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Ensono latest to be snapped up in investment drive across the channel
Firm becomes a target for investment just a matter of days after it dipped its own toes in the M&A waters
Just a few days after it made an acquisition, Ensono has itself become the subject of M&A activity, with investment firm KKR tabling a reported $1.7bn bid for the firm.
KKR has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ensono from Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners, with the deal expected to close in the next 60 days.
The deal marks an end to the six-year ownership of Ensono by Charlesbank and M/C Partners and comes just 10 days after Ensono struck a deal to acquire cloud consultancy Amido.
“As we embark on our next chapter with KKR, Ensono will continue to provide clients with transformational solutions that help them operate for today and optimise for tomorrow,” said Jeff VonDeylen, CEO of Ensono.
“Our initial investors played an important role in helping us establish our business and brand and funding our growth. With the support of KKR, we will continue to grow and invest in our future as we drive innovation to meet the changing needs of our clients. We are fortunate to be in an industry where the need for our services has not only grown but diversified into exciting new areas of potential growth,” he added.
On the KKR side, the rationale for the deal is to join with a business that is involved in the managed services and digital transformation spaces.
“Digital transformation across industries is driving an increased need for comprehensive service providers to help simplify IT infrastructure management for enterprise clients,” said Webster Chua, Partner at KKR. “Ensono is a proven leader in delivering hybrid solutions for clients with complex IT environments.”
Recent investmement
The Ensono and KKR deal is one of many recent examples of investors getting involved in the channel.
There has been an explosion in deals since the start of the year as private equity looks to place its bets on firms that are operating in the fast-growing segments of the channel, including managed services, cloud and all aspects of digital transformation.
At the end of last month, BGF, one of the most active players in the market at the moment, sealed a deal for mobile data specialist and eSIM Mobile Virtual Network Operator Jola Cloud Solutions for £10.25m.
Commenting on the deal, Jola co-founder and CEO Andrew Dickinson said: “With BGF’s support, we have an opportunity to build on what we have achieved over the last seven years, helping even more Jola partners to win large high margin IoT and M2M projects. BGF has a proven track record in acting as a catalyst for strategic, fast growth in ambitious businesses and their support so far has proved vital in helping us refine our expansion plans.”
