Birmingham advisers lead on £23m software firm investment
BIRMINGHAM-based Catalyst Corporate Finance has advised the shareholders of Exclaimer, the largest global provider of email signature software, on a £23m capital investment package.
Mid-market private equity firm Livingbridge, which has an office in Birmingham, has made the investment.
Exclaimer, headquartered in Farnborough, was founded in 2000 by business partners Andrew Millington, Gary Levell and Chris Crawshay and today provides software to over 25,000 customers in more than 100 countries including blue-chip firms such as the BBC, Audi, Sony and McDonalds.
The group is an accredited Microsoft Gold partner and its products support the full array of Microsoft‘s email solutions including MS Office 365, Microsoft’s rapidly growing cloud deployed business platform. Exclaimer’s software gives users complete flexibility and control over email signatures and disclaimers, ensuring regulatory compliance whilst enabling brand promotion and innovative marketing campaigns.
The investment from Livingbridge will see the business invest in expanding relationships with partners, add scale by broadening its suite of products and invest further in its infrastructure and customer services to ensure Exclaimer capitalises on its market leading position.
Commenting on the investment, Andrew Millington, CEO of Exclaimer said: “In the last 16 years we have taken a very simple concept and turned it into a global success.
“The investment from Livingbridge will enable us to push on even further, adding scale and firepower to our business while still maintaining our entrepreneurial culture of innovation to ensure our customers continue to receive excellent product and services. We are delighted to be working with the Livingbridge team and I know I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say that we are incredibly excited about our future.”
Jamie Hope, partner at Catalyst who led the deal, supported by Emmet Keating and Mike Falzon, said: “The Exclaimer team has done a fantastic job transitioning the business to a software-as-a-service based cloud platform. I am delighted we have helped Andrew and the team find a supportive partner in Livingbridge, which now means the business is ideally placed to continue the rapid capture of its global user base.”
Matthew Caffrey, partner at Livingbridge, who led the deal supported by Xavier Woodward and Mo Aneese, added: “Exclaimer is an impressive company with great technological focus.
“They have demonstrated an ability to iterate their software to lead their market and our experience of working with high growth tech business, combined with Exclaimer’s strong management team and award winning reputation, means that the business is extremely well placed to capture the opportunity that the rapid expansion of MS Office 365 brings.”
Other advisers on the deal included Ragi Singh at Gowling WLG, who advised the shareholders and Paul Medlicott at Addleshaw Goddard, who advised Livingbridge.
