Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Wednesday, April 14 2021 - 21:00
AsiaNet
Koch Equity Development Affiliate Enters Agreement to Acquire Transaction Network Services, Positioned For Strategic Growth
WICHITA, Kan., April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

An affiliate of Koch Equity Development LLC, the investment and acquisition 
subsidiary of Koch Industries, Inc. (collectively, "Koch"), announced that it 
has agreed to acquire Transaction Network Services, Inc. ("TNS") from 
affiliates of Siris Capital Group, LLC and TNS' other minority equity holders. 
TNS provides secure, mission critical connectivity and interoperability 
solutions via a global managed network enabling its customers to exchange data 
and information and transact worldwide. Koch made its initial investment in TNS 
in January 2016 and this multi-step acquisition follows a similar approach to 
Koch's acquisition of Infor in 2020 and Guardian Glass in 2016.  

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TNS, a global infrastructure-as-a-service leader, will continue to operate 
under the company's current management team from its headquarters in Reston, 
VA. TNS is one of the premier managed network connectivity platforms with a 
vision to expand its reach to new high growth markets including 5G, ultra-low 
latency secure trading, EV charging, smart parking, digital payments and other 
IoT verticals, while continuing to innovate alongside customers in core service 
offerings supporting payments, financial services and communications. TNS is 
also the leading provider of mobile call management solutions through its 
Cequint branded offering, which enables telecommunications carriers to protect 
consumers with robocall/spam detection, promote reliable personal 
communications through enhanced caller identity services, and develop branded 
solutions for trusted interactions between enterprises and consumers. 

TNS will help augment Koch's continued approach to technological 
transformation. Koch companies have made more than $30 billion in 
technology-related investments in the past several years, transforming a global 
portfolio of businesses spanning multiple industries. The investment 
underscores Koch's belief in TNS's commitment to its customers and the 
company's network management expertise leveraging TNS' capabilities globally. 
Under Koch's ownership, TNS will have a stable ownership base, and deep access 
to capital, allowing accelerated focus on both organic and inorganic growth 
opportunities.

"Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for TNS, our employees 
and our current and future customers. As a result of this acquisition, we will 
be able to accelerate our mission of enabling our customers to focus on growing 
their businesses without worrying about the ever-increasing complexities 
associated with securely transmitting mission-critical, time sensitive 
transactional data," said Mike Keegan, CEO of TNS. "We have enjoyed a close 
partnership with Koch over the past five years, and this deal is a natural 
progression of those years of working together. As part of Koch, we will 
deliver more value to our customers faster with increased investment in new 
technologies and current and future services which is critical to our long-term 
growth strategy." 

"Our acquisition of TNS follows over five years of engagement with the company, 
not only as an investor, but as a customer as well," said Brett Watson, 
President of Koch Equity Development. "We are excited to continue supporting 
the company in its next phase of growth and want to thank the outstanding team 
at Siris as we conclude our successful partnership." Matt Hewitt, Director at 
Koch Equity Development added, "As the world continues to move to a more 
interoperable, connected future, we are excited about the innovative work TNS 
is doing to serve its customers around the globe. This is an exemplary team 
bringing truly differentiated solutions to the marketplace." 

"This transaction recognizes the TNS team's effort and success executing 
against a strategic vision to generate profitable growth," said Robert 
Aquilina, Chairman of TNS and Siris Executive Partner.  "My colleagues at Siris 
and I are proud to have been part of the journey, and we are confident the 
company is poised for long-term growth as part of Koch."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The closing is expected to take place in 
the second quarter of 2021. Rothschild & Co and Credit Suisse served as 
financial advisors to Koch, and Jones Day served as legal advisor to Koch. 
Evercore and Macquarie Capital served as financial advisors to TNS, and Sidley 
Austin LLP served as legal advisor to TNS.

About TNS 

TNS is one of the leading global providers of infrastructure-as-a-service 
solutions for mission-critical applications and a trusted partner to thousands 
of financial institutions, telecommunications providers and retailers around 
the world. Doing business since 1990, TNS provides services to customers in 
over 60 countries across the Americas, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. 
Across its global managed platform, TNS securely enables billions of daily 
telephone calls and electronic securities trade as well as over 34 billion 
annual payment transactions. TNS is also a leading provider of enhanced mobile 
caller ID and spam/robocall protection services through its subsidiary, Cequint 
(https://www.cequint.com/). To learn more, please visit www.tnsi.com.

About Koch Equity Development LLC (KED)

With offices in Wichita and London, KED is responsible for M&A activity across 
Koch Industries, Inc. and the management of a broad principal investment 
portfolio. Significant principal investments completed include Infor, Getty 
Images, MI Windows and Doors, Global Medical Response, Meredith/Time Inc., 
Solera Holdings Inc., and The ADT Corporation. Since 2012, KED has invested 
more than $30 billion of equity in principal investments and acquisitions.

About Koch Industries, Inc.

Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private 
companies in America, with estimated annual revenues as high as $115 billion, 
according to Forbes. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, 
chemicals, and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers 
and fibers; process and pollution control systems; electronics, software and 
data analytics; minerals; glass; automotive components; ranching; commodity 
trading; and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested nearly $133 
billion in growth and improvements. For more news and information, visit 
www.KOCHind.com.

About Siris
Siris is a leading private equity firm that invests primarily in mature 
technology and telecommunications companies with mission-critical products and 
services, facing industry changes or other significant transitions. Siris' 
development of proprietary research to identify opportunities and its extensive 
collaboration with its Executive Partners are integral to its approach. Siris' 
Executive Partners are experienced senior operating executives that actively 
participate in key aspects of the transaction lifecycle to help identify 
opportunities and drive strategic and operational value. Siris is based in New 
York and Silicon Valley and has raised nearly $6 billion in cumulative capital 
commitments. www.siris.com.

SOURCE: Koch Equity Development

CONTACT: Dan Knight, Daniel.knight@kochps.com

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