Enterprise security solutions provider Blue Coast has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by funds advised by Bain Capital, a global private investment firm.
The company is being acquired from Thoma Bravo, LLC in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $US2.4 billion.
During the past three years, Blue Coat has experienced strong market share and revenue growth in its major product lines and currently counts 80 percent of the Fortune 500 as customers.
The company has also made several successful strategic acquisitions extending their solutions to the advanced threat defense, security analytics and encrypted traffic management spaces.
“Blue Coat has differentiated products for protecting enterprises from even the most sophisticated threats, and we are proud to be a foundational part of the security architecture for the world’s largest enterprises," says Gregory S. Clark, CEO, Blue Coat.
"The world’s most trusted brands use Blue Coat, and the acquisition by Bain Capital sets us on the trajectory to further grow our portfolio, better serve our customers and help us prepare to return to the public markets.
"Bain Capital has a long history of accelerating growth, and I look forward to partnering with them in our journey to be one of the top performing security companies in the world.”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including requisite regulatory approvals, and is expected to close during the first half of 2015.
“We are excited by the opportunity to work with Blue Coat's world-class management team to grow the business organically and through acquisitions, and to ultimately return the company to the public markets,” adds David Humphrey, MD, Bain Capital.
“We are very impressed with the profitable growth the company has demonstrated and believe strongly in the future growth of the cyber security market and Blue Coat’s position in this important sector."
Goldman, Sachs & Co. is serving as financial advisor to Blue Coat. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is acting as legal advisor to Blue Coat while Jefferies Finance LLC is providing the financing commitments, and Jefferies LLC is acting as sole financial advisor to Bain Capital.
“We are extremely proud of our partnership with Blue Coat, which has achieved substantial growth since going private in 2012, while positioning itself as a leading next generation security company,” adds Seth Boro, managing partner, Thoma Bravo.
“We look forward to watching Blue Coat continue to grow with its new investment partner."
