Patron Technology sold to PE firm Vector Capital

San Francisco-based private-equity firm Vector Capital has acquired Patron Technology, the company behind Greencopper, Marcato and several other familiar event technology products.

Vector, which specialises in investing in established technology businesses, says all Patron staff remain in place and will continue to operate the company on a day-to-day basis. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Vector manages nearly US$4 billion worth of investments.

“With Patron Technology, we saw an opportunity to back the leading platform and a seasoned management team as they successfully navigate unprecedented, Covid-induced market disruption in the live events industry,” comments Rob Amen, managing director of Vector Capital.

“Vector excels at investing during volatile times, and our thesis is that only the best products and most talented executives will survive this dislocation and emerge as market leaders. We are confident that our growth investment will enable Patron Technology to not only outlast this global pandemic but become stronger on the other side of it.”

Patron Technology, formerly known as PatronManager, has spent the past few years buying up various event technology companies, including app developers, ticket sellers and event management platforms. Its portfolio includes festival app company Greencopper, event management software developer Marcato, RFID provider Token and ticketing software firms ShowClix, Ticketleap, Ticketbooth and GrowTix.

“Vector excels at investing during volatile times”

The company was formerly majority owned by Providence Equity Partners (whose other live industry investments include Superstruct Entertainment, Tait Towers and Ambassador Theatre Group).

Marc Jenkins, CEO of Patron Technology, says: “This is an exciting and important day in our company’s history. It kicks off a fresh, new partnership alongside the thoughtful investment team at Vector. We are eager to work with them to propel the business through the age of social distancing and beyond.

“I’m extremely proud to be part of such an amazing team, past and present, that works tirelessly to serve our world-class clients.”

“With a great set of products, a strong balance sheet and an unparallelled management team, Patron Technology is well positioned to grow over the coming years,” adds Vector Capital vice-president Tom Smith.

“We look forward to partnering with Marc and his team as they continue to grow from this new position of strength and renewed investment.”

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