BV Investment Partners (BV) has signed an agreement to sell INetU – a provider of IT services – to ViaWest. BV acquired INetU in December of 2012 in partnership with the company’s founder and CEO, Dev Chanchani. The investment was made through the firm’s eighth fund, BVIP Fund VIII. The sale of INetU will be the fund’s first platform realization following a number of recent distributions. The sale is expected to close prior to year end.
INetU is a managed hosting and cloud services provider with both domestic and international datacenters. The company supports websites and applications for its customers that are active in the eCommerce, healthcare, financial services, software as a service, education, and government sectors. INetU was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Allentown, PA (www.inetu.net).
During its ownership of INetU, BV launched a number of initiatives to grow shareholder value including improving the company’s sales strategy and launching new security and multi-cloud products.
“From the beginning we have been impressed with Dev Chanchani and his management team. Together over the last three years we have significantly grown the company on multiple levels,” said Louis Bertocci, a Managing Director of BV. “We are pleased with the successful outcome of this investment for our limited partners and will continue to seek opportunities in this sector.”
BV Investment Partners makes investments in companies active in the information and business services industries. Since its founding in 1983, the firm has invested over $2.6 billion in more than 80 companies. The firm has offices in Boston and New York (www.bvlp.com).
“Several years ago, while exploring my options for the company, what attracted me to BV was its history of successfully partnering with founder-owned companies, their depth of knowledge of the managed hosting sector, and their operating plans to grow the business,” said Mr. Chanchani. “Today I am very pleased with what we have accomplished in just three years. I am thrilled with the exit outcome and believe the company is in right hands to successfully flourish in this next phase.”
ViaWest, the buyer of INetU, is a provider of cloud, colocation, compliance and security services. The company has 29 North American data centers and is headquartered south of Denver in Greenwood Village, CO (www.viawest.com). ViaWest is a wholly owned subsidiary of Shaw Communications (NYSE: SJR).
© 2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 11-19-15
