The British takeover frenzy continues unabated.
This time US private equity firm Thomas Bravo has agreed a deal to buy London-listed Darktrace for over $5.3 billion or around 620p a share. Below is a link to the announcement:
Another interesting tweet from Orlando Bravo, the American private equity tycoon behind the firm Thoma Bravo.
"Bankers who only know how to sell companies through auctions and “competitive tension” will get nowhere in this market. While bankers who know how to work with the right buyer to get to the right price will end up delivering a lot of value to their clients." ..
Another day, another US technology company take private.
This time it's Thoma Bravo's arch rival - Vista Equity Partners, led by the controversial billionaire financier Robert Smith - that is buying one of America's listed technology groups.
Vista is buying KnowBe4, Inc, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform for $24.90 in cash or $4.6 billion. Below is the link the to the press release:..
Perhaps opening a brand new office in London isn't indicative of Thoma Bravo's enthusiasm to follow through with the Darktrace takeover after all.
Word is Thoma Bravo is getting cold feet about the deal after the buy-out firm and Darktrace sturggled to agree on price for the takeover.
Onto the next one...?..
Chums on the Daily Mail picked an intriguing tale about American private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which is currently in the process of talks to buy Darktrace, the FTSE 250-listed cybersecurity company.
According to Mark "Shappers" Shapland, Thoma Bravo is opening up an office for Europe in London. Below is a link to Shappers's piece:..
There was a question (and answer) missing from this weekend's recent coverage of Open Text's aquisition of Micro Focus, the London-listed IT company.
If Open Text, the Canadian software company, is willing to pay a 100pc premium for Micro Focus International surely US private equity firm Thoma Bravo should be willing to pay the same for cybersecurity outfit Darktrace?..
The Sunday Telegraph had an interesting line on the Darktrace takeover tale (first revealed by little old Betaville).
Hacks at Betaville's former employers managed to get some quotes from Mike Lynch's spokperson, who appears to be linking the US's move to prosecute the technology entrepreneur for fraud to an American private equity bid for Darktrace. Below is a link to the piece that has the full quotes:..
There was plenty of follow up coverage in today's papers of little old Betaville's Darktrace scoop but the piece that really stood out is the one written by Russell Hotten, a former colleague from time on The Daily Telegraph's city desk...
Darktrace has confirmed little old Betaville's UNCOOKED Alert.
The company last night said it has been approached by Thoma Bravo, the American private equity firm that specialises in technology buy-out deals. Below is the link to yesterday's announcement:..