Vista Equity Partners Completes Acquisition of KnowBe4
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
Usercentrics Acquires MCP Manager to Bring Consent and Trust to AI14.1.2026 12:15:00 EET | Press release
Usercentrics, the global leader in Privacy-Led Marketing solutions, announced today it has acquired MCP Manager, a next-generation governance platform for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), built by a team with deep expertise in AI infrastructure. The acquisition makes Usercentrics the first major global market leader in data privacy solutions to extend consent and data guardrails into AI-driven workflows. The combined platform will deliver a unified Privacy-Led Marketing Suite that manages consent, preferences, and data governance across websites, apps, internal systems, and consumer-facing AI agents. Because these agents increasingly shape personalization and customer engagement, extending consent into real-time, model-driven interactions applies the same rigor that exists at data collection. This keeps experiences transparent, trusted, and aligned with user choices, and turns compliance into a strategic differentiator and competitive edge. “With this acquisition, we are defining how
Blue Shift Report Highlights Systemic Vulnerabilities Caused by the Hidden Cost of AI14.1.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Arthur D. Little’s Blue Shift institute has published its latest report, AI’s Hidden Dependencies. This in-depth report, involving more than 50 experts, explores AI’s resource dependencies and the consequent direct systemic vulnerabilities for businesses and lays out strategic actions in response. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260114966898/en/ Arthur D. Little’s Blue Shift Institute has published its latest report, AI’s Hidden Dependencies With AI’s adoption and usage expected to remain on its growth trajectory, so is its strain on resources. The report notably identifies three main areas of dependency: Environmental impacts, including emissions due to AI’s heavy energy usage and the manufacture of related hardware Energy supply, including increased electricity demand and strain on the grid Compute infrastructure, including supply chain choke points and dependencies on dominant providers As AI is now becomin
Klarna Expands Digital Bank Offer with Peer-to-Peer Payments14.1.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Klarna, the global digital bank and flexible payments provider, has launched instant peer-to-peer payments in 13 European countries, marking the next step in its evolution as a digital bank. The new feature enables Klarna customers to send money to friends and family, whether splitting bills or gifting cash, directly from the Klarna app: as simple as handing someone cash, with the protection of a regulated bank. This launch takes Klarna deeper into everyday banking, turning Klarna into a central hub for day-to-day spending and money management. It comes on the back of the Klarna Balance accounts and the rapid adoption of Klarna Card, with over 4 million sign-ups just four months after launch. Sebastian Siemiatkowski, co-founder and CEO of Klarna commented: “Customers are sick of the friction and fees of traditional banking, which is why millions signed up to Klarna Card within a few months of launch. With peer-to-peer payments we’re making it even easier to manage all of your payments
Northern Trust Secures Expanded Mandate with Swedish Pension Provider AMF Tjänstepension AB14.1.2026 10:00:00 EET | Press release
Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) today announced that it has retained and expanded its mandate with AMF Tjänstepension AB (AMF), a leading Swedish pension provider. Under the renewed agreement, Northern Trust, which has serviced AMF for more than 20 years, will continue to serve as custodian for AMF’s global pension assets and add investment operations for trade services across AMF’s total portfolio, for both pension and fund company assets. AMF is one of Sweden’s leading pension companies, managing occupational pensions for millions of individuals. With a strong focus on delivering secure and sustainable retirement outcomes, AMF combines cost efficiency with long-term investment strategies to benefit its members. Petra Sjögerås, head of Nordic Region, Northern Trust said: “As a long-standing partner to institutions in the Nordic region, Northern Trust brings extensive experience and a solutions-oriented mindset to proactively support our clients to achieve their goals now and in the futu
Notice Concerning Change of Representative Executive Officer14.1.2026 09:14:00 EET | Press release
H.U. Group Holdings, Inc. (the Company) today announced that it has resolved, at a meeting of the Board of Directors held on January 14, 2026, to change the Company’s Representative Executive Officer as described below. 1. Name and job titles of newly appointed Representative Executive Officer Name New title Current title Goki Ishikawa Representative Executive Officer, President and Group CEO Managing Executive Officer 2. Name and job titles of retiring Representative Executive Officer Name New title Current title Shigekazu Takeuchi Director and Executive Officer Director, Representative Executive Officer, Chairman, President and Group CEO 3. Reason for change In May 2025, toward realizing its Vision for 2035, the Company announced its Medium-Term Management Plan “H.U. 2030” (MMP) as well as its CEO succession plan including the timing for the selection of the next CEO. As the succession plan progressed, the Company has recognized that Mr. Goki Ishikawa is the best to lead the executio
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