I n one of the largest private equity deal for CEE this year, Boston’s TA Associates has acquired a 25% stake in AVG Technologies, the Czech computer security software developer. The USD 200 million acquisition was made through the purchase of proportional shares from all current shareholders.
Enterprise Investors retained 34% stake and has now surpassed Benson Oak as AVG’s largest shareholder. As part of the deal TA Associates will be given two seats on the AVG Board.
AVG Technologies (www.avg.com)
AVG is a security software firm headquartered in Brno, Czech Republic, employing 400 people throughout offices on five continents. The firm, best known for its AVG antivirus package, develops and distributes a full array of business and consumer security software solutions. AVG claims more than 80 million users worldwide on the Windows, Mac, Linux, and FreeBSD platforms.
TA Associates (www.ta.com)
Boston based TA Associates has been in business since 1968, providing private equity services to more than 400 companies around the world. Currently the firm boasts a capital base of $12 billion managed by 60 investment professionals. TA Associates employs nearly 100 people at offices in Boston, London, Menlo Park, and Mumbai.
Enterprise Investors (www.ei.com.pl)
Since 1990 Enterprise Investors has been providing private equity and venture capital funding to businesses in Poland and CEE. Originally established via Polish-American Enterprise Fund, Enterprise Investors is the oldest and largest firm of its kind in Poland, having raised over €1.7 billion in funds. Enterprise Investors is based in Warsaw, Poland.
Benson Oak Capital (www.bensonoak.com)
Founded in 1991, Benson Oak Capital (BOC) bills itself as a buy-out and growth equity firm focusing on small and mid-sized ventures in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The typical BOC investment offers portfolio companies between €5 million and €30 million in exchange for a controlling stake. Since its inception Prague based BOC has raised and invested more than €90 million in a variety of sectors.
