AppSense ‘drawing up US IPO plan’

ANGLO-US business software developer AppSense, is in the early stages of a plan to launch a flotation on Wall Street, according to reports.

The Daresbury and New York-based group, which makes remote-access software for big corporations and government departments, has tapped bankers to plan an IPO, The Wall Street Journal said.

Goldman Sachs Group, which invested in AppSense last year, is working with the company to help it prepare an IPO filing, along with Citigroup and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. The deal is still in its early stages, and is planned for next year, sources close to the deal said.

AppSense, founded by Cheshire-based entrepreneur Charles Sharland, has attracted attention in the niche market of “virtualization” software, which allows users to access corporate software remotely.

It creates profiles that allow people to use a range of devices, including desktop PCs and smart phones, for remote access.

AppSense has previously estimated that the market for its software, employed by large companies is expected to be $2bn a year by 2015.

Goldman Sachs invested $70m in AppSense in 2011, the company’s first outside fundraising, in exchange for a minority stake in the company and a seat on its board.

AppSense declined to comment on the reports.