M&A Deal Summary

DigitalBridge Group, EQT and Ardian Acquire Zayo

On May 8, 2019, infrastructure investor DigitalBridge Group, private equity firm EQT and private equity firm Ardian acquired communications company Zayo for 14.3B USD

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is DigitalBridge Group’s 2nd, EQT’s 12th and Ardian’s 12th transaction in the Communications sector.
  • This is DigitalBridge Group’s , EQT’s and Ardian’s 5th largest (disclosed) transaction.
  • This is DigitalBridge Group’s 4th, EQT’s 28th and Ardian’s 48th transaction in the United States.
  • This is DigitalBridge Group’s 1st, EQT’s 2nd and Ardian’s 3rd transaction in Colorado.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2019-05-08
Target Zayo
Sector Communications
Buyer(s) DigitalBridge Group
EQT
Ardian
Deal Type Going Private
Deal Value 14.3B USD
Advisor(s) Goldman Sachs
J.P. Morgan Securities (Financial)
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom (Legal)

Target

Zayo

Boulder, Colorado, United States
Zayo's corporate headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.
Zayo's corporate headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.
Zayo is a provider of bandwidth infrastructure and network neutral colocation and interconnection services. Zayo's services allow its customers, which include telecom carriers, wireless service providers, media and content companies, and other bandwidth-intensive businesses, to transport data, voice, video, and internet traffic, as well as to interconnect their networks. Zayo was founded in 2007 and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

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Buyer(S) 3

Buyer
DESCRIPTION
DigitalBridge's headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.
DigitalBridge's headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida.

DigitalBridge Group is a global digital infrastructure investment firm. The Firm looks to acquire a variety of assets and operating businesses spanning cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure. DigitalBridge is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 6 of 13
Sector (Communications) 2 of 5
Type (Going Private) 1 of 3
State (Colorado) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 4 of 8
Year (2019) 2 of 4
Size (of disclosed) 1 of 5
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-02-27 Cogeco Peer 1

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Cogeco Peer 1, Inc. is a provider of outsourced Internet infrastructure in the form of colocation and related managed services to enterprise customers in the US, and to a lesser extent, in Canada.

Buy CA$720M
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-11-12 Beanfield Metroconnect

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Beanfield Technologies, Inc. owns and operates a private fiber-optic network in Toronto, and provides comprehensive telecom services to over 700 commercial and residential buildings. Beanfield Technologies was founded in 1988 and is based in Toronto, Ontario.

Buy -
Buyer

EQT

Stockholm, Sweden

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1994
PE ASSETS 50.0B EUR
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

EQT is a global private equity group that purses a variety of investment strategies around the world. EQT is divided into several investment disciplines, including private capital, real assets, credit, and venture. The Firm's private capital group targets large, market-leading enterprises (investment size of €125 to €1.5 billion) across Europe and the US, as well as mid-market, growth companies (investment size of €40 to €125 million) across the US, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia. The Firm's real assets group seeks to identify control or co-control equity investments (investment size of €500 to €1 billion) in medium-sized infrastructure companies that provide an essential service to society, are recession resilient, and have secure cash flows. EQT's credit group provides flexible, long-term debt capital solutions to medium-sized European businesses, across a wide range of sectors. EQT was established in 1994 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 207 of 304
Sector (Communications) 12 of 14
Type (Going Private) 10 of 21
State (Colorado) 2 of 2
Country (United States) 28 of 59
Year (2019) 13 of 27
Size (of disclosed) 1 of 45
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-05-01 COFORGE

New Delhi, India

COFORGE is a global IT solutions organization addressing the requirements of clients across Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. COFORGE was founded in 1992 and is based in New Delhi, India.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-05-16 Coromatic AB

Bromma, Sweden

Coromatic AB is a data center focused service company. Coromatic is active in IT data center design and build as well as selling Datacenter as a service, accompanied by services, maintenance and counseling. Coromatic AB was founded in 2008 and is based in Bromma, Sweden.

Sell -
Buyer

Ardian

Paris, France

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 1996
PE ASSETS 125.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Ardian is a mega-sized diversified investment group focused on opportunities worldwide. Ardian invests across and manages funds focused on small and mid-sized buyouts, growth capital financings, mezzanine, infrastructure, real estate, and co-investment opportunities. Ardian's small-buyouts group targets controlling interests in French, German, and Italian businesses valued up to €100 million. It's mid-sized buyout group seeks businesses valued up €1.5 billion and does not have any geographic limitations. The Infrastructure team looks for European opportunities and can commit up to €150 million per transaction. The Mezzanine group supports junior capital commitments of €5 to €80 million. In addition to direct investing, Ardian also manages various private equity fund-of-funds. Ardian was founded in 1996 and is based in Paris.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 343 of 418
Sector (Communications) 12 of 17
Type (Going Private) 12 of 15
State (Colorado) 3 of 3
Country (United States) 48 of 59
Year (2019) 15 of 30
Size (of disclosed) 5 of 67
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-05-08 Trade Me

Wellington, New Zealand

Trade Me is a provider of the online marketplace and classified advertising platforms in New Zealand as well as the generalist marketplace for new and used goods. Trade Me Group was founded in 1999 and is based in Wellington, New Zealand.

Buy NZ$2.6B
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2019-05-16 Galderma

Zug, Switzerland

Galderma is a global skincare company offering medical and consumer skin health solutions through three business units; aesthetics and prescription and consumer health. Galderma was founded in 1981 and is based in Zug, Switzerland.

Buy Fr.10.2B