KKR to Acquire Ensono

Exciting chapter begins for Ensono with a new investor to drive continued growth.

Ensono and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that KKR has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ensono from Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners. The new investment follows multiple years of strong performance by Ensono, including robust growth in 2020 and its recently completed acquisition of Amido, a UK-based cloud native consultancy.

Ensono provides a comprehensive suite of services that help enterprises manage, optimize and modernize their IT systems across mainframe, cloud and hybrid infrastructure. Charlesbank and M/C Partners acquired the company in 2015 as a corporate carve-out. Since rebranding as Ensono in 2016, the company has achieved impressive growth in new clients and revenue. Ensono will benefit from KKR’s deep technology experience and global resources to help it achieve new heights as it continues to establish itself as a leading managed service provider to medium and large enterprises.

“As we embark on our next chapter with KKR, Ensono will continue to provide clients with transformational solutions that help them operate for today and optimize for tomorrow,” said Jeff VonDeylen, CEO of Ensono. “Our initial investors played an important role in helping us establish our business and brand and funding our growth.  With the support of KKR, we will continue to grow and invest in our future as we drive innovation to meet the changing needs of our clients. We are fortunate to be in an industry where the need for our services has not only grown but diversified into exciting new areas of potential growth.”

“Digital transformation across industries is driving an increased need for comprehensive service providers to help simplify IT infrastructure management for enterprise clients,” said Webster Chua, Partner at KKR. “Ensono is a proven leader in delivering hybrid solutions for clients with complex IT environments, and we are thrilled to support the Ensono team on its next phase of growth and development.”

“We are proud that our investment enabled Jeff and his outstanding management team to achieve their ambitious vision of establishing Ensono as a global leader in hybrid IT,” added Michael Choe, Managing Director and CEO of Charlesbank Capital Partners, and Gillis Cashman, Managing Partner of M/C Partners, in a joint statement. “We are thrilled about Ensono’s new investment from KKR and look forward to seeing its success continue as the company adds to its portfolio of innovative service options.”

KKR is making the investment primarily from its Americas XII Fund. The investment adds to KKR’s experience helping to grow leading global technology businesses, including GoDaddy, Internet Brands, Epicor, BMC, Optiv, Calabrio and 1-800 Contacts.

The transaction is expected to close within the next 60 days, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

UBS Investment Bank and Guggenheim Securities, LLC are serving as financial advisors to Ensono. Morgan Stanley & Co LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are serving as financial advisors to KKR. Goodwin Procter LLP is providing legal counsel to Ensono and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as KKR’s legal counsel.

About Ensono

Ensono helps IT leaders be the catalyst for change by harnessing the power of hybrid IT to transform their businesses. We accelerate digital transformation by increasing agility and scalability through infrastructure modernization and migration to public cloud. Our broad services portfolio, from mainframe to cloud, is powered by an award-winning IT insights platform and is designed to help our clients operate for today and optimize for tomorrow. We are certified experts in AWS and Azure and recognized as Microsoft Datacenter Transformation Partner of the Year. Ensono has over 2,400 associates around the world and is headquartered in greater Chicago. Visit us at www.ensono.com.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of The Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Charlesbank Capital Partners

Based in Boston and New York, Charlesbank Capital Partners is a middle-market private investment firm with more than $15 billion of capital raised since inception. Charlesbank focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital financings, as well as opportunistic credit and technology investments. The firm seeks to build companies with sustainable competitive advantage and excellent prospects for growth. For more information, please visit www.charlesbank.com.

About M/C Partners

M/C Partners is a private equity firm focused on small and mid-size businesses in the communications and technology services sectors. For more than three decades M/C Partners has invested $2.2 billion of capital in over 130 companies, leveraging its deep industry expertise to understand long-term secular trends and identify growth opportunities. The firm is currently investing its eighth fund, partnering with promising companies and empowering strong leaders to accelerate growth, optimize operations, and build long-term value. For more information, visit www.mcpartners.com.

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