EQT Infrastructure’s EQT Infrastructure IV fund has agreed to acquire EdgeConneX from an investor group led by Providence Equity Partners (Providence).EdgeConneX builds and operates data centres for cloud, content, network and other service providers requiring both larger purpose-built facilities as well as edge facilities located closer to consumer and enterprise users to support latency-sensitive applications cost effectively. The Company’s broad footprint and relentless customer-focused business strategy have proven ideally suited to support these sophisticated customers’ strategic data centre demands, from the Hyperscale to the Edge. As customers rapidly expand their critical infrastructure around the globe, they look to EdgeConneX as a trusted partner to enable their growth needs in an environmentally friendly manner.
EQT Infrastructure will support the continued development of EdgeConneX and actively assist the Company in its pursuit of new opportunities to grow in existing and new markets globally. EdgeConneX is uniquely positioned to benefit from the secular tailwinds driving increased data centre usage. As the need for data grows ever larger, not only because of cloud and content but also driven by new innovations such as Artificial Intelligence, 5G Networks, Autonomous Vehicles, Virtual Reality, Cloud Gaming and the Internet-of-Things, there will continue to be substantial opportunities for EdgeConneX to continue to develop critical infrastructure to support its customers’ needs.
Jan Vesely, Partner at EQT Partners, says: “EQT has followed EdgeConneX’s journey from its early years to its growth into a top data center industry player. We are deeply impressed by EdgeConneX’s management team and the success they have had in creating a key contributor to the global cloud infrastructure. This partnership represents an exciting opportunity for EQT in a sector and geographies where we have significant experience. EQT looks forward to working with the team in continuing to grow the business and identify new expansion opportunities”.
Randy Brouckman, CEO of EdgeConneX, says: “EQT brings significant financial resources and digital infrastructure industry experience which EdgeConneX will use to accelerate growth and invest in new data centres around the world. I look forward to continuing to lead EdgeConneX and we are very pleased to have EQT as our new owner and partner in this exciting growth phase. On behalf of EdgeConneX, I thank our outstanding customers and partners, dedicated employees and long-term shareholders that gave us the latitude to succeed and create lasting value”.
Chris Ragona, Managing Director at Providence, says: “We have enjoyed working with Randy and team over the past five years and are pleased to have helped the company grow significantly, especially overseas. We fully expect EdgeConneX will continue its momentum and success as the company enters this next chapter. On behalf of our entire investor group, we wish them well”.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020. With this transaction, EQT Infrastructure IV is expected to be 80-85 per cent invested.
Evercore acted as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal counsel to EdgeConneX. Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as lead legal counsel to EQT Infrastructure.
