Engagement — Platform Due Diligence
Code & Co. provides Tech & Product Due Diligence to Equistone ahead of its acquisition of eperi, a data protection and cybersecurity software specialist
Funds advised by Equistone Partners Europe (“Equistone”) have acquired a majority stake in eperi, a leading provider of cybersecurity software for cloud applications. eperi GmbH is a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions for data protection and security in on-premises, hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
eperi offers data encryption for cloud applications and boasts an international customer base focused on large companies from the finance, health and industrial sectors. The company’s solutions enable customers to use all kinds of IT infrastructure and software applications securely and within legal and regulatory requirements, allowing them to benefit from the advantages of the cloud without having to worry about data security, compliance and liability.
By acting as an intermediary between a client requesting data and the server providing that data and utilizing its patent-protected templates for SaaS provider integration, eperi ensures that data is encrypted before it leaves a company and reaches a software vendor (e.g. Salesforce or Microsoft Office 365), ensuring multi-cloud compliance.
The new partnership between Equistone and eperi will concentrate on the company’s further scaling and internationalization, as well as a targeted buy-and-build strategy.
Scope of work:
Code & Co. provided Tech & Product Due Diligence to Equistone ahead of the majority stake acquisition compiling an in-depth analysis of eperi’s software architecture and infrastructure, technology stack, scalability, security, and team capabilities. Further, Code & Co. assessed the company's patent-protected technology and evaluated the company’s product-strategic growth opportunities and machine learning / AI data strategy.
About Equistone Partners Europe:
Equistone Partners Europe is one of the most active European investment firms with a team of more than 50 investment professionals operating from seven offices in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France and the UK. Equistone primarily invests in established mid-sized businesses with favorable market positions, above-average growth potential and enterprise values of between Euro 50 and 500 million. Since its founding, Equistone has invested in about 170 transactions in the DACH region and the Netherlands, mostly in mid-market buy-outs. Its portfolio currently comprises over 50 businesses across Europe, among them around 20 active investments in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. Equistone is currently investing its sixth fund, which held a final closing at its Euro 2.8 billion hard cap in March 2018.
About eperi GmbH:
Headquartered in the Rhine-Main area, eperi GmbH is a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions for data protection and security in on-premises, hybrid and multi-cloud environments. eperi's solutions are innovative and easy to operate and allow their end users to securely and lawfully use all kinds of IT infrastructure and software applications. This allows the advantages of the cloud to be optimally exploited without having to worry about data security, compliance and liability. With several international patents, eperi acts as a trailblazer for innovative and reliable multi-cloud technology and supports its customers’ ESG efforts by protecting private data. The cloud security specialist’s international customer base primarily includes larger companies from the financial, health and industrial sector.