Busy B2B services sectors in Feb 24: IT & digital in particular

2. Advent Partners announces significant investment in software business RMS Cloud to support international expansion

Advent Partners, one of Australia’s leading growth buy-out private equity firms, is delighted to announce its significant investment in RMS Cloud (‘RMS’), a leader in cloud-based SaaS Property Management Software (‘PMS’) for the accommodation sector. This strategic partnership aims to accelerate RMS’s international growth and support RMS in continuing to build-out functionality of its leading PMS. Today, RMS services over 6,000 properties across 70 countries with its software providing mission-critical workflows for its customers and guests. RMS’s software allows its customers to manage bookings amp; reservations, supports guest check-ins amp; departures, manages marketing campaigns and channel management across multiple on-line travel agents such as booking.com and Expedia. The software also supports back-end functions such as housekeeping, trust accounting, yield management and reporting.

3. UST Acquires Leading Australian Process Transformation Company Leonardo

UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, has announced the strategic acquisition of Leonardo, a leading provider of business process improvement, automation, and integration services in the ANZ region. The acquisition by UST will empower Leonardo to expand its market reach and enhance its service offerings for clients, combining Leonardo’s in-depth process expertise with UST’s technology leadership, digital transformation capabilities, and global credentials, and strengthening UST’s position in the Australian market. UST has been supporting clients across industries in the Australian market for the last 8 years, providing digital transformation solutions focused on customer experience and operating model design, product engineering, organisational efficiencies through process transformation, Gen AI and data services, SaaS, cloud, intelligent automation, and cyber security solutions. Leonardo strengthens UST’s organizational efficiency offering by bringing in its expertise, client references, and local partnerships. Headquartered in Melbourne, Leonardo’s 70+ team, with an established presence across key Australian cities, will join UST to strengthen their combined capability of delivering comprehensive digital solutions at scale throughout the ANZ region. This acquisition amplifies Leonardo’s existing expertise in business process improvement, automation, and integration and bolsters UST’s strategic alliances with key regional technology partners, further enriching their service offerings to clients across diverse industries.

4. Evergreen Services Group acquires Aucklands Lancom Technology

Established in 1988, Lancom is headquartered in Auckland with locations in Christchurch and Melbourne. The company is an advanced Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Solutions partner that specialisesnbsp;in software development, cloud services, managed services and businessnbsp;process automation. With more than 70 acquisitions, Evergreen partners with managed services and software companies tonbsp;provide operational assistance and capital. The Lancom acquisition marks Evergreens first expansion into Australia and New Zealand.

5. Orro lands in NZ, acquires Liquid IT

MSP Orro has expanded its geographic stable outside of Australia through acquiring Wellington-based MSP Liquid IT. Since launching in 2015, Liquid IT provides cyber security, managed services, cloud, and connectivity solutions to customers in government, transport and public services. As part of this acquisition, Liquids 45 employees will be retained, working alongside the Orro team to leverage each other’s expertise and capabilities to deliver high-performing solutions across networking, cybersecurity, cloud and unified communications. Orro, which was founded from merger between Comscentre, CustomTec, Correct Solutions, and Mach Technology Group in 2021, continues to ramp up its acquisition strategy in the market, recently adding Melbourne-based IT consulting and services firm NW Computing in October 2023.

6. Five V invests in Fat Zebra

Five V Capital are excited to announce our eighth Fund IV investment in Fat Zebra, a fast-growing provider of digital payment solutions to merchants, software providers and other payments platforms in the internet economy. Founded in 2012 with a mission to build a reliable and flexible payments technology stack, Fat Zebra has grown to become a critical player in how its merchant customers drive top line growth and customer experiences, while also streamlining operations. Five V looks forward to partnering alongside Fat Zebra’s co-founder and CEO, Pred Dragila, and the Fat Zebra management team to support the business during its exciting next phase of growth and bringing to market new payments innovations. On that note, we are excited to further announce the acquisition of Adatree into the Fat Zebra business, enhancing our payment services through open data solutions.

7. Dealmaker data solutions group Ansarada to be acquired by rival Datasite for $263m

A Sydney-based virtual data room solutions company that helps global companies manage M&A deals, capital raises, boards, governance and more has reached a deal to be acquired, giving Ansarada Group (ASX: AND) an implied equity value of $263.3 million as it looks set to change hands. Ansarada’s Minnesota-based rival Datasite has entered into an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of capital in the Australian business at $2.50 per share, representing a 19 per cent mark-up to the last closing price. Used by 13,691 customers in 180 countries including 87 of ASX100 companies on its books, Ansarada was founded in 2005. As of mid-2023 the group employed 178 people across its offices in Sydney, Chicago, London, Amsterdam, Johannesburg and Ho Chi Minh City. Ansarada claims more than US$1 trillion worth of deals have transacted on its platform with customers including the likes of BlackRock, Visa, UBS and Deloitte. While its origins are in deals, over time Ansarada has also rolled out software solutions to assist customers with day-to-day operations or optimising information dissemination, covering matters such as procurement, governance, risk and compliance (GRC), and environment, social and corporate governance (ESG).

8. Montrose Environmental Group Acquires Epic Environmental, Expanding Consultative and Engineering Services in Australia

Montrose Environmental Group, Inc. (“Montrose” or “the Company”) (NYSE: MEG), a high-growth global environmental services company, today announced the acquisition of Epic Environmental Pty Ltd, a leading environmental consultancy in Australia. Epic Environmental’s senior leadership team, including founders Mark Breitfuss and Brad May, will join Montrose’s Consulting and Engineering division, which reports into the Company’s Remediation and Reuse segment. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Headquartered in Brisbane, with offices in Sydney, Mudgee, Adelaide and Darwin, Epic Environmental is an environmental science and engineering consultancy, serving clients across Australia. The consultancy’s team includes engineers, scientists, geologists, planners, and ecologists, and provides a comprehensive range of services including environmental planning, contaminated land management, waste management and remediation, environmental audits and compliance audits. Working across diverse industries and sectors, Epic Environmental’s clients today include many of Australia’s top industrial, resources and energy services companies.

9. Novigi completes purchase of QMV Solutions, fueling the combined company’s strong growth trajectory

Novigi today announced the formal completion of its acquisition of 100% of QMV Solutions (QMV), a leading advisory, data and technology business. The acquisition includes Investigate DQ, QMV’s market-leading data quality software. The transaction completes the amalgamation of two closely aligned businesses with complementary strengths and deep experience in the superannuation, wealth management, and related technology segments in Australia. It also signals an opportunity to drive broad sector advancement amidst a period of heightened growth within Australia’s $3.5 trillion superannuation marketplace.

10. Spirit Tech acquires InfoTrust in strategic cyber security move

Spirit Technology Solutions has acquired cyber security practice InfoTrust as part of a strategic move to expand its cyber security offerings. On thenbsp;cusp of marking a decade in business, InfoTrust specialises in assurance, governance, risk, compliance (GRC) and managed security services. Both InfoTrust co-founders Simon McKay and Dane Meah will join the Spirit board.nbsp; InfoTrust and Intalock will combine under Spirits cyber arm with 110 cyber security specialists servicing more than 600 customers. The integration of Spirit and InfoTrust will result in a comprehensive suite of cyber security solutions, offering threat management and compliance solutions with access to a security operations centre (SOC), as well as offensive security and incident response services.

11. Purchase of South Australian technology company Enee adds Adelaide based team and new capabilities to First Focus

First Focus, Australia’s leading mid-market managed service provider, has started 2024 the same way it finished 2023, by announcing another acquisition. This time, the MSP in question is Enee, an Adelaide based technology business with a 14 year history and a compelling set of products and services. Ross Sardi, CEO of First Focus, explains the motivation behind the move: MSPs have traditionally stayed away from software development, however the lines between traditional IT, app integration, and app development are now increasingly blurred. Businesses need to leverage off-the-shelf and custom software to their fullest extent to be competitive, and we want to be at the forefront of delivering these services to small and midsize businesses. The addition of the Enee team is going to significantly boost our software development capabilities, allowing us to grow our offering in that space. Founded in 2010 by Kosta Haltis (who was soon joined by Christopher Sale), Enee has established itself as an innovative technology provider, focused on helping businesses become better through technology. It’s product/service offering has grown to include apps and software development, IT services, and the cloud. First Focus, founded in 2003, is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The company has over 300 employees located across Australia, New Zealand, The Philippines, Ireland, and South Africa. First Focus’s areas of expertise include Information Technology Solutions, Managed Service Providers, IT Outsourcing, IT Support, Cloud Services, IT Consulting, Private Cloud, and IT Strategy.

12. Valsoft Corporation Strengthens Workplace Management Portfolio with the Acquisition of Easy Employer

Easy Employer’s cloud-based solutions and services have been helping clients and partners to tackle and simplify complex workforce management requirements since 2006. Easy Employer’s control centre for staff management houses all tools required to manage and communicate with staff in all parts of the business that directly affect them. Easy Employer’s industry-leading automation also creates opportunity for businesses to leverage a cost-effective, feature rich solution to handle a variety of complex requirements. Founded in 2006, Easy Employer offers effective solutions to simplify complex issues for businesses. Their offerings bring customers even more powerful, integrated staff management, attendance, rostering, payroll and award interpretation solutions. The growing team of expert developers build and support Easy Employer’s innovative solutions across Australia and internationally, working closely with industries including the Aged, Home & Disability Care, Pharmacy, Childcare, Hospitality and Retail industries. Valsoft Corporation acquires and develops vertical market software companies that deliver mission-critical solutions. A key tenet of Valsoft’s philosophy is to invest in established businesses and foster an entrepreneurial environment that shapes a company into a leader in its respective industry. Unlike private equity and VC firms, Valsoft does not have a predefined investment horizon and looks to buy, hold, and create value through long-term partnerships with existing management and customers.