M&A Deal Summary

ABRY Partners and HarbourVest Partners Acquire Link Mobility

On October 10, 2018, private equity firms ABRY Partners and HarbourVest Partners acquired communications company Link Mobility for 357M EUR

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is ABRY Partners’ 16th and HarbourVest Partners’ 14th transaction in the Communications sector.
  • This is ABRY Partners’ 7th and HarbourVest Partners’ 48th largest (disclosed) transaction.
  • This is ABRY Partners’ 2nd and HarbourVest Partners’ 1st transaction in Norway.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2018-10-10
Target Link Mobility
Sector Communications
Buyer(s) ABRY Partners
HarbourVest Partners
Deal Type Going Private
Deal Value 357M EUR

Target

Link Mobility

Oslo, Norway
Link Mobility is a provider of mobile communications, specializing in messaging, digital services and data intelligence. LINK offers a wide range of innovative and scalable solutions across industries and sectors, creating valuable digital convergence between businesses and customers, platforms and users. Link Mobility was founded in 2000 and is based in Oslo, Norway.

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Buyer(S) 2

Buyer

ABRY Partners

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1989
PE ASSETS 12.8B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Focused
DESCRIPTION

ABRY Partners is a media and communications focused private equity investment firm. Specific areas of interest include television, publishing, convention/trade shows, for-profit training, couponing, monitoring services, telephone companies, communications towers, music libraries, database providers, wireless communications, and in-store advertisers. ABRY can provide both equity and mezzanine capital, typically committing $20 to $200 million of equity or $15 to $50 million of mezzanine capital per transaction. Prospective transaction situations include buyouts, expansion financings, platform acquisitions, consolidations, and recapitalizations. ABRY Partners was formed in 1989 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 124 of 171
Sector (Communications) 16 of 16
Type (Going Private) 4 of 4
Country (Norway) 2 of 2
Year (2018) 5 of 6
Size (of disclosed) 7 of 14
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2018-09-05 Identity Digital

Bellevue, Washington, United States

Identity Digital is a domain name registry offering new domain names in multiple languages and character sets. Identity Digital simplifies and connects a fragmented online world with domain names and related technologies that allow people and businesses to build, market, and own their digital identities. Identity Digital was founded in 2010 and is based in Bellevue, Washington.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2018-12-04 U.S. Legal Support

Houston, Texas, United States

U.S. Legal Support is a privately held company with over 85 offices located across the United States. As one of the leading providers of litigation services, U.S. Legal Support is the only litigation support company that provides a full suite of court reporting solutions, record retrieval, interpreting & translations, trial services, and transcription services to major insurance companies, corporations, and law firms nationwide. U.S. Legal Support was founded in 1996 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Buy -
Buyer

HarbourVest Partners

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1978
PE ASSETS 86.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

HarbourVest Partners, LLC is an investment firm that makes investments in new private equity partnerships, acquires secondary interests, and makes direct investments in operating companies. HarbourVest's largest investment area is investments in private equity funds, comprising of approximately 2/3 of HarbourVest's assets. HarbourVest's direct investment group looks for investments in growth oriented businesses at a variety of stages. The Group generally targets co-investments of $5 to $100 million, growth capital financings of $5 to $40 million, or mezzanine commitments of $5 to $20 million. Sectors of interest include software, hardware, data communications, telecommunications, and financial services. HarbourVest was formed in 1997 to assume the business of Hancock Venture Partners which was formed in 1982. HarbourVest Partners is based in Boston, Massachusetts, with additional offices in London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 188 of 223
Sector (Communications) 14 of 14
Type (Going Private) 26 of 27
Country (Norway) 1 of 1
Year (2018) 21 of 25
Size (of disclosed) 48 of 68
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2018-10-10 SK shipping

Seoul, South Korea

SK shipping provides shipping services that includes transporting crude oil, gas carrier, dry bulk, ocean bunkering and ship management services. SK shipping was founded in 1982 and is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Buy $3.7B
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2018-10-31 McLarens

Peachtree Corners, Georgia, United States

McLarens is a global insurance services provider with offices and operations strategically located around the world. With a focus on complex, commercial and niche markets, McLarens provides loss adjusting and claims management services, as well as auditing and pre-risk surveying. The company’s global footprint enables it to provide streamlined consistent service to global customers, while at the same time delivering local expertise and responsive service. McLarens was founded in 1931 and is based in Peachtree Corners, Georgia.

Buy -