Israeli-American cyber firm Forescout acquired in $1.9 billion deal
Forescout will continue to be led by CEO and president Michael DeCesare following the acquisition.
By EYTAN HALONForescout's offices in California. (photo credit: GOOGLE MAPS)
Israeli-American cybersecurity company Forescout Technologies will be acquired for $1.9 billion by private equity investment firm Advent International, the companies have announced.The Nasdaq-listed company, founded in 2000 by four Israeli entrepreneurs, is the provider of a platform to reduce cyber and operational risk for enterprise and government devices. The $33-per share purchase price represents a premium of approximately 30% over Forescout’s closing share price.Forescout will continue to be led by CEO and president Michael DeCesare following the acquisition, and will continue to be headquartered in San Jose, California. The company employs over 1,100 workers today worldwide, including several hundred at its major R&D center in Tel Aviv.“Forescout has established itself as a leader in device visibility and control, with the most advanced platform in the market,” said DeCesare. “We are still in early innings of a large market opportunity as every organization needs visibility into what is connecting to their network and how to mitigate against high risk devices, including non-traditional IoT and OT devices. This transaction represents an exciting new phase in the evolution of Forescout.”Boston-based Advent International has invested in over 350 private equity transactions in 41 countries to date, managing approximately $56.6b. in assets under management. Advent will be joined by co-investor and adviser Crosspoint Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm focused on cybersecurity and privacy. Upon completion of the transaction, Forescout will become a private company.“Forescout is an ideal partner for Advent — as it’s a mission-critical business positioned to capitalize on key tech megatrends,” said Bryan Taylor, head of Advent’s technology investment team and a managing partner in Palo Alto. “The company has differentiated itself from its core competitors with its proprietary, agentless technology, making it ideal for large, complex organizations in a rapidly evolving cyber risk landscape.”Additional winners from the transaction will be Israeli venture capital firm Pitango and managing general partner Rami Kalish, who were among Forescout’s Series A investors. The sale of the company is said to be worth approximately $100m. for the Herzliya-based fund.
