LONDON & DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kape Technologies PLC (KAPE: LSE) is pleased to announce that ExpressVPN will be joining the Kape family as part of a US$936 million deal. Combining Kape and ExpressVPN to create a premium consumer privacy and security player in the industry marks a key milestone in the rapidly growing digital privacy space. It also further positions Kape to define the next generation of privacy and security protection tools and services to return greater control over the digital sphere to consumers.
“We’ve admired the ExpressVPN team’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation and are excited to welcome them to Kape,” says Ido Erlichman, CEO, Kape Technologies. “With ExpressVPN to join the Kape family of world-leading privacy and security brands—together, we will have the vision, talent, and resources to take the industry to the next level. Controlling one's digital presence is at the forefront of every tech consumer’s mind now, and Kape is more committed than ever to innovating and delivering the tools internet users need to protect their data and rights. Kape is now synonymous with taking control of your digital experience.”
With a mission to protect consumers in their digital lives, this acquisition will broaden Kape’s reach from almost 3 million customers to serving over 6 million and will bring together a global team of 720 to drive innovation for future product offerings. It will also create a premium digital privacy and security player best positioned to capitalize on the expected market growth. ExpressVPN has seen a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.1% over the past four years, signaling a strong need for consumer-friendly data privacy and security products to enable customers to take control of their digital lives.
“The ExpressVPN team is delighted to be joining the Kape Technologies family. It was essential to us that anyone we teamed up with shared our strong fundamental commitment to user privacy, and Kape has demonstrated that in spades through its family of brands,” says Dan Pomerantz, co-founder of ExpressVPN. “With access to greater capital and resources as part of Kape, we’re excited to be able to accelerate our product development, deliver even more innovation to our users, and protect them from a wider range of threats.”
ExpressVPN’s leadership of the privacy industry
Founded in 2009, ExpressVPN has been central in transforming VPNs from a niche technology into an essential privacy tool.
Key to ExpressVPN’s efforts to bring VPN to the mainstream has been its work with other leading technology brands, putting privacy and security tools into the hands of internet users everywhere. Through its alliances with HP, HMD Global (home of Nokia phones), Acer, Dynabook (formerly Toshiba), and Philips, ExpressVPN is available on millions of smartphones, tablets, and other devices.
Over the past decade, ExpressVPN has consistently raised the bar for the VPN industry as a whole, developing new solutions that anticipate the needs of modern internet users and advance the state of privacy technology. Their innovation and leadership have included:
- Developing Lightway, a modern consumer VPN protocol (open sourced in August 2021) designed to deliver privacy, performance, and simplicity.
- Creating TrustedServer, advanced VPN server technology designed for greater security and reliability. Its privacy innovation of RAM-only servers has been adopted by the industry as the standard for servers.
- Co-founding and chairing the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) together with the Internet Infrastructure Coalition and other industry players. In addition to its ongoing awareness and advocacy work, the group has launched the VTI Principles—shared guidelines for responsible VPN providers.
- Working with the ioXt Alliance to expand its security certification to cover VPN apps, helping to set and formalize industry standards.
- Establishing the ExpressVPN Digital Security Lab, an independent research arm which conducts high-quality, original research to empower consumers with information about digital rights.
Erlichman says, “From closing, 6 million consumers and counting will be trusting and relying on our privacy and security products and services. With new technology and threats arriving every day, we need to innovate faster than ever to keep internet users safe. Our brands have been at the vanguard of the industry for over a decade, and together we’re going to continue setting the standard for privacy online for years to come.”
The acquisition is subject to a number of customary conditions and is expected to close in Q4 2021.
Under the Kape Technologies umbrella, ExpressVPN will continue to operate day-to-day as an independent service, with its existing global team and leadership, including its two co-founders.
About Kape Technologies PLC (“Kape”)
Kape is a leading 'privacy-first' digital security software provider to consumers. Through its range of privacy and security products, Kape focuses on protecting consumers and their personal data as they go about their daily digital lives. Following its acquisition of ExpressVPN, Kape will have 6 million paying subscribers, supported by a team of over 720 people across the globe. Through its subscription-based platform, Kape has fast established a highly scalable SaaS-based operating model, geared towards serving the vast global consumer digital privacy market.
About ExpressVPN
Founded in 2009, ExpressVPN is one of the world’s largest providers of consumer privacy and security services, enabling users to protect themselves online with just a few clicks. The company’s award-winning software for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, routers, and browsers secures user information and identities with best-in-class encryption and leak proofing. With servers across 94 countries, ExpressVPN provides fast, reliable connectivity around the world. To learn more about ExpressVPN’s privacy and security solutions, visit expressvpn.com.
