Informatica latest tech giant to go private

NASDAQ-listed big data vendor follows in Dell's footsteps by agreeing deal to be acquired by private company

Informatica is set to be the latest tech giant to go private after it announced yesterday it has agreed a deal to be acquired by private equity firm Permira and investment management company Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for $5.3bn (£3.5bn).

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Redwood City, California, NASDAQ-listed big data vendor Informatica claims to have more than 5,500 enterprise customers worldwide.

News of the acquisition follows Michael Dell's highlighting of the benefits of tech firms going private - after his own company was de-listed from the stock market in 2013 - and saying he felt more tech behemoths could follow this path, during an interview with Bloomberg last December.

Brian Ruder, a Permira partner and co-head of the firm's technology sector team, said: "Informatica is an outstanding company and a clear leader in the essential field of enterprise data solutions.

"We are very excited about the company's ongoing transition to cloud- ansubscription-based services, as well as its continued pursuit of four separate billion-dollar market opportunities in cloud integration, master data management, data integration for next-generation analytics, and data security."

Sohaib Abbasi, Informatica chief executive, said the move was the right step for the company and its partners.

"After careful consideration and deliberation of strategic alternatives, our board of directors unanimously concluded that the sale of Informatica to the Permira funds and CPPIB is in the best interests of all Informatica stakeholders," he said.

"While delivering immediate compelling value to our shareholders, we remain committed to the long-term success of our customers, partners, and employees. Permira and CPPIB share both our vision for Informatica to power the data-ready enterprise and our conviction in sustained long-term growth."

The deal is set to be completed in the second or third quarter of 2015 and is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.