Key Takeaways
- • Searchlight Capital Partners and Abry Partners completed a take-private acquisition of KORE Group Holdings at $9.25 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $726 million, ending the company's NYSE listing.
- • KORE shareholders received a 691-700% premium to the unaffected stock price, reflecting significant value creation from the private equity partnership.
- • Searchlight had previously established a strategic stake in KORE with a $150 million investment in non-convertible preferred stock in late 2023, positioning itself for the eventual buyout.
- • The completed transaction includes a newly established $300 million term loan and $25 million revolving credit facility to support KORE's operations as a private company.
- • KORE Group, an Atlanta-based Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity provider, transitions to private ownership after the acquisition closed on July 16, 2026.
Summary
Searchlight Capital Partners, a private equity firm managing approximately $15 billion in assets under management with operations across the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, led the acquisition alongside Abry Partners, a Boston-based PE firm founded in 1989 that specializes in communications, media, information, and business services sectors. Searchlight's involvement in KORE predates the current transaction; the firm made a strategic $150 million investment in non-convertible preferred stock in late 2023, effectively positioning itself as a significant stakeholder ahead of the take-private transaction.
To support KORE's ongoing operations as a private company, the acquiring consortium has established a $300 million term loan facility and a $25 million revolving credit facility, providing liquidity and financial flexibility for the business. The transaction represents a typical private equity consolidation play in the IoT services sector, where both investors identified strategic value in KORE's market position and operational structure under private ownership.
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