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The top 9 PE investors in software

Permira has completed its purchase of Synamedia from Cisco Systems in a deal reportedly worth $1 billion. But can the firm crack the list of the software industry’s busiest PE firms?

So far in 2018, private equity firms are spending less on their love for IT. But that doesn’t mean 10-figure deals aren’t still happening in the space—or that firms have become any less enamored of the software sector.

In the latest piece of evidence, Permira has completed its purchase of Synamedia from Cisco Systems in a deal previous reports indicated would value the video software unit at about $1 billion. The company’s services comprise video recording, processing, editing and related video offerings, with a client list that includes industry giants such as Comcast, Disney, Rogers and Sky. Prior to the deal, which was announced in May, Synamedia had been part of a video software group that Cisco acquired via a $5 billion deal in 2012.

Permira is a London-based private equity giant that’s active across several sectors, the type of firm that dabbles in software but doesn’t pursue those sorts of deals exclusively. But there is certainly a sampling of shops for which software is a way of life. Across the larger private equity landscape, here’s a look at the nine most active software investors based in the US or Europe since the start of last year, according to PitchBook data:

1. Vista Equity Partners (47)
2. Insight Venture Partners (42)
3. TA Associates (41)
4. Providence Equity Partners (40)
5. Thoma Bravo (38)
6. Genstar Capital (28)
7. Accel-KKR (26)
T-8. Francisco Partners (22)
T-8. Hg (22)

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    About Kevin Dowd

    Kevin Dowd wrote The Weekend Pitch newsletter for PitchBook, covering startups, buyouts and the rest of the private market.

    A native of the Pacific Northwest, he’s an alumnus of the University of Washington with a degree in creative writing and journalism. He enjoys books and basketball and, most especially, books about basketball. He feels uncomfortable writing about himself in the third person.

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