OPTIMIZELY (EX EPISERVER) acquired by ACCEL-KKR
Context
The IK Partners has reached an agreement to sell EPiServer to Accel-KKR (AKKR). This transaction represents an exit for the private equity sponsor following a multi-year investment period characterized by significant internationalization and product portfolio expansion. Under the stewardship of the previous owner, the company broadened its service offerings and strengthened its global footprint through both organic development and the acquisition of e-commerce and search capabilities. The transition to AKKR is intended to support the company’s next phase of growth, with a specific focus on leveraging AKKR’s resources to better serve customers, particularly within the North American region. This change in ownership allows the management team to continue its strategy of market leadership while maintaining business continuity and pursuing new commercial opportunities in the digital marketing and e-commerce sectors.
It is worth noting that the fund Ik Partners took control of Optimizely through an LBO in 2010.
OPTIMIZELY (EX EPISERVER), which reported an EBITDA margin of in 2014, is valued in this transaction at an EV/EBITDA multiple of , a level to compare with the average currently observed in the TMT (Tech, Media, Telecom) sector (15.3x).
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Target
Optimizely is a global provider of digital experience solutions, offering a comprehensive platform that integrates intelligent content management, digital commerce, and omnichannel marketing automation. Headquartered in the United States, the company serves a diverse portfolio of mid-to-large scale enterprises, enabling them to streamline the end-to-end customer journey through its flagship "Digital Experience Cloud." By leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, Optimizely provides organizations with the tools necessary to deliver highly personalized and data-driven interactions across multiple digital touchpoints. From a market positioning perspective, Optimizely is widely recognized by industry analysts as a Leader in the Digital Experience Platform (DXP) and Web Content Management (WCM) segments. It competes effectively against legacy enterprise suites by offering a more agile, cloud-native architecture that facilitates faster time-to-market. The company's business model is primarily driven by a high-margin Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) revenue stream, supplemented by a robust global partner ecosystem that handles large-scale implementations.
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Other operations with OPTIMIZELY (EX EPISERVER)
| Date | Acquirer | Target | Country | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/2018 | INSIGHT VENTURE PARTNERS | OPTIMIZELY (EX EPISERVER) | UNITED STATES | MarTech |
| 11/2010 | IK PARTNERS | OPTIMIZELY (EX EPISERVER) | UNITED STATES | MarTech |
REFERENCES
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Authors: This transaction was contributed by a verified mynth contributor and cross-checked against available transaction documents and official company communications.
Target: optimizely (ex episerver)
Acquirer: accel-kkr