Vista Equity Partners Completes Acquisition of KnowBe4
1.2.2023 17:17:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
KnowBe4, Inc. (“KnowBe4”), the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today announced the completion of its acquisition by Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”), a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, for $24.90 per share in cash.
“Today’s acquisition is a significant milestone for the entire KnowBe4 team. It’s representative of our achievements to date, as well as our potential for continued long-term growth,” said Stu Sjouwerman, founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KnowBe4. “Vista provides the resources and operational expertise to enhance customer value. We’re thrilled to embark on this next chapter and realize our goals for addressing cybersecurity’s weakest link.”
“The human element remains one of the most important yet neglected aspects of cybersecurity,” said Michael Fosnaugh, Co-Head of Vista’s Flagship Fund and Senior Managing Director. “The opportunity to scale a business that is truly mission-critical to enterprises around the world is core to Vista’s investment approach and value creation efforts. This, combined with Stu’s track record as a visionary founder and KnowBe4’s demonstrated product leadership, makes partnering with the Company very exciting.”
With the completion of the transaction, KnowBe4 shares have ceased trading and are no longer listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as financial advisor and Potter Anderson & Corroon served as legal counsel to KnowBe4’s Special Committee. Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Professional Corporation served as legal advisor to KnowBe4.
Guggenheim Securities, LLC served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel for Vista.
About KnowBe4
KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 56,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as their last line of defense.
About Vista Equity Partners
Vista is a leading global investment firm with more than $95 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2022. The firm exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies, bringing an approach that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and employees. Vista's investments are anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future – a healthier planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on Twitter, @Vista_Equity.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230201005656/en/
Contact information
For media inquiries, contact:
Brian W. Steel
media@vistaequitypartners.com
+1-212-804-9170
Kathy Wattman
Public Relations
PR@KnowBe4.com
(727) 474-9950
For investor inquiries, contact:
Ken Talanian
Investor Relations
IR@Knowbe4.com
(727) 286-3584
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Syngenta Signs MoU to Be Strategic Partner in India’s First Open-Data Agricultural Ecosystem Annam.AI15.6.2026 10:35:00 EEST | Press release
India’s agriculture sector is a global powerhouse, uniquely characterized by its massive scale, vast arable land, diverse agro-climatic zones and rich biodiversity. These strengths have propelled the country to become one of the world’s leading producers of crops such as rice and wheat. However, farmers in the country face significant challenges – from erratic monsoons, severe droughts and unseasonal rains compounded by El Nino, to pests and diseases that destroy an estimated 30 percent of crops annually. More than 80 percent of India’s estimated 150 million farming households are composed of smallholder farmers who operate on less than two hectares of land. This limits economies of scale, sets obstacles to the wider adoption of advanced technologies and could widen a systemic gap between large commercial agricultural operations and the bulk of its farming population. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/202606151544
Pelago Bioscience Acquires RG Discovery, Forming an Integrated Drug Discovery Partner Spanning Biology and Chemistry15.6.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Pelago Bioscience, a specialist drug discovery focused contract research organization (CRO), known for its industry-leading cell-based target engagement assays, is pleased to announce the acquisition of RG Discovery, and thereby adding deep expertise in medicinal chemistry, custom synthesis, and integrated drug discovery. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260615340933/en/ Michael Dabrowski, Chief Executive Officer of Pelago Bioscience By combining Pelago Bioscience's biology-focused capabilities with RG Discovery's chemistry expertise, the enlarged platform will enable drug discovery teams to accelerate decision-making, streamline workflows, and advance programs more efficiently from hit identification through lead optimization. "Drug discovery increasingly requires seamless integration between chemistry and biology," said Michael Dabrowski, Chief Executive Officer of Pelago Bioscience. "By bringing RG Discovery
LTM Launches BlueVerse™ for iRun to Outcreate Managed Services in the Agentic AI Era15.6.2026 09:10:00 EEST | Press release
LTM, the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, today announced the launch of BlueVerse™ for iRun, an AI-native managed services model designed to transform traditional IT operations into a resilient, intelligent, and outcome-driven operating model. As enterprise environments grow more complex—spanning hybrid cloud, SaaS, and AI-driven ecosystems—traditional managed services models are increasingly constrained by siloed teams, static processes, and effort-led scaling. BlueVerse for iRun addresses this shift by moving beyond headcount-based delivery to a platform-led approach powered by agentic AI, knowledge convergence, and process-as-code. Built on the BlueVerse ecosystem, iRun creates a unified intelligence layer that brings together enterprise data, telemetry, workflows, and operational context—enabling AI to reason across systems, identify root causes, and execute actions within governed guardrails. iRun combines AI agents and human expertise to shift opera
Azafaros to Present at BIO International Convention 202615.6.2026 08:00:00 EEST | Press release
Azafaros, a private company building a portfolio to become a leader in lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), focused on addressing neurological symptoms, today announced that it will present at the 2026 BIO International Convention taking place in San Diego, USA, from June 22-25. The company’s presentation is scheduled for Monday, June 22 at 4:30 PM in Theater 4. The presentation will highlight Azafaros’ progress in developing nizubaglustat, its lead investigational compound for the treatment of rare lysosomal storage disorders with neurological involvement, including GM1 and GM2 gangliosidoses (GM1/GM2) and Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPC). Nizubaglustat is currently in two Phase 3 registrational studies (NAVIGATE) treating patients with GM1/GM2 and NPC and expects to report topline data from the studies in 2028. “BIO provides an important opportunity to update our progress as we continue advancing nizubaglustat through late-stage clinical development,” said Stefano Portolano, CEO at A
Teledyne FLIR Defense Launches Black Recon™ Autonomous Micro-Drone15.6.2026 07:05:00 EEST | Press release
Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE: TDY), today announced at Eurosatory the market launch of Black Recon™, an autonomously launched micro-drone system that delivers continuous, untethered reconnaissance from military vehicles and fixed installations. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260614388428/en/ Teledyne FLIR Defense announced at Eurosatory the market launch of Black Recon™, an autonomously launched micro-drone that delivers continuous, untethered reconnaissance from military vehicles and fixed installations. Black Recon allows crews to launch, operate, recover, and recharge up to three UAS without leaving their platform, reducing operator risk. Designed for vehicle integration, Black Recon allows crews to launch, operate, recover, and recharge up to three unmanned aerial systems without leaving their platform, reducing risk and accelerating decision-making. “Black Recon
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom