Zayo Group Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Education Networks of America (ENA)

Acquisition to enhance the depth and breadth of Zayo’s products and services delivered to schools and libraries across the U.S.

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zayo Group, a leading global provider of fiber-based communications solutions, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Nashville-based Education Networks of America (ENA), a market-leader in providing managed network connectivity and security services to E-Rate-funded school districts and other public sector customers. Previous investor ZMC, a leading private equity firm focused on technology, media and communications investments, will exit its position as part of this transaction.

Together, ENA and Zayo are uniquely positioned to provide education, library, community healthcare and public sector customers with high-quality managed services and exceptional customer care.

“ENA is a leader in delivering comprehensive managed network and security solutions for educators, enhancing academic quality and productivity driven by digital transformation and the growing need for remote learning,” said Zayo president Andrés Irlando. “As Zayo looks to expand its strong public sector capabilities and serve the critical connectivity needs of our nation’s education system, ENA brings the technology, geographic reach, and service delivery we need to help our customers thrive. We are committed to expanding this business, providing enhanced services to ENA customers and supporting the ENA team as we drive growth and innovation together.”

“By joining Zayo, ENA will be combining our high-touch managed services approach and innovative technology solutions with Zayo’s best-in-class fiber network and already robust E-Rate practice. Together we will deliver tremendous value and industry-leading customer experience, and enable faster growth,” said David Pierce, CEO of ENA. “We are excited for this next chapter as part of Zayo.”

Andrew Vogel, Co-Chief Investment Officer and Managing Partner at ZMC, added, "We thank ENA’s outstanding management team and talented group of employees for their partnership during a period characterized by innovation in a rapidly changing environment. We remain excited about the company's future prospects with Zayo’s support.”

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

Skadden and Morgan Lewis are serving as legal counsel for Zayo in connection with the transaction. Evercore is serving as financial advisor for ENA, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as its legal advisor.

About Zayo Group

Zayo Group provides mission-critical bandwidth to the world's most impactful companies, fueling the innovations that are transforming society. Zayo's 126,000-mile network in North America and Europe includes extensive metro connectivity to thousands of buildings and data centers. Zayo's communications infrastructure solutions include dark fiber, private data networks, wavelengths, Ethernet, dedicated internet access and data center connectivity solutions. Zayo owns and operates a Tier 1 IP backbone, and through its CloudLink service, Zayo provides low-latency private connectivity that attaches enterprises to their public cloud environments. Zayo serves wireless and wireline carriers, media, tech, content, finance, healthcare and other large enterprises. For more information, visit https://zayo.com.

About Education Networks of America (ENA)

ENA delivers transformative technology solutions supported by exceptional customer care. Since 1996, we have worked with our customers to design and engineer high-capacity and future-ready connectivity, communication, cloud, security, and data analytics solutions. For more information, please visit www.ena.com, call 866-615-1101, or e-mail [e-mail].

About ZMC

ZMC is a leading private equity firm comprised of experienced investors and executives who invest in and manage a diverse group of media and communications enterprises. Founded in 2001, ZMC's investment philosophy centers on operational value creation driven by targeted investment themes, deep sector expertise, and strong partnerships with industry and operating executives. ZMC approaches its investments in collaboration with management teams and has a successful track record of actively adding value to portfolio companies. ZMC is currently investing out of ZMC III, L.P., which closed on $775 million in commitments. For more information, visit www.zmclp.com.