc, Congress, REUTERS, Cisco Systems, Splunk's, Cisco, Splunk, Tidal Partners, Bartlett, Qatalyst Partners, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, premarket, Cravath, Slate, Bengaluru

☆ Cisco working with M&A firm Tidal to acquire cybersecurity firm Splunk in $28 billion deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

A new mergers and acquisitions advisory firm launched last year by former Centerview Partners dealmakers has scored a big win by advising Cisco Systems on its $28 billion acquisition of cybersecurity firm Splunk. Based in Palo Alto, California, Tidal Partners was started by technology bankers David Handler and David Neequaye. “We’ve known David (Handler) and his partner David (Neequaye) for a very long time. Handler and Neequaye helped launch Centerview’s technology advisory group in 2008. The group went on to advise other major technology companies, including Cisco, Qualcomm Inc and Twilio.

Persons: Centerview Partners dealmakers, David Handler, David Neequaye, Qatalyst, Morgan Stanley, Splunk, Handler, “, David, we’ve, Chuck Robbins, Tidal’s, Neequaye, Bloom, Centerview Organizations: Centerview Partners, Cisco Systems, Tidal Partners, Cisco, Qatalyst Partners, NDS Group, AXOM Partners, Reuters, Qualcomm Inc, G2K, UBS Group Locations: Palo Alto , California, Centerview

☆ Cisco acquiring cybersecurity company Splunk in cash deal worth $28 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

(Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Cisco is acquiring cybersecurity software company Splunk for $157 a share in a cash deal worth about $28 billion, the company said Thursday. The acquisition is one of Cisco's largest, and continues an acquisition streak which has built out the company's cybersecurity offerings. Splunk is a cybersecurity company that helps enterprises monitor and analyze their data to minimize the risk of hacks and resolve technical issues faster. If Cisco backs out of the deal or is forced to do so because of regulatory intervention, it will pay Splunk a termination fee of $1.48 billion, according to a regulatory filing. If Splunk backs out of the deal for any reason, it will pay a $1 billion breakup fee to Cisco.

Persons: Jakub Porzycki, Chuck Robbins, Robbins, Simpson Thacher, Moore, Morgan Stanley, Flom, Splunk Organizations: Getty Images, Cisco, Tidal Partners, Qatalyst Partners Locations: Krakow, Poland, Slate

Sept 18 (Reuters) - Three former Qatalyst Partners bankers have formed a new investment banking boutique called AXOM Partners, which will focus on advising technology companies on mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Qatalyst, the investment bank the trio left behind, also specializes in technology deals and has the No. Most of Qatalysts's deals are worth more $1 billion, and Hightower, Bressers and Weiner will focus on deals that are smaller. Based in San Francisco, AXOM will seek to advise on deals in sectors, including enterprise software, consumer technology, e-commerce and financial technology. All AXOM employees will be rewarded on merit based on an incentive system, and will be allowed to participate in profit distributions, Hightower said.

Persons: Brandon Hightower, Alan Bressers, Ross Weiner, Hightower, Qatalyst, Bressers, Weiner, AXOM, NXP, Inphi Corp’s, Milana Vinn, Aurroa Ellis Organizations: Qatalyst Partners, AXOM Partners, Qatalyst, Expedia, Qualcomm Inc, Devices, Marvell Technology Inc, Technology, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, Qatalyst, New York

Its shares had lost almost half their value in the last 12 months prior to news of its exploring a sale. The Irvine, California-based company is being advised by investment bank Qatalyst Partners on its discussions with potential acquirers, which include private equity firms, the sources said. Alteryx shares ended trading on Wednesday up 14% on the news at $34.58. In recent years, Alteryx has transitioned to a subscription-focused business model as part of a strategy to tap into growing demand for data analytics services. In its most recent quarter, Alteryx posted a net loss of $120 million due to higher sales and marketing expenses.

Persons: Alteryx, Dean Stoecker, Qatalyst, Milana Vinn, Nick Zieminski, Stephen Coates Organizations: Alteryx, Microsoft Corp, Oracle Corp, Qatalyst Partners, Insight Partners, Cola, Vodafone Plc, Walmart Inc, Ford Motor Company, North America, Thomson Locations: Irvine , California, Alteryx, New York

☆ Cybersecurity startup Wiz considers potential bid for SentinelOne
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 25 (Reuters) - Cybersecurity startup Wiz said on Friday it is considering a potential bid for SentinelOne (S.N) after the $4.9 billion company started exploring strategic options. SentinelOne has struggled to become profitable, with clients slashing their information technology spending amid an uncertain economy and sticky inflation. Earlier in the week, people familiar with the matter told Reuters the SentinelOne was exploring options that could include a sale. SentinelOne has hired investment bank Qatalyst Partners to advise on discussions with potential acquirers, including private equity firms, the sources had said. Wiz and SentinelOne in March had announced an exclusive partnership to deliver end-to-end cloud security.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, SentinelOne, Jaspreet Singh, Krishna Chandra Organizations: SentinelOne Inc, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Reuters, Qatalyst Partners, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Bengaluru

Signage and cars are displayed in honor of SentinelOne, a cybersecurity firm’s IPO, outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 30, 2021. SentinelOne has hired investment bank Qatalyst Partners to advise on discussions with potential acquirers, including private equity firms, the sources said. Private equity firms have been prolific investors in the cybersecurity sector. In November 2021, an investor consortium led by private equity firm Advent International acquired McAfee Corp for $14 billion. Tech-focused private equity firm Thoma Bravo has also been a serial acquirer in the sector, having bought Ping Identity, ForgeRock, Sailpoint Technologies and Magnet Forensics Inc, among others.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, SentinelOne, Qatalyst, SentinelOne's, Daniel Loeb's, Morgan Stanley, Thoma, Milana Vinn, Anirban Sen, Conor Humphries, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, SentinelOne, Qatalyst Partners, CrowdStrike Holdings, U.S ., Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, Insight Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Advent International, McAfee Corp, Tech, Thoma Bravo, Sailpoint Technologies, Magnet Forensics, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, View , California, New York, Israel, cybersecurity

July 31 (Reuters) - New Relic (NEWR.N) said it has agreed to be taken private by TPG (TPG.O) and Francisco Partners in a $6.5 billion all-cash deal amid stiff competition in the application performance monitoring space from rival software companies Datadog and Dynatrace. New Relic's shares rose about 13% to $83.85 on Monday following the deal involving the private equity firms. New Relic reported annual revenue growth of about 18% compared with Dynatrace's (DT.N) 25% jump. New Relic on Monday reported first-quarter revenue of $242.6 million, compared with analysts' estimates of $239.2 million, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Qatalyst Partners is the company's financial adviser, while Morgan Stanley is the lead financial adviser for Francisco Partners and TPG.

Persons: Kingsley Crane, Genuity, Jana, Morgan Stanley, Akash Sriram, Zaheer Kachwala, Sriraj Kalluvila, Shounak Organizations: TPG, Francisco Partners, Francisco, New, Jana Partners, Eminence Capital, Qatalyst, Thomson Locations: ., Bengaluru

But the plunge in the deal pipeline prompted soul-searching and job-hopping among investment bankers accustomed to a feast. Barclays, which has struggled to retain bankers following a shake-up in the management of its investment banking division, has lost at least nine top technology bankers in recent weeks. Traditionally, smaller firms have been reluctant to offer investment bankers guaranteed compensation, in order to have more of their pay tied to performance. Alan Johnson, managing director of compensation consultancy Johnson Associates, said that first-year guarantees were common practice in the hiring of investment bankers, but second-year guarantee used to be rare. "You get paid a higher percentage of revenue than in a big bank, but you have to generate the revenue with perhaps less help," Johnson said.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Sam Britton, Britton, Anthony Keizner, Goldman, Nick Pomponi, Rob Chisholm, Troy Broderick, Goldman's, Perella Weinberg, Laurence Braham, Richard Hardegree, Steve Markovich, Ron Eliasek, Jason Auerbach, Alan Johnson, Johnson, Milana Vinn, Anirban Sen, Greg Roumeliotis, Jamie Freed Organizations: YORK, Goldman, Bank of America, Barclays, Qatalyst Partners, Jefferies Financial, Technology, LSEG, Intelligence, Search, Evercore, UBS, Centerview, Jefferies, SVB Securities, Bank, Reuters, Johnson Associates, Thomson Locations: Qatalyst, New York

Adenza was created in 2021 when Thoma Bravo merged Calypso Technologies with AxiomSL and is expected to generate about $590 million in revenue this year. As part of the Adenza deal, Thoma Bravo will get a 14.9% stake in Nasdaq, making the private equity firm one of the company's biggest shareholders. Nasdaq said buying Adenza is expected to increase the medium-term organic revenue growth outlook for its Solutions Businesses, which designs and develops financial software for investors, from 7%-10% to 8%-11%. Goldman Sachs & Co and J.P. Morgan Securities are financial advisers to Nasdaq, while Qatalyst Partners is lead financial advisor to Thoma Bravo and Adenza. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal adviser to Nasdaq, while Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal adviser to Thoma Bravo and Adenza.

Persons: Thoma, Adena Friedman, Morningstar, Michael Miller, Friedman, Adenza, Andrew Bond, Holden Spaht, Thoma Bravo's Spaht, Goldman Sachs, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Ellis, Manya Saini, Anirban Sen, John McCrank, David French, Milana, Michelle Price, Sruthi Shankar, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Nick Zieminski, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Thoma Bravo, Nasdaq Nasdaq, Nasdaq, Calypso Technologies, REUTERS, OMX, International Securities Exchange, Rosenblatt Securities, Solutions, Goldman Sachs & Co, Morgan Securities, Qatalyst, Rosen, Kirkland, Adenza, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Adenza, Bengaluru, New York, Washington

☆ Nasdaq deepens fintech push with $10.5 bln Adenza deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nasdaq said buying Adenza is expected to increase the medium-term organic revenue growth outlook for its Solutions Businesses, which designs and develops financial software for investors, from 7%-10% to 8%-11%. It intends to issue about 14.5% of its outstanding shares to the owners of Adenza, which is controlled by Thoma Bravo. Adenza, which makes software used by banks and brokerages, is expected to hit about $590 million in annual 2023 revenue, Nasdaq added. The upbeat results came on the back of the company's $2.75 billion deal for anti-financial crime software firm Verafin. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC are financial advisors to Nasdaq, while Qatalyst Partners LP is lead financial advisor to Thoma Bravo and Adenza on the deal.

Persons: Thoma, Adena Friedman, Tal Cohen, Friedman, Adenza, Goldman Sachs, Manya Saini, Nivedita Organizations: Nasdaq, Thoma Bravo, Solutions, Wall, Goldman Sachs & Co, Morgan Securities, Qatalyst, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Nasdaq just announced a $10.5 billion deal to scoop up a behind-the-scenes tech provider for Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Nasdaq announced plans to acquire Adenza from PE firm Thoma Bravo. Nasdaq has looked to add new tech solutions to its business under CEO Adena Friedman. The exchange operator announced plans to acquire behind-the-scenes tech provider Adenza in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $10.5 billion. Adenza, owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, provides risk management and regulatory tech for banks and brokerages. In the wake of the deal, Nasdaq's solutions business will account for 77% of the company's total revenue.

Persons: Thoma, Adena Friedman, Holden Spaht, Friedman, Freidman, Goldman Sachs, Piper Sandler Organizations: Nasdaq, Thoma Bravo, Wall, JPMorgan, Qatalyst Partners, Barclays, Citi, Evercore, HSBC, Jefferies

☆ European e-scooter operator TIER Mobility explores merger - Sky News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 1 (Reuters) - Berlin-based e-scooter operator TIER Mobility is working with bankers at Qatalyst Partners for a potential merger or sale with a rival, Sky News reported on Monday. The talks, however, did not produce satisfactory terms for TIER, the report said, citing industry sources. TIER Mobility and Qatalyst Partners did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. In 2021, the Softbank-backed TIER bought bike-sharing firm Nextbike to create Europe's largest provider of shared lightweight vehicles. TIER Mobility operates in 10 countries and employs about 900 people, according to its website.

On Tuesday, Western Digital CEO David Goeckeler said the partnership with Apollo and Elliott would help "facilitate the next stages of Western Digital's strategic review." The latest investment is a precursor to a potential merger between Silicon Valley-based Western Digital and Japan's Kioxia Holdings Corp, according to people familiar with the matter. The sources, who requested anonymity as these discussions are confidential, said the talks between Western Digital and Kioxia are still active. Western Digital and Kioxia jointly produce NAND chips, which are widely used in smartphones, TVs, data center servers and public announcement display panels. Qatalyst Partners, Lazard and J.P. Morgan are serving as Western Digital's financial advisers and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is serving as Western Digital's legal adviser.

☆ Thoma Bravo to buy Coupa Software for $6.15 billion amid tech slump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Coupa Software said on Monday it will sell itself to private-equity major Thoma Bravo for $6.15 billion in cash, calling the deal the "optimal path forward" as broader economic uncertainty hammers technology stocks. "The transaction provides superior risk-adjusted value relative to the company's (Coupa's) standalone prospects," said Roger Siboni, an independent director at the software firm. Coupa Software, which went public in 2016, provides business-spend management software, which helps companies manage the purchase of goods and services. Qatalyst Partners and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Coupa, while Goldman Sachs & Co, Piper Sandler, and Kirkland & Ellis were advisors to Thoma Bravo. Separately, Coupa reported a 17% rise in total revenue for the quarter ended Oct. 31 and a net loss of $84.1 million.

☆ Thoma Bravo to buy Coupa Software for $6.15 bln amid tech slump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 12 (Reuters) - Coupa Software Inc (COUP.O) said on Monday it will sell itself to private equity major Thoma Bravo for $6.15 billion in cash, calling the deal the "optimal path forward" as broader economic uncertainty hammers technology stocks. Over the last two years, Thoma Bravo has acquired Ping Identity, Sophos, Proofpoint and Sailpoint Technologies. Coupa Software, which went public in 2016, provides business-spend management software, which helps companies manage the purchase of goods and services. Qatalyst Partners and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Coupa, while Goldman Sachs & Co, Piper Sandler, and Kirkland & Ellis were advisors to Thoma Bravo. Separately, Coupa reported a 17% rise in total revenue for the quarter ended Oct. 31 and a net loss of $84.1 million.

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