This Represents the Largest Intel Capital Investment in Central and Eastern Europe to date
PRAGUE, Czech Republic, Sept. 6, 2005 – Intel Capital, Intel
Corporation’s venture investment program, today announced the signing
of an agreement to acquire a $16M stake in Grisoft, one of the leading
providers of anti-virus security software. The investment is subject to
approval by the competition council of the Czech Republic.
A global provider of security software solutions, Grisoft products
are now used on more than 25 million computers. Distributed through
resellers and through the Internet, Grisoft’s product line supports all
major operating systems and platforms.
By acquiring shares in Grisoft, Intel Capital is supporting the
development of anti-virus software development and deployment around
the globe," said Intel Capital President Arvind Sodhani. Under the
terms of the strategic cooperation agreement with Grisoft, Intel will
work to help Grisoft improve security on computing platforms for small
businesses and consumers."
Pursuant to the terms of the cooperation agreement, Intel Capital
will also help Grisoft to reach new customers and market segments as
well as optimize their security software.
This would be Intel Capital’s largest equity investment in Central
and Eastern Europe. Intel Capital is a global investor committed to
investing in innovative technology companies throughout Europe and
beyond," said Sodhani.
Grisoft has grown rapidly from a provider of anti-virus software in
the Czech Republic to a major, global player," said Grisoft Chairman
Gabriel Eichler. "Its AVG software, now including firewall, protects 25
million computers worldwide. The growing need for computer security and
its increasing complexity combined with a highly positive response of
our users, testers and reviewers lead us to anticipate the company will
continue on the path to becoming the global leader within its market
segment. We felt that it was the appropriate time to bring in
value-added investors to help capture Grisoft’s future prospects."
Grisoft has offices in Brno, Czech Republic and in the United States. For more information, visit www.grisoft.com.
Intel Capital, Intel’s venture investment program, focuses on making
minority equity investments to grow the Internet economy in support of
Intel’s strategic interests. Intel Capital invests in hardware,
software and services companies in several market segments, including
computing, networking, and wireless communications. Intel Capital has
invested more than US$4 billion in approximately 1,000 companies in
more than 30 countries since 1991. Since its inception, about 160
portfolio companies have been acquired by other companies and another
150 have gone public on various exchanges around the world. Intel
Capital employs investment managers in about 25 countries. Last year
alone, Intel Capital invested more than US$130 million in about 110
deals with approximately 40 percent of its investments made outside the
United States. For more information, visit www.intel.com/capital.
News Source: Intel Press Release
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