DEVOPSdigest

Synopsys has entered into a definitive agreement with Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. and Francisco Partners, two global private equity firms, for the sale of its Software Integrity Group business in a transaction with a total value of up to $2.1 billion, including up to $475 million in cash payable upon Francisco Partners and Clearlake achieving a specified rate of return in connection with one or more liquidity transactions.

Upon completion of the transaction, the business will emerge as a newly independent application security testing software provider.

The existing Software Integrity Group management team is expected to lead the newly independent, privately held company after the transaction closes. The name of the new standalone entity will be announced at a later date. Synopsys is committed to a seamless transition for the Software Integrity Group team, customers, and partners.

"Clearlake and Francisco Partners have a strong track record of success investing in growing software platforms and are ideal partners to continue growing this business as an independent, world-class software security provider," said Sassine Ghazi, president and CEO of Synopsys. "For Synopsys, this move sharpens our focus on the unprecedented, high-growth opportunity we have in our core business – where the engineering of silicon and systems is converging as technology R&D teams look to capitalize on this AI-driven era of pervasive intelligence."

"As security becomes more embedded in DevOps workflows, we believe the demand and importance of application security testing providers will continue to rise," said Behdad Eghbali, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clearlake. "We are ready to leverage Clearlake's O.P.S.® framework to foster operational enhancements, build upon the Software Integrity Group's robust product offering, and fuel new growth as a standalone enterprise."

"Advancements in generative artificial intelligence technology are likely to disrupt the software development lifecycle over time, increasing the velocity of code generation and introducing new forms of software risk. The Software Integrity Group's strong portfolio of application security testing products provides enterprise customers with tools that integrate security into developer's workflows. This ensures developers can create high quality, secure and compliant code that minimizes cybersecurity risks, including risks arising from generative artificial intelligence, and directly addressing a growing need in the market," said Prashant Mehrotra, Partner, and Sean Courtney, Principal, at Clearlake.

"Enterprise engineering and security teams face an increasingly dynamic and challenging threat environment today, and ensuring the quality and security of their software applications has become a top strategic priority. Synopsys' Software Integrity Group is a leader in application security testing solutions, providing a comprehensive platform for software engineers and security teams to secure and protect their mission-critical software applications," said Brian Decker and Evan Daar, Partners at Francisco Partners. "We look forward to working with the leadership team at the Software Integrity Group to accelerate growth and innovation as a standalone company."

Synopsys' Software Integrity Group provides integrated software solutions that transform the way development teams build and deliver software, accelerating innovation while addressing business risk. Its comprehensive, industry-leading portfolio of software security products interoperates with third-party and open-source tools, allowing organizations to leverage existing investments to build the security program that is best for them.

The transaction, which was unanimously approved by Synopsys' Board of Directors, is currently expected to close in the second half of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions including the receipt of required regulatory approvals.