Hg acquires AuditBoard

HgCapital Trust PLC

23 May 2024

 

Hg, the Manager of HgCapital Trust plc ("HgT"), today announces an investment in AuditBoard, a leading connected risk platform transforming audit, risk, compliance and ESG management.

The terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

HgT will invest approximately £87.2 million in AuditBoard, with other institutional clients of Hg investing alongside HgT through the Hg Saturn 3 Fund.

HgT, whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange, gives private and institutional investors the opportunity to participate in all Hg's investments.

Note that these figures only relate to HgT's share of Hg's overall investment in AuditBoard.

HgT's liquid resources available for future deployment (including all announced transactions, the undrawn bank facility and the full year dividend paid in May 2024) are estimated to be £570 million (24% of the 31 March 2024 NAV of £2.3 billion).

The investment will reduce HgT's outstanding commitments to invest in Hg transactions to approximately £739 million (32% of the 31 March 2024 NAV).

AuditBoard agrees to be acquired by Hg
for over $3 billion

Hg, a leading investor in European and transatlantic software and services businesses, will help fuel further growth at AuditBoard, as the company continues to expand its platform and global reach.

Los Angeles, CA. May 23, 2024. - AuditBoard, a leading connected risk platform transforming audit, risk, compliance and ESG management, today announces that it has reached an agreement to be acquired in a transaction valued at over $3 billion, by Hg, an experienced and global leading investor in compliance, risk and accounting software over the last 20 years. 

The deal validates AuditBoard's customer centric approach and potent combination of innovative technology - like the recently announced AuditBoard AI - and domain expertise at a time when demand for its connected risk platform and related solutions is fueling rapid global growth.

The company now serves more than 2,000 enterprises, including nearly 50% of the Fortune 500. Founded in 2014, AuditBoard announced earlier this year it had crossed a milestone of $200 million in annual recurring revenue during late 2023. Its last funding round took place in 2018 - a Series B led by Battery Ventures, the firm's largest institutional shareholder. 

"We are grateful to our customers and their teams for the trust they have placed in us, and view our partnership with Hg as further validation of our practitioner-first focus," said Scott Arnold, AuditBoard CEO. 

He added: "The foundation and culture that our founders created has meaningfully scaled to create an opportunity for AuditBoard to become the platform of choice for global organizations to connect and manage risk. This is an important milestone for the company, and we couldn't have done it without the unwavering support of our employees, partners, and incredible investors - especially Battery Ventures. We look forward to continuing to build and expand the platform of the future with Hg."

"AuditBoard's astonishing growth is a result of its commitment to its SaaS-native beginnings, focus on customer success and a differentiated, truly modern tech stack," said Nic Humphries, Senior Partner and Head of the Saturn funds at Hg. "We have been tracking the company's progress for the past five years and see a massive opportunity ahead. We are excited to partner with Scott and the AuditBoard team, to support the company on its next phase of rapid global growth and platform expansion."

"We are absolutely delighted to invest in such an incredible SaaS success story, led by our San Francisco team less than two years after opening our West Coast office, demonstrating the strength of our North American franchise," said Alan Cline, Head of North America at Hg. "AuditBoard is exactly the type of business we partner best with - one that truly knows its customers and innovates to bring them the best possible products. We can't wait to get started."

Hg has a long and successful history of investing in enterprise software companies over the last 20 years. Hg will use its experience to support AuditBoard's differentiated offerings as it continues to scale, focusing on product innovation, international growth, and customer success.

"AuditBoard is a special company - customer-first, product-led, and one that has bucked recent industry trends by running in an extremely capital-efficient manner, instead of continually raising more funding," said Michael Brown, a Battery Ventures general partner and AuditBoard board member. "While other B2B tech companies raised ever-bigger funding rounds, AuditBoard has kept its head down and focused on the fundamentals, no matter the market cycle. Our partnership with the AuditBoard team since our first investment in 2018 has been collaborative and enriching, and I look forward to seeing the company continue to grow and mature in partnership with Hg."

"When we founded AuditBoard back in 2014, our goal was to use software to solve the serious challenges that exist for an auditor," said Daniel Kim, AuditBoard co-founder. "This acquisition represents a realization of not only our vision, but validates how taking a customer and practitioner-centric approach is the right way to develop technology that users will be passionate about." Jay Lee, AuditBoard co-founder added, "Our sincere congratulations to Scott, Hg and the AuditBoard team. I can't wait to see what's next." 

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to AuditBoard; Cooley LLP is serving as legal counsel to AuditBoard.

For further details:

Hg

Tom Eckersley                                                                                     [phone]

HgCapital Trust

Laura Dixon                                                                                         [phone]

Brunswick

Azadeh Varzi                                                                                       [phone]

[e-mail]

About HgCapital Trust plc

HgCapital Trust plc, whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange (ticker: HGT.L), gives investors exposure through a liquid vehicle to a portfolio of high-growth private companies in the software and services sector. The selection of new investments and creation of value in these businesses are managed by Hg, an experienced and well-resourced private equity firm with a long-term track record of delivering superior risk-adjusted returns for its investors. For further details, please see www.hgcapitaltrust.com.

The contents of the Hg, HgCapital Trust, Battery Ventures and AuditBoard's websites are not incorporated into, and do not form part of, this announcement.

 

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