Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Content Assessment: Magnet Forensics to be Acquired by Thoma Bravo

Information - 94%
Insight - 94%
Relevance - 93%
Objectivity - 91%
Authority - 93%

93%

Excellent

A short percentage-based assessment of the qualitative benefit of the recent media release on the acquisition of digital forensics firm Magnet Forensics by Thoma Bravo.

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Press Release Extract (January 20, 2023)

Magnet Forensics Inc. Enters into Definitive Agreement to be Acquired by Thoma Bravo

Magnet Forensics

Magnet Forensics Inc. (the “Company” or “Magnet”) (TSX: MAGT), developer of digital investigation solutions for more than 4,000 enterprises and public safety organizations, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) with Morpheus Purchaser Inc. (the “Purchaser”), a newly created corporation controlled by Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, whereby the Purchaser will acquire the Company, subject to obtaining shareholder and other customary approvals (the “Transaction”). Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, holders of the outstanding Subordinate Voting Shares (“SV Shares”) of the Company (other than Messrs. Jad Saliba and Adam Belsher and associates and affiliates thereof (collectively with Mr. Jim Balsillie and his associates and affiliates, the “Rolling Shareholders”)) will receive CA$44.25 cash per SV Share (the “Purchase Price”) and the Rolling Shareholders will receive CA$39.00 for each outstanding SV Share and Multiple Voting Share (“MV Share”) of the Company (together with the SV Shares, the “Shares”) they sell for cash to the Purchaser (see “Transaction Details” below), representing an aggregate total equity value of approximately CA$1.8 billion on a fully-diluted, in-the-money, treasury method basis and inclusive of Rollover Shares (as defined below). Upon completion of the Transaction, Magnet will become a privately held company.

The Purchase Price represents a premium of approximately 15% to the closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”) of the SV Shares on January 19, 2023, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Transaction, and a premium of approximately 41% to the 90-trading day volume weighted average trading price per SV Share as at that date. The Purchase Price is also above the 52-week high closing price of the SV Shares as of January 19, 2023, and represents a premium of approximately 160% to the Company’s initial public offering price of the SV Shares of CA$17.00. This value further represents an 87% premium to the closing price on October 5, 2022, the last day prior to Thoma Bravo’s submission of its initial non-binding proposal for an acquisition of the Company.

Following the closing of the Transaction, Thoma Bravo intends to combine the Company and Grayshift LLC, which Thoma Bravo acquired majority control of in July 2022. The companies’ complementary offerings are expected to create a powerful end-to-end digital investigations platform empowering more public safety agencies around the world to seek justice, solve crimes, and protect victims. Grayshift is a leading provider of mobile device digital forensics, specializing in lawful access and extraction. By combining Grayshift’s mobile access and extraction capabilities with the Company’s digital investigation suite, customers are expected to be able to leverage the platform to extract, process, examine, collaborate on and manage digital forensic evidence. Adam Belsher and Jad Saliba, Founders of Magnet, and David Miles and Braden Thomas, Founders of Grayshift, will each hold critical leadership positions in the combined company. Magnet’s Chair, Jim Balsillie, will serve on the board of the combined company.

“We believe the combination of Magnet and Grayshift will unlock tremendous value for our customers by further integrating and expanding our product suite which will result in more seamless workflows in the recovery and analysis of critical digital evidence to investigations and ultimately contribute to our shared mission of the pursuit of justice,” said Adam Belsher, CEO of Magnet. “We look forward to partnering with Thoma Bravo and Grayshift to build upon our digital investigation suite to further innovate and continue to serve a growing number of organizations and use cases. We are confident that this transaction — joining two complementary organizations to form a new private company — offers the most compelling value creation for all our stakeholders and is a testament to the value of digital investigation solutions, the Magnet platform, our talented team, and loyal customer base.”

“Since early in Grayshift’s history, Magnet Forensics has been a trusted and strategic partner,” said David Miles, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Grayshift. “Bringing Magnet and Grayshift together will accelerate innovation and ultimately transform digital investigations. Today’s announcement is a defining moment in the industry, and together we will accelerate the future of digital forensics.”

“We look forward to bringing together the complementary capabilities of Magnet and Grayshift to create a leader in the digital forensics and cyber security space,” said Hudson Smith, a Partner at Thoma Bravo. “Digital evidence is an increasingly critical aspect of investigations and the combined company will be well-positioned to further market expansion, accelerate innovation, and provide even greater solutions to its customers. We look forward to leveraging Thoma Bravo’s deep industry, operational and investment expertise to help the combined company capture the tremendous growth opportunities ahead.”

Read the complete release.

Advisors

Morgan Stanley is acting as exclusive financial advisor to the Special Committee. CIBC Capital Markets is acting as independent valuator to the Special Committee. Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP is acting as legal advisor to the Company. Dentons Canada LLP is acting as legal advisor to the Special Committee. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal advisor to Thoma Bravo and McMillan LLP is acting as Canadian legal advisor to Thoma Bravo.

About Magnet

Founded in 2010, the Company is a developer of digital investigation software that acquires, analyzes, reports on, and manages evidence from digital sources, including computers, mobile devices, IoT devices and cloud services. The Company’s software is used by more than 4,000 public and private sector customers in over 100 countries and helps investigators fight crime, protect assets and guard national security. For further information, please visit the Company’s website at www.magnetforensics.com.

About Grayshift

Grayshift is a leading provider of mobile device digital forensics, specializing in lawful access and extraction. Grayshift solutions are purpose-built to help law enforcement and government investigative agencies swiftly resolve critical investigations and ensure public safety. The company’s innovative GrayKey technology provides same-day access, complete control, and comprehensive data extraction from mobile devices. Designed and assembled in the United States, GrayKey is trusted by over 1200 agencies across 35 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.grayshift.com.

About Thoma Bravo

Thoma Bravo is one of the largest software investors in the world, with more than $120 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2022. Through its private equity, growth equity and credit strategies, the firm invests in growth-oriented, innovative companies operating in the software and technology sectors. Leveraging Thoma Bravo’s deep sector expertise and strategic and operational capabilities, the firm collaborates with its portfolio companies to implement operating best practices and drive growth initiatives. Over the past 20 years, the firm has acquired or invested in more than 420 companies representing over $235 billion in enterprise value.1 The firm has offices in Chicago, London, Miami and San Francisco. For more information, visit Thoma Bravo’s website at thomabravo.com and Twitter @ThomaBravo.

1 Includes control and non-control investments.

The office address for the Rolling Shareholders is 2220 University Avenue East, Suite 300, Waterloo Ontario N2K 0A8.

Read the original release.


Additional Reading

Source: ComplexDiscovery

 

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