Avira finalizes acquisition agreement with Investcorp Technology Partners
Building on 30 years of experience in the cybersecurity and antivirus industry, the strategic partnership positions Avira for global and product expansion opportunities.
TETTNANG, GERMANY, April 9, 2020 – Avira today announced it has entered into an agreement with Investcorp Technology Partners IV. The acquisition represents the first institutional investment in Avira since it was founded in 1986 by Tjark Auerbach.
"We have been protecting our users for more than 30 years," stated Tjark Auerbach, Founder of Avira. "With Investcorp, I have an investment partner who shares my values and will underpin the strategy of the management team to continue protecting people for many years to come.”
The investment marks a new chapter in Avira history, allowing the company to bring its decades of experience, knowledge and products to more people around the world.
“We are proud to be partnering with a firm that offers such a breadth of experience working with growing technology and software companies,” said Travis Witteveen, Chief Executive Officer of Avira. “The investment confirms our business strategy and enables Avira to further accelerate our profitable growth in the consumer and OEM market segments."
Headquartered in Germany with offices across the EU, in the United States, and in Asia, Avira is a multinational cybersecurity software solutions firm serving the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and consumer markets, with more than 500 million endpoints protected globally. With over 30 years of product development experience, Avira specializes in anti-malware, threat intelligence and IoT solutions. Avira software provides next generation security for users’ online identity, finances, and private data, protecting against viruses, malware, ransomware and other threats. In addition, the company is the original pioneer of the freemium software business model to offer high quality, market-leading security products, free-of-charge.
Investcorp has established a market leading position of investing in mid-market technology companies with a specific focus on IT Security, Data/Analytics, and Fintech/Payment sectors. Previous investments include Utimaco, Sophos, Optiv, SecureLink, CoreSec, Nebulas, iT-CUBE, CSID, OpSec and Impero.
“We are delighted to announce another high-quality addition to our Technology Partners portfolio. Avira represents an attractive opportunity to invest in a cybersecurity business,” said Gilbert Kamieniecky, Managing Director and Head of Investcorp’s Technology Private Equity Business. “With our long history of working with cybersecurity, IoT and data-driven businesses, Investcorp is looking forward to supporting Avira’s targeted growth trajectory and expansion plans.”
The acquisition remains subject to anti-trust approval.
brittany.posey@avira.com +49 151 11342212
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About Investcorp
Investcorp is a leading global manager of alternative investments. Led by a new vision, Investcorp has embarked on an ambitious, albeit prudent, growth strategy. The Firm continues to focus on generating value through a disciplined investment approach in six lines of business: private equity, real estate, absolute return investments, infrastructure, credit management, and strategic capital.
As at December 31, 2019, the Investcorp Group had US $31.1 billion in total AUM, including assets managed by third party managers and assets subject to a non-discretionary advisory mandate where Investcorp receives fees calculated on the basis of AUM.
Since its inception in 1982, Investcorp has made over 195 Private Equity deals in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and North Africa region and Asia, across a range of sectors including retail and consumer products, technology, business services and industrials, and more than 800 commercial and residential real estate investments in the US and Europe, for in excess of US $61 billion in transaction value.
Investcorp employs approximately 550 people across its offices in New York, London, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Mumbai and Singapore. For further information, including our most recent periodic financial statements, which details our assets under management, please visit: www.investcorp.com.