Transactions
February 2017
London, United Kingdom
received an investment from
Tokyo, Japan
Background
OpenGamma is a London-based pioneer in open source financial software and a leading provider of innovative, SaaS-based derivatives pricing and risk analytics to some of the world’s largest global banks, central counterparties and buy-side firms. The company was founded in 2009 to bring a better way to price and manage risk associated with the $500 Trillion global Over-The-Counter (“OTC”) derivatives market - offering its pricing and risk models via enterprise software as well as via a flexible and cost-effective API. The company quickly attracted financial backing from some of the world’s premier fintech investors including Accel Partners, Firstmark Capital and ICAP, who appreciated the changes occurring in a market that has historically been privately negotiated and loosely regulated, but also one that is moving to become much more regulated and transparent.
In 2016, management and OpenGamma’s board of directors asked Marlin & Associates to advise the firm in an effort to raise additional capital to continue funding the company’s growth. They wanted a new partner to join with existing investors - one that would understand the business and bring more than just money to the table. They wanted a new partner that also would be strategically positioned to help the company continue to build out its comprehensive portfolio of industry-leading products in this rapidly changing regulatory environment.
M&A formed a team of experts to work with management to craft materials that would communicate the complexity and potential of the large and growing market that OpenGamma addresses, the company’s strong value proposition, and its unique approach to penetrate that market. The team at Marlin then worked with the company to identify and reach out to more than a dozen potential partners in four countries. Ultimately the company decided to take in new capital from the Japanese Exchange Group (“JPX”) as well as additional capital from Accel Partners, NEX (formerly known as ICAP), Euclid Opportunities and ex-SunGard CEO Cristóbal Conde.
JPX is a particularly strong new partner for OpenGamma as it provides both needed capital as well as a strong strategic benefit. JPX is a leading exchange group in Asia. Its affiliates include the Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (“JSCC”), a leader in OTC derivatives transactions. JPX’s involvement and investment together with capital from the other investors is expected to facilitate both geographic and product expansion for OpenGamma and help the company address the increasing demand from financial institutions worldwide for more efficient use of OTC capital.
Marlin & Associates acted as OpenGamma’s exclusive strategic and financial advisor for this important transaction, initiated discussions with several parties and worked with the company to negotiate terms, conduct due diligence reviews and complete the transaction. The process involved working with people in the US, UK and Japan as well as OpenGamma’s many stakeholders in disparate locations around the globe which added to the complexity.
Mas Nakachi, Vice Chairman, OpenGamma, said: "Throughout this process, the team at Marlin & Associates acted as our trusted financial and our strategic advisor. With their guidance we were able to navigate a great outcome for all stakeholders. They worked closely with our board and management team to support a complex process involving many parties across multiple geographies. They were invaluable to the process."