Digital safety firm acquired in deal worth more than £75m

Leeds-based Smoothwall, a digital safety technology provider, has been acquired by Australian-based tech innovator Family Zone Cyber Safety Limited, for an all-cash consideration of £75.5m.

Family Zone is an ASX-listed technology company and an emerging leader in the fast-growing global cyber safety industry.

It has developed a patented cyber safety ecosystem, a platform which enables collaboration between schools, parents and cyber safety educators.

Smoothwall provides digital and safeguarding services with a strong market position in the UK and operations in the US.

It currently supports more than 12,400 schools and six million students across its UK and US operations.

Smoothwall was backed by UK Private Equity firm, Tenzing PE Ltd, in late 2017 and has since executed a strong growth plan with diversification of solutions into the Cloud and the successful integration of three acquisitions.

Tim Levy, managing director of Family Zone, said: “Our organisations are both on a mission to keep children safe and our complementary platforms and culture create a unique and remarkable opportunity for synergies and growth.”

The acquisition establishes one of the world’s largest and fastest growing cyber safety providers, servicing more than 18,000 schools and nine million students across Australia, New Zealand, USA and UK.

The combination of Smoothwall and Family Zone Education services (known as Linewize) creates a suite of digital safeguarding solutions including content filtering solutions supporting all customary school networks, devices and integrations along with a complete, built for education, all-in-one security platform.

It also features tools for school pastoral staff and admins to securely record and share safeguarding incidents, as well as accredited education programs delivered to parents, teachers and students.

Georg Ell, chief executive officer of Smoothwall, said: “Over the past four years our team has worked hard to build new world-class capabilities, and the combination of these two innovative businesses is simply fantastic news for the next chapter at Smoothwall.

“We have strong shared values with Family Zone and this further powers our quest to create a unique and world-leading suite of digital safeguarding solutions for schools and their communities and to become the most trustworthy safeguarding technology provider in the world.”