Golden Gate Capital to Acquire Securly

SAN FRANCISCO & SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Golden Gate Capital, a leading private equity investment firm, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Securly, the Silicon Valley-based student safety pioneers, from the Company’s shareholders, which include Defy Partners, Owl Ventures and Securly Co-Founder Vinay Mahadik. Securly will continue to be led by Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Bharath Madhusudan. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Securly is an end-to-end student safety and device management platform serving more than 10 million students globally across 2,500 K-12 school districts. Securly’s pioneering student safety technology enables district and school administrators, educators and parents to keep children safe and engaged, guiding them through an increasingly digital world. The Company’s signature cloud-based web filter leverages the industry’s most sophisticated AI engine in student safety to identify signs of bullying, self-harm and violence across all devices. A team of 24×7 student safety experts review alerts to evaluate the full context of any flagged activity, and immediately notify schools, parents or authorities as appropriate. This early warning system has helped save over 1,200 student lives since 2017.

“Now more than ever, Securly is squarely focused on keeping our youth safe and engaged at school,” said Mr. Madhusudan. “Our revenue growth has quadrupled over the last three years, and we continue to see significant unmet need in the edtech space. We are excited to partner with Golden Gate Capital, which brings deep experience in education technology and cybersecurity software, as we enter our next chapter of growth. Looking ahead, we remain tirelessly committed to our mission while expanding our global footprint as we enhance our existing platform and develop category-defining solutions to keep students healthy and engaged.”

“The pandemic accelerated students’ use of technology and personal devices for school, demonstrating the importance and value of Securly’s pioneering platform for parents, educators, school leaders and IT administrators,” said Rishi Chandna, a Managing Director at Golden Gate Capital. “We expect these digital needs and connectivity trends to continue in schools, and given that Securly has market penetration in over 10% of U.S. public school districts, we believe the Company has a significant opportunity, both in the U.S. and internationally, to drive further adoption of its award-winning, cost-efficient solutions.”

Matthew Crump, a Principal at Golden Gate Capital said, “Built by a deep and talented team of parents, educators and technologists, Securly pioneered the digital student safety movement in 2012 and continues to lead it. We admire Securly’s commitment to safety and empathy, and look forward to partnering with Bharath and his management team to help the Company enter its next chapter of growth, continue to accelerate its products, and enhance the Securly customer experience.”

“Our entire team at Defy is proud to have partnered with Bharath and the Securly team as it grew from a cloud compliance software solution for schools into a wide reaching end-to-end student safety and mobile device management platform,” said Neil Sequeira, Co-founder and Partner at Defy Partners. “This transaction is a highly successful outcome for our LPs and we wish Securly all the best as it continues to grow and flourish under Golden Gate Capital.”

“It’s been an honor to partner with the entire team at Securly,” said Amit A. Patel, Managing Director at Owl Ventures. “We are proud of the increasingly important work they are doing to keep millions of kids across the world safe from instances of bullying, violence and self-harm, especially as schools around the world are incorporating more technology into the education experience.”

“Securly has been a rare convergence of social impact and deep tech,” said Mr. Mahadik. “I am excited to see Securly’s vision play out even stronger under this partnership.”

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Nob Hill Law Group P.C. served as legal advisors and Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. served as financial advisor to Golden Gate Capital. DLA Piper LLP served as legal advisor and Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. served as financial advisor to Securly.

About Securly

Securly is the end-to-end student safety and device management platform for K–12. Our 360 degree approach keeps students safe, secure, and productive—everywhere, every hour of the day, on every device. Securly’s unified solutions address the student digital experience from all angles, with industry-leading AI and cloud-based technologies. Securly delivers a ubiquitous experience that helps students learn, engage, explore, grow, and live securely. For more information, visit http://www.securly.com.

About Golden Gate Capital

Golden Gate Capital is a San Francisco-based private equity investment firm with over $17 billion of committed capital. The principals of Golden Gate Capital have a long and successful history of investing across a wide range of industries and transaction types, including going-privates, corporate divestitures, and recapitalizations, as well as debt and public equity investments. Notable software and services investments sponsored by Golden Gate Capital include Infor, BMC, Neustar, Ensemble Health Partners, LiveVox, Vector Solutions, and 20-20 Technologies. For more information, visit www.goldengatecap.com.

About Defy Partners

Founded in 2016, Defy is a Silicon Valley based early stage venture capital firm. Defy was founded to invest in entrepreneurs and companies looking to solve complex problems. Defy’s focus is to help early stage companies mature and scale into companies ready for growth capital. The firm’s team has more than 50 years of venture experience, successful operating backgrounds and actively helps successful entrepreneurs grow companies from inception through exit. Connect with Defy at https://defy.vc/ and @defyvc.

About Owl Ventures

Owl Ventures is the largest venture capital fund in the world focused on the education technology market with over $1.2 billion in assets under management. The Silicon Valley-based firm invests in the world’s leading education technology companies across the education spectrum encompassing PreK-12, higher education, and future of work (career mobility/ professional learning). Owl Ventures has deep domain expertise and leverages a global network of Limited Partners, investors, and strategic partners to help entrepreneurs scale their businesses into transformative category-leading companies. Learn more at www.owlvc.com.