NICE Systems has bought Redkite Financial Markets following a 16-month investment by DFJ Esprit.
Redkite, which supplies financial institutions with tools to monitor and analyse trading conditions in real-time, was initially backed by DFJ Esprit in July 2011 as part of an undisclosed Series A transaction.
The equity investment was completed so that Redkite could develop and launch its software service.
Justin Amos and John Edge co-founded London-based Redkite in 2008. Amos, the company’s chief executive, started the business after a long career in global equities trading at JP Morgan.
The sale by DFJ takes the total enterprise value of its exits since January 2010 to over $2.2 billion (£1.3 billion), following the disposal of interests in movie rental business LOVEFiLM, EVE and internet infrastructure company Zeus. The figure represents 33 per cent of all European venture backed M&A exits during the period.
Amos comments, ‘The support of DFJ Esprit has given since our Series A investment has been instrumental to our rapid success, leading to [this] acquisition by NICE Systems and the start of the next exciting chapter in Redkite’s evolution.’
NICE Systems is listed on NASDAQ and has its headquarters in New York. As part of its worldwide operations, it has an EMEA office in Southampton.
Stuart Chapman, managing partner at DFJ Esprit, says that Redkite is a ‘fantastic’ example of how start-up entrepreneurs can lead innovation in financial technology.
He adds, ‘As a market leader in the financial risk management space, NICE Systems is the perfect partner to take Redkite’s innovative technology and approach to the next level.’
