Key Takeaways
- • Transom Capital Group, a California-based middle-market private equity firm, has agreed to acquire public safety technology company SoundThinking Inc. for up to approximately $159 million in a take-private transaction.
- • Kirkland & Ellis and Cooley LLP are steering the deal, serving as legal counsel to the transaction parties.
- • The acquisition represents a significant consolidation in the public safety technology sector, bringing a publicly traded company into private ownership under PE backing.
- • The deal was announced on September 29, 2026, signaling continued PE activity in specialized technology verticals serving government and public safety markets.
Summary
Transom Capital Group, a middle-market private equity firm based in California, has agreed to acquire SoundThinking Inc., a public safety technology company, for up to approximately $159 million, according to an announcement made on Tuesday, September 29, 2026. The transaction represents a take-private of SoundThinking, transitioning the company from public market ownership to private equity control.
The deal has drawn legal representation from two prominent firms: Kirkland & Ellis and Cooley LLP, both serving as counsel to the transaction. The involvement of these top-tier legal advisors underscores the complexity and institutional significance of the acquisition. Transom Capital Group's focus on middle-market investments positions this transaction within a segment that has seen sustained PE interest, particularly in specialized technology companies serving regulated industries such as public safety.
SoundThinking's transition to private ownership under Transom's stewardship reflects broader trends in the PE sector toward acquiring established technology platforms with recurring revenue streams and essential government relationships. The $159 million valuation provides market participants with a reference point for valuations in the public safety technology space, an area that has attracted increasing institutional capital due to secular demand drivers in law enforcement modernization and municipal technology upgrades.
The deal has drawn legal representation from two prominent firms: Kirkland & Ellis and Cooley LLP, both serving as counsel to the transaction. The involvement of these top-tier legal advisors underscores the complexity and institutional significance of the acquisition. Transom Capital Group's focus on middle-market investments positions this transaction within a segment that has seen sustained PE interest, particularly in specialized technology companies serving regulated industries such as public safety.
SoundThinking's transition to private ownership under Transom's stewardship reflects broader trends in the PE sector toward acquiring established technology platforms with recurring revenue streams and essential government relationships. The $159 million valuation provides market participants with a reference point for valuations in the public safety technology space, an area that has attracted increasing institutional capital due to secular demand drivers in law enforcement modernization and municipal technology upgrades.
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