Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners Complete Acquisition of Ellucian

RESTON, Va., Sept. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ellucian, a leading higher education technology solutions provider, today announced the completion of its acquisition by funds managed by Blackstone (NYSE: BX) ("Blackstone") and Vista Equity Partners ("Vista").  Blackstone and Vista are investing in Ellucian through their respective long-term private equity strategies, which hold investments for longer periods than traditional private equity.

"Today marks an exciting new chapter for Ellucian, our customers and the future of higher education as we welcome new ownership by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners," said Laura Ipsen, President and CEO, Ellucian.  "Ellucian has achieved several milestones in enabling more than 1,100 customers to modernize in the cloud with the strong support of TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners, L.P.  Blackstone and Vista share our vision for Ellucian's long-term growth with a focus on accelerating digital transformation, our open SaaS platform and international expansion."

Ipsen continued, "On behalf of Ellucian, our employees and customers, we thank our prior owners and valued board members for their commitment to higher education, strategic partnership and focus on growth over the last six years which led to this fantastic outcome."

Eli Nagler, a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: "We are excited to invest in Ellucian's long-term growth as it continues to deliver comprehensive modern technology solutions to its higher education partners.  We look forward to working with Laura and her team in the years ahead as they further expand and drive innovation to solve higher education needs."

Jim Hickey, Co-Head of Vista's Perennial Fund and Senior Managing Director, said, "We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Ellucian to build upon its industry leadership and accelerate modernization of its higher education customers' crucial operating platforms."  Burke Norton, Co-Head of Vista's Perennial Fund and Senior Managing Director, added, "We look forward to partnering with Ellucian to advance their vision of leading digital transformation of higher education, and innovating to deliver improving outcomes for students and institutions globally."

RBC Capital Markets, LLC served as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal counsel to Blackstone. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Vista. UBS Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs and BofA Securities served as financial advisors to TPG Capital, Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. and Ellucian. Ropes & Gray served as legal counsel to Ellucian and Morgan Lewis & Bockius served as legal counsel to the management team.

About Ellucian
Ellucian is charting the digital future of higher education with a portfolio of cloud-ready technology solutions and services. From student recruitment to workforce analytics; from fundraising opportunities to alumni engagement; Ellucian's comprehensive suite of data-rich tools gives colleges and universities the information they need to lead with confidence.

Working with a community of more than 2,700 customers in over 50 countries, Ellucian keeps innovating as higher education keeps evolving. Drawing on its comprehensive higher education business acumen and suite of services, Ellucian guides its customers through manageable, sustainable digital transformation—so that every type of institution and student can thrive in today's fast-changing landscape. To find out what's next in higher education solutions and services, visit Ellucian at www.ellucian.com.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is one of the world's leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $684 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

About Vista Equity Partners
Vista is a leading global investment firm with more than $77 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021. The firm exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies, bringing an approach that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and employees. Vista's investments are anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future – a healthier planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on Twitter, @Vista_Equity.

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SOURCE Ellucian