Featured Stories
Selling an Edtech Business: The PositivePsychology.com Exit
PositivePsychology.com, a mission-driven edtech platform used by 19M+ professionals, was acquired in an 8-figure deal advised by FE International. This case study covers their growth, decision to sell, and the exit process.
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Microsoft Acquires GitHub, Sinks Datacenter off Orkney Coast, DocuSign First Public Earnings Report, Amazon Price Target Raised: Newsletter June 8, 2018
Microsoft has this week confirmed its acquisition of GitHub in a $7.5 billion all stock deal. Valued at $2 billion back in 2015, GitHub is Microsoft’s second-largest acquisition, having acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion in 2016. Of the 85 million repositories hosted on and 28 million developers contributing to GitHub, Microsoft is currently GitHub’s top contributor, after discontinuing their GitHub competitor, CodePlex in December of 2017. The deal is expected to close later this year.
Uber’s 2019 IPO, Google Partners with Orange Digital Ventures, Facebook and Google GDPR Complaints: Newsletter June 1, 2018
Uber’s CEO this week revealed that the company is on track for a 2019 IPO. In an interview with CNBC at the 2018 Code Conference, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stated that the company’s profile, profitability and margins were in a “good position” to IPO sometime next year. Last week, Uber revealed strong revenue growth of 67% as well as losses down 49% year on year, with an updated tentative valuation of $62 billion. Khosrowshahi also revealed in the interview that Uber’s focus for the foreseeable future is to create a safe riding experience for riders and drivers alike, further mentioning the company’s intentions to expand into all modes of transportation from bicycles to subways.
Adyen IPO, Adobe Acquires Magento and Alibaba Price-Target Raised: Newsletter May 25, 2018
Adyen yesterday confirmed plans first announced in April to file for public listing on the Amsterdam stock market. Adyen has remained profitable since 2011, which sets raising new funds at a low priority for the IPO, instead serving to fuel the company’s continued expansion of new products into new regions. Adyen’s 2017 financials reported net revenues for the fiscal year ending December 2017 at $255.45 million, with total processing volume growing to $126.23 billion from $77.2 billion the previous year and the company remained profitable on an EBITDA basis in 2017 ($116 million) with margins of 45.5%. J.P Morgan and Morgan Stanley are serving as advisors on the deal.
PayPal Acquires iZettle, Pluralsight IPO, Walmart Q1 Earnings, IAB Digital Advertising Report: Newsletter May 18, 2018
PayPal Acquires iZettle, Pluralsight IPO, Walmart Q1 Earnings, IAB Digital Advertising Report: Newsletter May 18, 2018
FE International Launches SaaS Mag, Walmart Invests in Flipkart, Shopify Launches Brick and Mortar Store, Instagram Native Payments Feature: Newsletter May 11, 2018
FE International this week announced the official launch of SaaS Mag, the world’s first quarterly print magazine for the SaaS industry. The first edition, which features exclusive interviews with DocuSign founder Tom Gonser, Drift CEO David Cancel, pricing expert and PriceIntelligently founder/CEO Patrick Campbell, and personalization consultant and RightMessage founder/CEO Brennan Dunn, is free! Visit SaaS Mag.com to request your copy and be entered in our giveaway contest for a chance to win high-value rewards like an all-expenses paid trip to LTVConf Winter 2018, US edition.
Jon & Dave Dickson
“I’m very proud of the entire team at MyShopManager for getting to this milestone and excited to see how they continue to grow in the coming years. FE International was very professional and organized throughout the process and matched us with a suitor that not only met our terms but truly understood what was unique about our business and how our team’s culture set us apart. ”
Ted Mikulski
“When we partnered with FE, they got us in front of leading private equity firms and strategics and ran a smooth M&A process from start to finish. ”
Salesforce Trailblazer Fund, Google .app TLD, Twitter Security Glitch and Facebook SaaS Integrations: Newsletter May 4, 2018
Salesforce Ventures has this week announced their Trailblazer Fund, which has earmarked $100 million to invest in Canadian enterprise cloud startups. The first four startups to receive funding will be Tier1CRM, Traction Guest, Tulip, and OSF Commerce. In February, Salesforce committed $2 billion to expanding its Canadian business over the next five years, with EVP of Corporate Development John Somorjai citing Canada as an innovative region for the next generation of enterprise cloud startups. Salesforce is the number one CRM provider in Canada and employs over 1,300 workers locally.
DocuSign IPO, WeWork Sells Bonds, Amazon Prime Pricing, BigCommerce Funding Round: Newsletter April 27, 2018
DocuSign began trading on the Nasdaq today at $38 per share. Pricing in at $29 per share on Thursday evening, the stock rose more than 30% during its opening hours to reach a high of $40. The PPS set on Thursday brought the company’s valuation to $4.4 billion (over one-third higher than the $3 billion valuation received following its last private round in 2015) and led the digital signing software company to raise $629.3 million in its initial public offering. With over $500 million total raised since its founding in 2003, DocuSign’s IPO filings show Sigma Partners as the largest shareholder with a 12.9% stake in the company. The company reported that it sold 21.7 million shares on Thursday, a free float of c.14.3%.
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