Demonstrates Union Square Advisors’ continued momentum in providing strategic M&A advice to industry leading software companies
On October 5, 2017, Guidewire Software, Inc. and Cyence, Inc., announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement for Guidewire to acquire Cyence.
“Cyence is an exceptional technology company that, like Guidewire, focuses on serving the strategic needs of the P&C industry,” said Marcus Ryu, co-founder and CEO, Guidewire Software. “While Guidewire has focused on core operations, data management, and digital engagement, Cyence applies expertise in data science and machine learning to the modeling needs of insurance product design, pricing, and underwriting for 21st century risks. As traditional actuarial approaches struggle to address the unique characteristics of emerging risks like cyber, Cyence’s next-generation approach will enable insurers to broaden the scope and value of the products their policyholders need.”
“We look forward to joining Guidewire and continuing our mission to enable insurers to enter new markets by insuring emerging risks like cyber,” said, Arvind Parthasarathi, co-founder and CEO, Cyence. “We are excited by the opportunity to power our approach with operational data and policy lifecycle support from Guidewire’s core systems and to join forces with the technology leader serving the P&C insurance industry.”
Total consideration for the acquisition is approximately $275 million, or $265 million net of $10 million cash on hand, subject to customary transaction adjustments. Consideration provided at closing will consist of net cash of approximately $140 million and approximately 1.6 million shares of newly issued Guidewire common stock. Of those shares, approximately 260,000 are in the form of deferred equity consideration, which are subject to the achievement of certain retention and operating milestones
About Guidewire
Guidewire delivers the software that P&C insurers need to adapt and succeed in a time of rapid industry change. The Company combines three elements – core processing, data and analytics and digital engagement – into a technology platform that enhances insurers’ ability to engage and empower their customers and employees. More than 200 P&C insurers around the world have selected Guidewire. For more information, please visit www.guidewire.com.
About Cyence
Cyence is a software company that applies data science and risk analytics to enable P&C insurers to grow by underwriting “21st century risks” that have gone underinsured or uninsured. These emerging risks — including cyber, reputation and new forms of business interruption risk — pose unique challenges for insurers. Their complexity and non-obvious patterns of risk linkage and risk accumulation require more diverse and dynamic data sets to be modeled effectively. To meet this challenge, Cyence offers a data listening and risk analytics solution combining Internet-scale collection and curation of external data with sophisticated machine learning and risk modeling, which supports insurers’ product management, actuarial, underwriting and enterprise risk management functions. For more information, please visit www.cyence.net.
About Union Square Advisors
Union Square Advisors is a leading technology-focused investment bank that offers strategic mergers & acquisitions advice and execution as well as agented private capital financing services. Founded in 2007, with offices in San Francisco and New York, Union Square Advisors works with leading public and private technology companies, private equity and venture capital firms across the technology landscape with a primary focus on Software, Software-Enabled Services, IT Infrastructure and Internet/Digital Media/Marketing Technology. Since inception, Union Square Advisors has advised on over 90 transactions, valued in excess of $90 billion. For more information, please visit www.usadvisors.com.
