Acquisitions in Washington in 2023

Heffernan Insurance Brokers has acquired Achieve Alpha Insurance of Bellevue, Washington, with Gary Franke and his three team members joining Heffernan’s small business division, HeffDirect, effective December 31, 2023. Achieve Alpha, founded in 2008, specializes in Individual Health and Medicare solutions (and offers life, disability and long-term-care products); terms were not disclosed and Helfer & Associates advised Achieve Alpha.

BYTE Acquisition Corp. completed a business combination with Airship AI, and the combined company began trading on Nasdaq under ticker AISP on December 22, 2023. The transaction valued Airship AI at a pre-money equity value of approximately $225 million and positions the company to accelerate growth—backed by a visible pipeline including $10.9 million in DHS contracts.

Veda Living announced the acquisition of the management contract for Emerald City Senior Living, a 119-unit private-pay senior living community in Seattle, Washington, marking Veda's 14th management contract. The move expands Veda's portfolio in the Seattle market and underscores its focus on affordable, middle-market senior living through a partnership with Greenlake Senior Living.

7GC & Co. Holdings Inc. (a Nasdaq-listed SPAC) completed a business combination with Banzai International, Inc., and Banzai began trading its Class A common stock and warrants on Nasdaq under the tickers BNZI and BNZIW on December 15, 2023. The transaction provides Banzai with public market access to accelerate its strategy of consolidating the fragmented marketing-technology (MarTech) SaaS market.

Pfizer completed the acquisition of Seagen, acquiring all outstanding Seagen common stock for $229 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $43 billion. The deal adds Seagen's ADC technology, four in-line oncology medicines and a large early-stage pipeline to Pfizer's oncology portfolio, expanding Pfizer's capabilities and doubling its oncology pipeline.

Nintex has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Skuid, a low-code cloud platform that enables operational leaders to design and deploy business applications without code. The acquisition will combine Skuid’s design-centric low-code capabilities with Nintex’s process intelligence and automation portfolio to deliver integrated app development and workflow automation for enterprise customers; the deal is expected to close in the coming weeks.

Ncontracts, a Gryphon Investors–backed provider of risk, vendor and compliance SaaS, has acquired Quantivate, a governance, risk and compliance (GRC) software provider for banks and credit unions. The add-on expands Ncontracts' SaaS and knowledge-as-a-service offerings, increasing the combined company to roughly 350 employees and a customer base of more than 4,000 financial institutions.

AstraZeneca has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Icosavax, a Seattle-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, in a cash tender offer valuing the deal at approximately $0.8bn upfront and up to $1.1bn including contingent payments. The acquisition brings Icosavax's virus‑like particle (VLP) platform and Phase III‑ready combination RSV/hMPV vaccine candidate IVX‑A12 into AstraZeneca's Vaccines & Immune Therapies late‑stage pipeline to strengthen respiratory vaccine capabilities for older adults and vulnerable populations.

RØDE Microphones has acquired Loud Audio, LLC (the Mackie brand) from Transom Capital Group. The strategic purchase combines Mackie's pro-audio product portfolio with RØDE's manufacturing and technology capabilities to accelerate product development and expand market reach.

Prometheus Group has acquired MobilOps, the integrated plant management and field operations software owned by Turner Industries Group. Prometheus will integrate MobilOps into its enterprise asset management suite to expand capabilities, product footprint, and customer reach in industrial maintenance and field operations.

Hub International Limited acquired the assets of Longbow Financial Services, LLC, a Spokane-based financial consulting firm specializing in corporate retirement planning and individual wealth. The Longbow team, led by founder Michael Furrer, will join Hub Northwest as part of Hub's strategy to expand its retirement and private wealth capabilities in the Pacific Northwest; terms were not disclosed.

The Bay Club Company announced the acquisition of PRO Club Inc., adding PRO Club’s Seattle and Bellevue health and wellness facilities to Bay Club’s West Coast portfolio. The deal expands Bay Club’s footprint to 26 locations and brings PRO Club’s approximately 800 employees, while PRO Club founders Dick Knight and Dr. Mark Dedomenico will remain as strategic advisors for at least three years.

Resurgens Technology Partners has completed the acquisition of Valant Medical Solutions, a Seattle-based SaaS electronic health record and practice management provider for behavioral health practices, from Gemspring Capital. Terms were not disclosed; Resurgens invested alongside Operating Partner Trey Carter, who will join Valant's board to help accelerate growth and product adoption.

Trinity Consultants has acquired Soundview Consultants LLC, a Gig Harbor, Washington-based environmental consulting firm, and integrated it into Trinity’s Water & Ecology pillar. The acquisition expands Trinity’s natural and aquatic resource capabilities and supports Soundview’s succession planning and growth into new markets.

Private equity funds managed by Blackstone completed the all-cash acquisition of Rover Group, Inc. for approximately $2.3 billion, paying $11.00 per share. The transaction takes Rover private to accelerate investment in the business, expand its global footprint and support growth initiatives for the online pet-care marketplace.

MercuryGate International has acquired International Trade Systems (ITS), a SaaS provider of cross-border customs clearance and global trade management solutions, to integrate customs and trade compliance into its Smart Transportation TMS. The deal adds ITS's customers, technology and more than 40 subject-matter experts to MercuryGate's platform; financial terms were not disclosed.

Inszone Insurance Services, a California-based full-service insurance brokerage, has acquired Hawks View Insurance, expanding Inszone's footprint into Washington State. Hawks View, founded in 1985 and headquartered in Silverdale/Vancouver area, will continue serving its customers while joining Inszone's national platform.

Palisade Infrastructure has acquired 100% of the equity interests in Mashell, Inc., the parent company of Rainier Connect, and will operate and rebrand the business as Lightcurve. Palisade plans significant investments to upgrade fiber-optic infrastructure and expand broadband service across multiple Washington counties as part of a strategy to build a regional digital connectivity platform.

Flexport has acquired the technology stack of Convoy for an undisclosed sum and will onboard a small group of Convoy product and engineering employees. Flexport is not acquiring Convoy as a company or its liabilities; the deal is intended to restore access to Convoy's trucking network for Flexport customers and to expand Flexport's trucking capabilities.

Belt Power, a Platte River Equity portfolio company, has acquired Blankenship Belting, a division of Blankenship Equipment Repair. The add-on expands Belt Power's fabrication and distribution footprint in the Pacific Northwest and broadens its service offerings to end markets including paper & packaging, food processing, material handling and general industrial customers.

Emler Swim School acquired Discover Aquatics of Olympia, Washington, adding the 45th Emler-branded location and marking Emler's first facility in the state of Washington. Discover Aquatics was founded and operated for 21 years by Holly and Brian Nichols, who will transition the location to Emler.

A subsidiary of Brown & Brown, Inc. acquired substantially all of the assets of The Pacific Underwriters Corporation. The Pacific Underwriters team will continue operating from their Seattle location as part of Brown & Brown's National Programs segment, strengthening the firm's capabilities in public-utility program management and dental practitioner insurance across the Pacific Northwest. The sellers were shareholders Diane M. Darling, Randall R. Flem and Richard C. Rodruck.

Discovery Education, a Clearlake Capital–backed global edtech company, agreed to and completed the acquisition of DreamBox Learning, a Bellevue-based PK–12 adaptive learning platform serving more than 6 million students and 600,000 educators. The deal (terms undisclosed) brings DreamBox’s adaptive math and reading technology into Discovery Education’s suite to expand product capabilities and reach; DreamBox investors Elliott Investment Management and TPG’s The Rise Fund will retain minority stakes.

Branford Castle Partners II, an affiliate of Branford Castle Partners, has made a strategic investment in Marine Floats, a Tacoma, Washington-based specialty marine contractor that designs, fabricates and installs marinas, floating docks and waterfront structures while providing environmental and permitting advisory services. Branford will partner with founder and President Logan Brown to support growth and expand the company’s offerings and reach across the Pacific Northwest; terms were not disclosed.

Earth Finance, a Seattle-based climate strategy and finance firm, has acquired Molecule LLC, a Seattle-based climate advocacy firm founded and led by Tim Zenk. Zenk joins Earth Finance as a Managing Director and will lead the firm's renewable fuels and public policy teams, strengthening Earth Finance's policy and transportation decarbonization capabilities.

Kontron America, Inc., a unit of Kontron AG, agreed to acquire Bsquare Corporation in an all-cash tender offer at $1.90 per share, implying an equity value of approximately $38 million. The acquisition aims to strengthen Kontron’s software development, marketing and integration capabilities in North America and to combine Bsquare’s IoT software (SquareOne) with Kontron’s hardware and susietec software family.

Irish-founded NearForm has acquired Formidable, a Seattle-based design and engineering consultancy, to expand its global software and product design capabilities. The deal brings Formidable's US presence and enterprise client relationships (including Puma, Lululemon, Starbucks and Walmart) into NearForm's platform, and NearForm remains led by CEO Ciarán Cosgrave with Formidable CEO Ryan Roemer joining the NearForm executive leadership team.

Family-owned Ackley Brands of Seattle has acquired Mac & Jack's Brewing Company, a 30-year-old craft brewery based in Redmond, Washington. The founders, Mac Rankin and Jack Schropp, will retain leadership/consulting roles and the existing brewery team will remain in place as Ackley integrates the brand into its Pacific Northwest beverage portfolio.

O'Donnell Metal Deck, a Slate Capital Group–backed distributor of metal decking and steel bar joist, has acquired Tombari Structural Products (Spokane, WA) and Metal Deck Direct (Lenoir City, TN), expanding its footprint into the Pacific Northwest and Mid‑South. The deals add technical capability for larger, seismic projects, deepen regional sales and operations expertise, and facilitate owner succession for the Tombari family and Metal Deck Direct's leadership.

Indianapolis-based digital retail platform Overfuel has acquired Washington state-based 321 Ignition, a mobile-first car-buying website platform. The acquisition (closed Aug. 17) adds roughly 15 employees and expands Overfuel's customer base to over 100 dealers while supporting faster product development; Overfuel also raised $500,000 in a pre-seed round led by Elevate Ventures to support growth.

Second Nature Brands, a Michigan-based snack platform, has agreed to acquire Sahale Snacks from The J.M. Smucker Co. for $34 million. The deal includes Sahale trademarks and a leased manufacturing facility in the Seattle area and will transition approximately 100 employees to Second Nature Brands; the acquisition is an add-on to Second Nature Brands' premium snack portfolio.

ShawKwei & Partners, an Asian private equity investor, made a US$34.3 million growth investment in Group14 Technologies, a U.S. manufacturer of advanced silicon-based battery materials. The capital will support Group14's commercial-scale manufacturing expansion (including factories in Washington State and a JV in South Korea) and strengthen its supply chain after the acquisition of Schmid Silicon in Germany.

Bron Tapes, a Rotunda Capital Partners portfolio company, has acquired Seattle-based GaffTech, maker of the GaffGun tape applicator and associated tapes. The deal expands Bron Tapes’ arts & entertainment and floor-taping product offerings and is the first acquisition since Bron Tapes partnered with Rotunda Capital Partners earlier in 2023.

Coffman Engineers has completed an asset purchase agreement to acquire Seattle-based acoustical consulting firm BRC Acoustics & Audiovisual Design, bringing BRC's president and five staff into Coffman's Seattle office. The acquisition is part of BRC's ownership transition/retirement plan and expands Coffman's acoustical capabilities and services across the Northwest and companywide.

EasyKnock has acquired Onder, a Seattle-based home maintenance subscription platform, in an asset acquisition to integrate Onder's property maintenance capabilities into EasyKnock's residential sale-leaseback marketplace. Onder CEO and co-founder David Krieger will join EasyKnock as chief product strategy officer as the combined company expands services to simplify homeownership and launch a nationwide property maintenance offering.

BF Ventures has acquired Trailer Boss, a leading trailer dealer in the Pacific Northwest that operates four dealerships. Crewe Capital served as exclusive advisor to Trailer Boss on the transaction; BF Ventures plans to grow Trailer Boss's footprint and continue offering top trailer brands and services.

Atwell, a national consulting, engineering, and construction services firm, has acquired the operations of Mead Gilman & Associates, a Woodinville, Washington-based land surveying firm. The deal expands Atwell’s surveying and mapping capabilities and strengthens its geographic footprint in the Pacific Northwest; terms were not disclosed.

Volaris Group (an operating group of Constellation Software Inc.) has acquired RAF Technology, a developer of AI-driven pattern recognition and data-capture software used by postal, courier and logistics companies. RAF will continue to operate independently under General Manager David Reeves and will leverage Volaris' operating approach and community to expand its product and customer footprint globally.

Sloane Street Partners has acquired FileOnQ, a Seattle-based provider of no-code software solutions for public safety and justice agencies. The founder, Kim Webley, will remain with the company to focus on partnerships, acquisitions and key customer relationships as Sloane Street supports scaling the platform and service offerings.

Hyperproof, a Bellevue-based SaaS risk and compliance management platform, closed a $40 million growth investment led by Riverwood Capital with participation from existing investor Toba Capital. The funding will be used to expand Hyperproof's enterprise-grade offerings, accelerate product development (including AI-driven automation) and scale the company's go-to-market for mid-market and large enterprise customers.

FleetPride, the nation’s largest distributor of truck and trailer parts and services, has acquired the assets of Integrity Fleet Services, a fleet maintenance and repair provider based in Pacific, Washington. The deal adds a Pacific service center and mobile maintenance trucks to FleetPride’s network, strengthening its service capabilities and local footprint for commercial fleet customers. Glen Grader, owner of Integrity Fleet Services, will transition the business into FleetPride.

Hub International Limited acquired the assets of Shinstrom & Norman, Inc., an independent insurance agency based in Kirkland, Washington. The Shinstrom & Norman team will join Hub Northwest and retain their Kirkland location; terms were not disclosed.

Family Resource Home Care, a portfolio company of Great Point Partners, has completed the acquisition of Companion Care, Inc., a Woodinville, Washington-based non-medical in-home care agency. The acquisition expands Family Resource's footprint to seven locations in the greater Puget Sound region and 29 locations across Idaho, Oregon and Washington, bringing the combined organization to over 1,700 home care professionals; Companion Care's ~100 employees have been offered roles with Family Resource.

Tidal Vision Products, Inc. has acquired long-time customer Clear Water Services to integrate Clear Water's mobile and modular water treatment systems with Tidal Vision's chitosan-based Tidal Clear technologies. The acquisition gives Tidal Vision expanded deployment capabilities, access to field performance data across 200+ sites to accelerate R&D, and strengthens Clear Water Services' capacity to build advanced treatment systems and expand its national footprint.

Newterra Inc. acquired the assets of Environmental Site Solutions, LLC (ESS), a Seattle-area supplier of water filtration systems, rentals, filter media and turn-key change-out services. The deal expands Newterra's filtration capabilities and filter-media supply on the U.S. West Coast and broadens service coverage across municipal drinking water, construction dewatering, remediation and industrial markets.

Kiterocket, a PR-forward full-service communications and marketing agency, has acquired Seattle-based Action Mary and will bring Action Mary’s clients and staff into Kiterocket. The deal adds senior leadership (Patrick McGuire and Melanie Wilhoite) to Kiterocket and broadens its capabilities in brand transformation, cause/social-impact marketing, and food & agriculture communications.

Premier International, a Renovus Capital Partners portfolio company, has acquired Information Asset, a data governance, privacy and risk management firm. The add-on expands Premier’s data governance, migration and offshore delivery capabilities to better serve Fortune 1000 clients across industries including financial services and healthcare; terms were not disclosed.

GSC, a nationwide 3PL headquartered in Oakland, California, has acquired MacMillan-Piper, a long-established specialty transloader operating five facilities near the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. The deal expands GSC's Pacific Northwest footprint and transloading/warehousing capabilities—adding over 380,000 sq. ft., 80 railcar spots and more than 100 dock doors—while MacMillan-Piper president and former owner Mark Miller will continue to lead the MacMillan-Piper team and join GSC's executive leadership.

Passiv, operator of the SnapTrade fintech API, has acquired social investing app Wealthly and hired its founder Terry Ma and his team. The acquisition brings Wealthly's account-aggregation integrations and engineering talent to accelerate development of Passiv's SnapTrade product and expand its technical IP.

Mainsail Partners has made a $32 million growth investment in ProShop ERP to accelerate product development and scale the company's manufacturing-focused ERP, MES and QMS software. ProShop will use the capital to expedite product development and expand services for small- and medium-sized precision manufacturers in regulated industries such as aerospace, defense and medical devices.