Growth Story: Meritsoft
Sector
Software & Data
Investment date
September 2015Website
www.meritsoft.comAt a glance
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25 Tier 1 installations
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57% 2-year earnings CAGR
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2x growth of workforce
WHY MERITSOFT
Synova identified Meritsoft, a RegTech, BCE, Tax, and Data Analytics platform. They provided the world’s leading Capital Market houses with intelligent software solutions, which automated tax, compliance, and workflow needs. We anticipated an increase in demand for their services, as efficiency drives became the norm, and regulatory demand continued to grow.
Competing with in-house firms and legacy software providers, we ascertained that Meritsoft was in a unique position to focus on niche elements of the value chain. Coupled with industry-leading margins and high levels of recurring revenue, it was extremely well-positioned for rapid growth.
Through an exclusive M&A process, Synova developed a close relationship with the founders. Our exemplary track record in Financial Services and Tech was self-evident. But it was during this time that we were able to further demonstrate our ability to generate international growth, particularly in the US. In the end it was this – coupled with our experience scaling software companies – that gave us the edge.
STRATEGY
Meritsoft already had a superior product offering when we arrived. But we saw scope to drive growth through a professionalised, targeted sales strategy. This meant utilising our expertise for successfully growing European companies in North America, recruiting in key positions, and moving to further penetrate the US market.
The
appointments of FinTech entrepreneur, Peter Little, and co-founder
and ex-CEO of Capital IQ, Randall Winn, were crucial to our success
in North American markets. Following expansion, 70% of new revenue
was sourced from the US.
We
also focused on the high growth areas of process automation and
analytics – two exciting areas in which the Synova team boasts
considerable experience. We’re seeing both areas play an
increasingly important role in RegTech environments.
Finally, a targeted investment in PR helped build Meritsoft’s brand recognition amongst leading capital markets participants. The Company soon became a leading voice on upcoming regulatory changes – publishing monthly whitepapers and thought-leadership pieces in the industry press.
Following our investment, Meritsoft’s revenues and earnings grew fourfold in three years.
OUTCOME
The prominent success of Meritsoft meant we were soon approached by several potential strategic buyers. Having worked closely with the Meritsoft management team for a number of years, we had an intimate understanding of the Company’s goals and needs. Ultimately, we took the decision, along with the founders, to sell to Cognizant NASDAQ: CTSH – a company we had already been in partnership with during the period of our investment. The transaction generated an initial return of 4x invested capital.
“We benefited from a great partnership with Synova, which was a key part of Meritsoft achieving its strong growth. Personally, I have enjoyed working with the entire Synova team and have found their emphasis on the recruitment of key personnel, as well as their operational discipline, to be particularly valuable as we have scaled the business both in the UK and internationally.”
– Kerril Burke, founder & CEO