Why Vista Equity Partners Is Acquiring Accelya

By Amit Chowdhry ● Nov 22, 2019
  • Investment company Vista Equity Partners announced it is buying Accelya. These are the details about the deal.

Investment firm Vista Equity Partners announced it is acquiring Accelya — which is a provider of financial, commercial, and analytics solutions to the airline and travel industry.

The investment made in Accelya is the first made by Vista’s permanent capital investment fund called Vista Equity Partners Perennial, which is focused on growing industry-leading vertical software companies through long-term investments in product expansion and feature enhancement.

“Our clients count on us to deliver data-driven insights, efficiency and unrivaled value in a highly competitive industry, while also managing risk and compliance and delivering an excellent customer experience. Vista shares with us a long-term view and focus on product innovation that will allow us to accelerate the expansion of our solutions to propel our clients forward in the dynamic travel marketplace. On behalf of the team, I’d also like to thank Warburg Pincus for their valuable contribution and strategic insight over the years,” said Accelya Group CEO John Johnston.

Accelya has been synonymous with travel and transport for over 40 years and it provides solutions spanning the airline lifecycle encompassing financial, commercial, and cargo and logistics processes to more than 400 clients across the globe. And Accelya’s mission-critical insights, solutions, and services allow customers to stay at the leading-edge of industry change and provide scaled industry platforms that process over 5 billion financial transactions annually.

“Accelya is at the forefront of innovation and positioned to shape the airline and travel industry for decades to come, making it an exceptional first investment for Vista’s Perennial Fund,” added Vista Equity Partners CEO Robert F. Smith. “We look forward to working with John and the talented management team at Accelya to identify further opportunities for growth as they continue to serve the leading airlines, travel agents, and shippers across the world.”

As part of the deal, Warburg Pincus will exit its partnership with Accelya upon its sale to Vista. The deal is subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

“We are proud to have supported Accelya through a transformative period of organic and acquisitive growth, creating a truly world-class business. We want to thank John Johnston and his team for their unrelenting hard work and commitment during our ownership. We are excited for their next chapter with Vista who will continue to advance Accelya’s development and growth, building on its exceptional foundation of operational excellence and market-leading technology,” explained Warburg Pincus managing directors Adarsh Sarma and David Reis.