Bridgepoint today announces the completion of its acquisition of Eckoh plc (“Eckoh”), the global provider of Customer Engagement Data Security Solutions, at a price of 54 pence per share. Eckoh’s ordinary shares will cease trading on the AIM market and the company will delist from the London Stock Exchange on 21 January 2025.
The acquisition marks the first deployment made via BDC V, the latest fund of Bridgepoint’s small-to-mid-cap strategy, Bridgepoint Development Capital, which focuses on investing in fast-growing businesses with an Enterprise Value of up to £300 million.
Over the past decade, Eckoh has become a global leader in Customer Engagement Payment and Data Security software for the Contact Centre market, delivering strong financial and operational performance.
Eckoh’s mission is to make the world more secure and to set the standard for secure interactions between consumers and the world’s leading brands. The company’s success is driven by the increased costs for businesses from a complex regulatory environment, the shift to hybrid working for Contact Centre staff and the growing threat and impact of data breaches.
Companies today need to provide an exceptional customer experience with a frictionless and secure payment or process journey in their channel of choice. Every interaction or transaction should be secure and compliant and Eckoh enables that outcome in any customer engagement channel (including voice, chat, messaging, email, social), through its innovative patented products. Trusted by over 200 enterprises to secure their businesses, Eckoh’s solutions build trust with their customers while the experience increases satisfaction levels.
Bridgepoint, a leading private asset growth investor with extensive experience in backing high-growth technology and financial services companies, will support Eckoh's growth through geographic expansion, product innovation, and targeted acquisitions, helping to expand its customer base and drive long-term profitability.
“The completion of this transaction marks a significant milestone for Eckoh. We are now entering a new era as a private company and are excited to have found the right partner in Bridgepoint to help unlock Eckoh’s full potential,” said Nik Philpot, Chief Executive Officer of Eckoh.
“The financial backing that Bridgepoint brings to invest in the development of our business to enable a more aggressive acquisition strategy, alongside their proven sector expertise, gives me confidence that we will make faster progress, especially in North America where we see the biggest opportunity. Together we will accelerate growth, drive global initiatives and continue innovating our roadmap and cloud solutions for our existing and new customers.
“I want to thank the entire Eckoh team for their hard work and dedication throughout the years we spent as a public company. We all look forward to the opportunities this new phase brings, as we continue to set the standard for secure interactions between consumers and the world’s leading brands.”
Alan Payne, Partner and Deputy Head of Bridgepoint Development Capital, said: “We are excited to partner with the management team at Eckoh to continue the company’s impressive growth trajectory, making our first investment from BDC V, our latest smid-cap fund. As a category leader, Eckoh is well-positioned to capitalise on global trends in Contact Centre technology. We look forward to leveraging our experience in supporting software and payments businesses across our global network to help the management team unlock Eckoh’s latent growth potential both in their core market and adjacencies.”
Bridgepoint has a long and successful track record of investing in both technology and financial services. The firm’s investments in this area include payment technology providers, financial software platforms and broader cloud and cyber technology services groups.
The transaction was effective as of 20 January 2025.