Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity investment firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sector, today announced an agreement to acquire Exostar, LLC, a leader in trusted, secure business collaboration for the highly-regulated aerospace and defense, life sciences and healthcare industries. Thoma Bravo’s strategic investment is expected to help Exostar accelerate business growth and broaden its existing customer base. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Exostar’s unique platform creates trusted communities where companies can manage the complexity and mitigate the risks associated with collaborating with external partners. Thoma Bravo plans to leverage its expertise in enterprise software solutions for complex industries to partner with Exostar’s existing management to further develop and expand the company’s current capabilities, particularly in cybersecurity, to position the company for further growth.
“Our corporate vision remains unchanged…to be a trusted, innovative leader in secure business collaboration for highly-regulated industries. Thoma Bravo’s strategic investment positions us to more rapidly expand our community and deliver the digital trust that must exist between an enterprise and its suppliers, customers and partners,” said Richard Addi, President and CEO at Exostar. "This transaction reflects the logical next step in our company’s evolution. We can leverage Thoma Bravo’s deep technology and security experience to take full advantage of our unique market position. Together, we plan to accelerate time-to-market for the Exostar suite of solutions that enable global enterprises to execute their mission-critical supply chain and drug development initiatives."
Exostar was developed as a joint venture between some of the world’s leading businesses, including BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Rolls-Royce, and, more recently, Merck. Initially formed as a B2B aerospace and defense industry exchange, the company’s secure platform now serves over 150,000 organizations worldwide in not only aerospace and defense, but the life sciences and healthcare markets as well. Exostar’s former shareholders plan to remain actively involved as customers and advisors offering guidance on the product roadmap and strategic platform investments.
Paul Kaminski, who has served as Chairman of the Board at Exostar since the company’s inception, said, “Exostar has been a successful endeavor for its six joint venture owners over the past two decades. Now, the company has reached a point where a more growth-focused model can allow Exostar to further innovate and expand its capabilities. The expertise, energy and experience Thoma Bravo brings to Exostar should help enable the company to pursue substantial opportunities for growth, while remaining deeply committed to its existing customer base.”
“Exostar’s identity access management and secure collaboration software is utilized by some of the most respected and well-known enterprise customers in aerospace and defense, life sciences and healthcare,” said Carl Press, a Principal at Thoma Bravo. “The company’s understanding of complex organizations’ procurement and collaboration needs is a key differentiator inherent in its products. We’re thrilled to partner with Richard Addi and the Exostar team to accelerate the company’s innovation and growth over both the near and long term.”
Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal advisor to Thoma Bravo. AGC Partners is serving as financial advisor and Latham & Watkins is serving as legal advisor to Exostar.
ABOUT THOMA BRAVO
Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sectors. With a series of funds representing more than $35 billion in capital commitments, Thoma Bravo partners with a Company's management team to implement operating best practices, invest in growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions intended to accelerate revenue and earnings, with the goal of increasing the value of the business. The firm has offices in San Francisco, Chicago and Dubai. For more information, visit thomabravo.com.
ABOUT EXOSTAR
Exostar’s cloud-based platforms create exclusive communities within highly-regulated industries where organizations securely collaborate, share information, and operate compliantly. Within these communities, we build trust. More than 135,000 Aerospace and Defense organizations and agencies in over 150 countries trust Exostar to strengthen security, reduce expenditures, raise productivity, and help them achieve their missions. Ten of the top twenty global biopharmaceutical companies rely on Exostar to help them speed new medicines and therapies to market. Exostar is a Gartner Cool Vendor. For more information, please visit www.exostar.com.
