Forescout to be acquired by Advent International for $1.9B

On February 6, San Jose, CA-based Forescout Technologies, Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement under which Advent International, one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors, will acquire all outstanding shares of Forescout common stock for $33.00 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.9 billion. Advent will be joined by Crosspoint Capital Partners (“Crosspoint Capital”), a private equity investment firm focused on the cybersecurity and privacy industries, as a co-investor and advisor. 

The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 30% over Forescout’s closing share price of $25.45 on October 18, 2019, the last full trading day prior to the release of the 13-D filings by Corvex Management L.P. and Jericho Capital Asset Management L.P. on October 21, 2019, which disclosed they had formed a partnership to approach Forescout and accumulated a combined 14.5% ownership in the company. Upon completion of the transaction, Forescout will become a private company with the flexibility to continue investing in the development and deployment of leading-edge cybersecurity products and solutions that serve the evolving needs of enterprise customers. CEO and President Michael DeCesare will continue to lead the company, and Forescout will continue to be headquartered in San Jose, California.

“Forescout has established itself as a leader in device visibility and control, with the most advanced platform in the market,” said Michael DeCesare, CEO and president, Forescout. “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. We are excited to be partnering with Advent International and Crosspoint Capital, premier firms with security DNA and track records of success in strengthening companies and supporting them through transitionary times. We look forward to working with Advent and Crosspoint Capital to advance our strategic objectives and want to thank our employees for their continued hard work and commitment to Forescout.” 

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Advent, which delivers significant immediate value to shareholders, and positions Forescout to continue meeting and exceeding the expectations of our customers,” said Theresia Gouw, chair of the Forescout board. “This transaction, which is the result of a robust process conducted by the Board of Directors with the assistance of independent legal and financial advisors, is a testament to the value Forescout has created and the reputation our team has built. In making its determination, the Board of Directors considered the likely volatility associated with the business model transition to ratable revenue recognition, changes to our go-to-market initiatives, particularly in EMEA, and timing of significant eight-figure deals, while managing to quarterly street estimates as a publicly traded company. We are confident that this transaction is the best path forward for Forescout and our stakeholders.”

“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. In partnership with Greg Clark and the Crosspoint Capital team, Advent is thrilled to work with Forescout to build on its record of innovation and continue delivering world-class cybersecurity solutions to customers for years to come.”

“As enterprises continue to shift to the cloud and decentralized networks, today’s chief information security officers are looking for secure solutions to increase visibility and provide orchestration, making their network controls more seamless,” said Greg Clark, managing partner at Crosspoint Capital. “Forescout’s platform is already ahead of the curve, and we believe we can further advance the company’s market position by applying the collective experience and expertise in cybersecurity software of the Advent and Crosspoint Capital team.”

Source: Forescout