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Case Study:

HelpSystems

“As a CEO and board member, I could not have asked for a more supportive partner than Summit. We have benefited from this partnership in ways both practical and strategic.”

Chris Heim HelpSystems

Chris Heim, Chief Executive Officer

Location:
Eden Prairie, MN
Leadership:

Chris Heim
Founded in:
1982
invested in:
2012
Status:

Acquired by H.I.G. Capital 2015
Case Study:

HelpSystems

Data center operations software and services

Grew from more than 5,100 customers to over 9,000

Completed nine strategic acquisitions

Expanded product and services offerings

Acquired by H.I.G. Capital, LLC in 2015

Founded in 1982, HelpSystems is a market-leading provider of IT management software solutions that enable IT professionals to automate and simplify server and network management, protect data, and give people simple access to information they need. Summit Partners initially partnered with CEO Janet Dryer and invested in HelpSystems in 2005, and the business was acquired by Audax Group in 2007. Poised for new growth opportunities in 2012, Dryer and her management team chose to partner again with Summit to support continued expansion of HelpSystems products and services on the global stage.

How Summit helped:

  • Led two majority investments in 2005 and 2012, including significant equity and subordinated debt investments from Summit
  • Summit’s Capital Markets team orchestrated two debt capital financings, providing a strong capital structure and ample liquidity to support growth
  • Assisted management in sourcing, evaluating, financing and executing nine add-on acquisitions
  • Recruited Chris Heim, the former President of Amcom Software and former CEO of HighJump Software to the Board of Directors. In 2015, Heim transitioned to the role of CEO and Janet Dryer became Executive Chairwoman.
  • Provided strategic support as the company expanded its product and service offerings beyond systems management to include security, network management, analytics and business intelligence capabilities

H.I.G. Capital acquired HelpSystems in 2015. At the time of Summit’s exit, HelpSystems had grown to serve more than 9,000 customers and employ 310 people in 16 offices worldwide.