Magnet Forensics Inc., developer of digital investigation solutions for more than 4,000 enterprises and public safety organizations, is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement with Morpheus Purchaser Inc., a newly created corporation controlled by Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, whereby Morpheus will acquire Magnet, subject to obtaining shareholder and other customary approvals/
Following the closing of the Transaction, Thoma Bravo intends to combine the Company and Grayshift LLC, which Thoma Bravo acquired majority control of in July 2022. The companies’ complementary offerings are expected to create a powerful end-to-end digital investigations platform empowering more public safety agencies around the world to seek justice, solve crimes, and protect victims. Grayshift is a leading provider of mobile device digital forensics, specializing in lawful access and extraction. By combining Grayshift’s mobile access and extraction capabilities with Magnet Forensic's digital investigation suite, customers are expected to be able to leverage the platform to extract, process, examine, collaborate on and manage digital forensic evidence.
Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, holders of the outstanding Subordinate Voting Shares of Magnet will receive $44.25 cash per SV Share and the Rolling Shareholders will receive $39.00 for each outstanding SV Share and Multiple Voting Share of Magnet they sell for cash to the Purchaser, representing an aggregate total equity value of approximately $1.8 billion on a fully diluted, in-the-money, treasury method basis and inclusive of Rollover Shares. Upon completion of the transaction, Magnet will become a privately held company.
The Purchase Price represents a premium of approximately 15% to the closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange of the SV Shares on Jan. 19, 2023, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Transaction, and a premium of approximately 41% to the 90-trading day volume weighted average trading price per SV Share as at that date. The Purchase Price is also above the 52-week high closing price of the SV Shares as of Jan. 19, 2023, and represents a premium of approximately 160% to Magnet's initial public offering price of the SV Shares of $17.00. This value further represents an 87% premium to the closing price on Oct. 5, 2022, the last day prior to Thoma Bravo’s submission of its initial non-binding proposal for an acquisition of Magnet Forensics.
Adam Belsher and Jad Saliba, Founders of Magnet, and David Miles and Braden Thomas, Founders of Grayshift, will each hold leadership positions in the combined company. Magnet’s Chair, Jim Balsillie, will serve on the board of the combined company.
“We believe the combination of Magnet and Grayshift will unlock tremendous value for our customers by further integrating and expanding our product suite which will result in more seamless workflows in the recovery and analysis of critical digital evidence to investigations and ultimately contribute to our shared mission of the pursuit of justice,” said Adam Belsher, CEO of Magnet. “We look forward to partnering with Thoma Bravo and Grayshift to build upon our digital investigation suite to further innovate and continue to serve a growing number of organizations and use cases. We are confident that this transaction — joining two complementary organizations to form a new private company — offers the most compelling value creation for all our stakeholders and is a testament to the value of digital investigation solutions, the Magnet platform, our talented team, and loyal customer base.”
“Since early in Grayshift’s history, Magnet Forensics has been a trusted and strategic partner,” said David Miles, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Grayshift. “Bringing Magnet and Grayshift together will accelerate innovation and ultimately transform digital investigations. Today's announcement is a defining moment in the industry, and together we will accelerate the future of digital forensics.”
“We look forward to bringing together the complementary capabilities of Magnet and Grayshift to create a leader in the digital forensics and cyber security space,” said Hudson Smith, a Partner at Thoma Bravo. “Digital evidence is an increasingly critical aspect of investigations and the combined company will be well-positioned to further market expansion, accelerate innovation, and provide even greater solutions to its customers. We look forward to leveraging Thoma Bravo’s deep industry, operational and investment expertise to help the combined company capture the tremendous growth opportunities ahead.”
Press release by Thoma Bravo.