US investor to snap up maritime AI specialist Windward for £216m
24 December 2024, 08:44
The company, which is chaired by former BP boss Lord John Browne, is to be bought by a fund linked to FTV Capital.
Maritime analytics firm Windward has agreed to be snapped up by an investment fund in a £216 million deal.
It will become the latest in a raft of London-listed companies to be taken private by US investors this year.
The company, which is chaired by former BP boss Lord John Browne, is to be bought by Octopus UK Bidco, a subsidiary of an FTV Capital investment fund.
The deal will see the FTV fund pay 215p per Windward share.
It represents a 47% premium on the previous closing price of the business, the companies said.
Windward is a firm developing AI-focused technology for the maritime industry, which listed in London in 2021.
The group said it believes the takeover by the fund can help it expand further in the US.
The fund said it has been assessing Windward over recent months and sees an opportunity to expand its market position and grow further into broader supply chain analytics.
Brad Bernstein, managing partner of the fund, said: “As global seaborne trade expands, regulatory regimes tighten and supply chain pressures mount, the need for advanced maritime intelligence and visibility has become imperative for global organisations to effectively operate and manage risk in an increasingly complex landscape.
“Windward has built a best-in-class maritime AI-based analytics platform spanning use cases across risk, compliance, trading and the supply chain and delivering tangible value to its growing blue-chip customer base worldwide.”
Ami Daniel, chief executive officer of Windward, said: “The fund team have an outstanding track record in supporting the scaling of founder-led software businesses globally and we believe that together we will be a significantly stronger organisation.
“For our customers, the additional investment will enable them to unlock far greater value from their data through our ambitious product roadmap, and for our employees, it provides increased job security and the confidence that we have the funding to drive forward together to achieve our potential.”
