News

Berkshire Partners has acquired San Ramon, California-based Accela, a provider of of civic engagement software solutions for state, county and municipal governments. No financial terms were disclosed. Previous backer ABRY Partners will remain an investor in Accela. Ropes & Gray LLP provided legal counsel to Berkshire Partners, Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal adviser to ABRY Partners and Morrison & Foerster LLP did likewise for Accela.

PRESS RELEASE

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Berkshire Partners LLC, a Boston-based investment firm, has completed its acquisition of Accela, Inc. Accela is a leading provider of civic engagement software solutions for state, county and municipal governments. Abry Partners, an existing shareholder, will remain an investor in the company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“Accela’s platform can transform how local and state governments interact with businesses and other constituents,” said Tom Kuo, a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners. “We believe the company has enormous growth potential as it continues bringing leading technology to civic systems.”

Based in San Ramon, California, the company currently serves over 2,000 customers worldwide. Accela’s platform streamlines critical functions that drive day-to-day operations of a municipality such as permitting and licensing solutions and land management tools which can be delivered via cloud or on premise. By utilizing innovative software solutions to enhance these core civic processes and relieve administrative burdens, governments are able to better serve citizens and businesses in their communities.

“We are excited to work with the team at Berkshire Partners,” said Ed Daihl, CEO of Accela. “Berkshire brings the experience and expertise needed as we embark on this next chapter of growth and investment for the company.”

“Accela has a unique combination of excellent product, talented leadership and tremendous growth opportunities in the United States and abroad,” said Mark Jung, Executive Chairman of the Board of Accela and an Advisory Director at Berkshire Partners. “I look forward to partnering with Berkshire, Ed and the rest of the team as the company continues its impressive growth.”
Ropes & Gray LLP provided legal counsel to Berkshire Partners, Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Abry Partners and Morrison & Foerster LLP provided legal counsel for Accela. Golub Capital, Antares Capital and Owl Rock Capital provided debt financing to support the transaction.
About Accela
Accela provides a platform of cloud-based productivity and civic engagement software to governments of all sizes worldwide. The Accela Civic Platform includes cost-effective solutions to manage critical enterprise functions and mobile apps to foster greater citizen engagement. From asset, land and legislative management to licensing, finance, environmental health and more, Accela’s software drives efficiency for more than 2,000 governments worldwide. More than 80% of America’s 50 largest cities have implemented at least one of Accela’s many solutions. In 2017, the Company was named to Government Technology’s GovTech100 for the second straight year and listed as a Top 50 Private Company in the East Bay by SF Business Times. Accela is headquartered in San Ramon, California, with offices in New York, Portland, Salt Lake City, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman, Melbourne and Wellington, New Zealand. For more information, visit www.accela.com.
About Berkshire Partners
Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based investment firm, has made over 115 investments since its founding in 1986 and has raised nine private equity funds with more than $16 billion in aggregate capital commitments. Berkshire has developed industry experience in several areas including business services, consumer and retail, industrials, communications and healthcare. Berkshire has a long history of partnering with management teams to build market leading growth companies. For additional information, visit www.berkshirepartners.com.