Private equity firm Thoma Bravo has completed itsacquisition of DigiCert, a global SSL Certification Authority (CA) and the leading provider of trusted certificate management solutions.
Prior investor TA Associates and DigiCert management and employees will remain significant shareholders in the business.
DigiCert provides digital certificates to over 115,000 customers in more than 180 countries, and is one of the few CAs dedicated solely to advancing PKI-based solutions for enterprises and networked devices.
“As the internet economy continues its exponential growth, certificate management technology will play an increasingly prominent role in securing and verifying information across digital channels,” said Seth Boro, managing partner at Thoma Bravo. “We’re excited to partner with the management team to build on DigiCert’s established reputation for innovation and first-rate customer service, and help them to achieve the company’s full growth potential.”
“Thoma Bravo’s breadth of expertise in digital security is an incredible asset,” said Nicholas Hales, chief executive officer at DigiCert. “The next generation of internet services will be even more reliant on digital certificate solutions to preserve the integrity of the huge amounts of data being exchanged. DigiCert is well-positioned to meet this growing demand, and with the support of Thoma Bravo’s insights and strategic thinking, we’re excited to deliver more robust solutions to our customers and further our market leadership position.”
Kirkland & Ellis (for Thoma Bravo) and Goodwin Procter (for DigiCert) served as legal advisors on the transaction. Jefferies LLC (for Thoma Bravo) and Evercore (for DigiCert) served as financial advisors. Financing was provided by Jefferies Finance LLC and Fifth Street Asset Management.
