Insight Partners and Liberty Hall Capital Partners-backed Vistair, an aviation industry technology company, completed the merger with Comply365, a provider of enterprise SaaS and mobile solutions. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"We are confident in the immense potential created from the merger of Comply365 and Vistair. The companies' complementary solutions bring a powerful offering to the market for the benefit of the entire aviation ecosystem. We are excited to join forces with our partners at Liberty Hall to bolster and support ongoing product investment and growth," Henry Frankievich, Insight Partners Managing Director.
Comply365 was advised by Lincoln International and Gibson Dunn & Crutcher. Vistair was advised by Houlihan Lokey and Osborne Clarke. Insight Partners and Liberty Hall Capital Partners were advised by Harris Williams & Co, Lincoln International and Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Merck, a pharmaceutical company, agreed to acquire Harpoon Therapeutics, a biotech company, for $680m.
“At Harpoon, we have always been committed to advancing our cancer immunotherapy candidates to improve the lives of patients. With Merck’s recognized leadership in oncology clinical development and global commercial footprint, our lead candidate, HPN328, is well positioned moving forward,” Julie Eastland, Harpoon Therapeutics President and CEO.
Merck is advised by Evercore and Covington & Burling. Harpoon Therapeutics is advised by Centerview Partners and Goodwin Procter.
YouGov, the international market research and data analytics group, completed the acquisition of KnowledgeHound, a US-based survey data management solution. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"YouGov's acquisition of KnowledgeHound represents a significant shift in what the industry should expect from data analytics platforms. By adding KnowledgeHound - a leading search-based survey data analysis solution - to YouGov Crunch - the ultimate tool for granular data analysis - we will make it easier than ever before to get fast, actionable, reliable insights all in one place," Alex McIntosh, YouGov CFO.
Pelican Energy Partners, a Houston-based private equity firm, completed the acquisition of Container Technologies Industries, a manufacturer of containment solutions for the nuclear industry. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"CTI is a great company with a 20+ year track record of expansion. The company's highly-experienced team has a reputation of delivering the highest quality containment solutions, including specialty products and industry-standard containers. The business is well positioned to deliver products for growing customer demand. In addition to the majority buyout of legacy shareholders, Pelican has invested growth capital into the business to expand capacity,'' Mike Scott, Pelican Founding Partner.
Pelican Energy Partners was advised by McGuireWoods. CTI was advised by Hirsch & Westheimer.
Boston Scientific, a biomedical/biotechnology engineering firm, agreed to acquire Axonics, a medical technology company, for $3.4bn.
"We are excited to add Axonics technologies to the Boston Scientific portfolio, a combination that we expect will further strengthen our ability to serve urologists who are treating patients living with these often-chronic conditions," Meghan Scanlon, Boston Scientific Senior Vice President and President, Urology.
Axonics is advised by JP Morgan.
Kept Companies, a provider of facility maintenance services, completed the acquisition of Giant Enterprises, a service business focusing on ambient scenting and odor control. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"Over the past 30 years, Giant Enterprises has built a wonderful industry reputation, and we're proud to welcome them into the Kept Companies family. The company's services align perfectly with our vision of becoming a comprehensive and versatile facility maintenance service provider, allowing us to continue bringing even more specialized services to our clients," Jerry DiGiovanni, Kept Companies President.
Giant Enterprises was advised by Northern Edge Advisors.
Arcline-backed Fairbanks Morse Defense, an American manufacturing company, completed the acquisition of Samtan Engineering, a single-source metalworking supplier. Financial terms were not disclosed.
''Our acquisition of Samtan Engineering Corporation allows Fairbanks Morse Defense to continue delivering value far beyond the cost of our services through the seamless integration of metal-stamped products and machine shop services,” George Whittier, FMD CEO.
Fairbanks Morse Defense was advised by Mercom Communications.
Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical company, agreed to acquire Ambrx, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, for $1.9bn.
“Ambrx’s ADC technology offers unique advantages in the conjugation of stable antibodies and cytotoxic linker payloads, which results in engineered ADCs that effectively kill cancer cells and limit toxicities,” Yusri Elsayed, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Global Therapeutic Area Head, Oncology.
Ambrx is advised by Centerview Partners.
GE HealthCare, an American multinational medical technology company, agreed to acquire MIM Software, a global provider of medical imaging analysis and artificial intelligence. Financial terms were not disclosed.
GE HealthCare expects to leverage MIM Software’s imaging analytics and digital workflow capabilities across various care areas to accelerate innovation and differentiate its solutions for the benefit of patients and healthcare systems around the world.
Dayton Superior, a provider of industry-trusted accessories, chemicals, rebar connections, infrastructure packages and forming solutions within the concrete industry, agreed to acquire HK Composites, manufacturers of a patented insulated concrete sandwich panel connector system. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“The acquisition of HK Composites bolsters Dayton Superior’s product portfolio and further enhances our footprint in the Tilt-Up and Precast markets,” Mark Carpenter, Dayton Superior President and CEO.
VelocityEHS, a provider of enterprise EHS & ESG software solutions, completed the acquisition of Contractor Compliance, a Canadian-based enterprise safety and risk management software solution provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.
''Making workplaces safer, more sustainable and resilient does not get easier than this. Contractor Compliance really cracked the code on reducing risk and alleviating the administrative burdens of vendor management in an easily accessible way for the customer. Just as important, their solution is a perfect fit for our Accelerate Platform, and their people share our passion for simplifying complex challenges through beautifully designed software,'' Matt Airhart, VelocityEHS CEO.
Clarest Health, a provider of long-term care pharmacy services, completed the acquisition of Remedi SeniorCare, a long-term and post-acute care pharmacy services provider. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“Remedi and Clarest share a mutual vision of embracing technology to provide patient-focused, pharmacy services and solutions,” Jeff Stamps, Remedi SeniorCare CEO.
Berkshire Hathaway settles dispute over value of Pilot Travel Centers.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway averted a courtroom showdown over its purchase of a truck stop operator founded by a Tennessee billionaire, after settling a dispute centred on the value of the business, FT reported.
Berkshire had struck a deal about six years ago to acquire an interest in Pilot Travel Centers, founded by billionaire James “Big Jim” Haslam II, patriarch of a powerful Tennessee family.
Blackstone’s first private equity fund for rich individuals gets $1.3bn. (FS)
Blackstone raised $1.3bn for its first private equity fund for rich individuals, achieving one of the biggest initial hauls for a fund of its kind despite a delayed launch, Bloomberg reported.
The cash pile, disclosed in a filing on January 8, underscores the intensifying race among alternative investment firms to court private wealth as key sources of institutional money dry up.
Twilio’s Jeff Lawson steps down from CEO role and board. (People)
Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson is stepping down from leading the software company he co-founded amid slowing sales growth and pressure from activist investors, Bloomberg reported.
Lawson will be replaced by Khozema Shipchandler, who most recently led the communication business unit, Twilio said in a statement on January 8. Lawson will also step down from the board.
