Vector Capital, a leading private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses, today announced it will make a strategic $100 million minority investment in Malwarebytes, a global leader in real-time cyberprotection. As part of the transaction, Vector Capital Managing Directors Sandy Gill and Dave Fishman will join the company’s Board of Directors.
Malwarebytes plans to leverage the investment to further innovate the company’s product portfolios, accelerate momentum with channel partners and consolidate its ownership structure. Malwarebytes will add intuitive new features to its award-winning consumer protection and privacy suite and continue to launch new modules that enable organizations to reduce their attack surface from the same cloud platform they trust for detection and remediation. The investment will also enable Malwarebytes to enhance and scale its international channel partner program and rapidly growing Managed Service Provider (MSP) business.
Founded in 2008, Malwarebytes built on its unmatched remediation to simplify cyberprotection for consumers and organizations. Harnessing its team of threat hunters worldwide, deep threat intelligence and the latest artificial intelligence and machine learning, Malwarebytes detects and mitigates existing and never-before-seen threats daily for millions of customers. As one of the resources IT and security professionals trust most, Malwarebytes is uniquely positioned to protect resource-constrained organizations with intuitive prevention tools and effective defenses that don’t require customers to hire an army of experts.
“Vector Capital’s investment is a testament to the transformational work our team has done to evolve our best-in-class endpoint protection to comprehensive offerings for both individuals and organizations, while driving profitable growth,” said Marcin Kleczynski, co-founder and CEO of Malwarebytes. “Importantly, Vector Capital shares our mission to protect those most vulnerable to cyberattacks through cutting-edge technologies and the power of community. We believe Vector Capital’s collaborative approach and proven ability to help build global software businesses make them ideal partners in our ongoing efforts to build a safer digital world.”
Sandy Gill, Managing Director at Vector Capital, said, “Malwarebytes is a global market leader with one of the most widely recognized brands in cyber remediation and protection. It has become an essential business that keeps the internet safer for millions of people and organizations worldwide every day. We look forward to supporting the company by leveraging our strong track record in building and scaling technology companies and working alongside management to further accelerate growth across both the consumer and corporate business lines.”
Dave Fishman, Managing Director and Head of the Private Equity team at Vector Capital, added, “Malwarebytes represents exactly the kind of transformational opportunity that aligns with our strategy. We have been extremely impressed by Marcin and the Malwarebytes executives. Along with Vector’s Value Creation Team, we have an incredible opportunity to drive and unlock value.”
The funding by Vector Capital follows investments led by Highland Capital Partners and Fidelity Management and Research Company.
The transaction is subject to standard and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Paul Hastings LLP acted as legal counsel for Vector Capital. Fenwick & West LLP acted as legal counsel for Malwarebytes and Jefferies LLC acted as its exclusive financial advisor.
About Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes believes that when people and organizations are free from threats, they are free to thrive. Founded in 2008, Malwarebytes CEO Marcin Kleczynski had one mission: to rid the world of malware. Today, that mission has expanded to provide cyber-protection for everyone. Malwarebytes provides consumers and organizations with device protection, privacy, and prevention through effective, intuitive, and inclusive solutions in the home, on-the-go, at work, or on campus. A world-class team of threat researchers and security experts enable Malwarebytes to protect millions of customers and combat existing and never-before-seen threats using artificial intelligence and machine learning to catch new threats rapidly. With threat hunters and innovators across the world, the company is headquartered in California with offices in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit https://www.malwarebytes.com/.
About Vector Capital
Vector Capital is a leading, San Francisco-based global private equity and credit investment firm focused on transformative investments in technology and technology-enabled businesses. Founded in 1997, Vector oversees approximately $4 billion of capital across its private equity and credit strategies from a variety of investors including university endowments, foundations, and financial institutions. With our disciplined approach to valuation and deep-rooted operational experience, Vector has generated competitive returns and established a successful track record spanning nearly 25 years. For more information, please visit www.vectorcapital.com.
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