Thomson Snell & Passmore advises US based, Private Equity backed Uptime Institute Holdings LLC on its acquisition of UK based Academia Group Limited

Leading global digital infrastructure authority, Uptime Institute, backed by the New York Private Equity (PE) firm Dominus Capital, has acquired UK based Academia Group Limited, a provider of digital infrastructure training programmes and related services. South East Law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore advised Uptime Institute on the deal.

The complex, cross border transaction involved Uptime Institute acquiring Academia Group and its international subsidiaries. It was a truly global transaction, involving teams in the US, UK and also Singapore and the UAE, where two of Academia Group’s subsidiaries are based.

Uptime Institute is a leader in the global digital infrastructure space. Founded in 1993, the company is a true data centre industry pioneer, having created the universally recognised and proprietary Tier classification system for data centre design, construction, and operations. Uptime provides assessment, certification, and consulting services for owners, operators, and users of digital infrastructure, and also provides education, accreditation, and membership network services for data centre professionals and organisations. It primarily serves financial institutions, telecom, co-location, government, and cloud markets on a global basis.

Uptime Institute is backed by New York based Dominus Capital, a 2022 Top 50 PE firm in the middle market. Dominus Capital focuses on management-led buyouts and growth capital investments, particularly in the business services and light manufacturing sectors of the economy. Drawing on the experience, knowledge and network of its founders and a team of in-house operating executives, the firm works hand-in-hand with exceptional management teams to unlock the untapped potential of its portfolio companies. The firm takes a long-term approach to investing and has a consistent and highly successful track record of achieving significant growth within its portfolio companies.

Jason Varney, Corporate / M&A Partner at Thomson Snell & Passmore led the legal team on the purchase for Uptime. He was supported by Rosie Haines, Joseph Hartland, Daniel Gorringe, Luke Guinan, Oliver Appelboam Meadows and Dominic Reilly in the Corporate team.

Due to the nature of the transaction, the deal necessitated a multidisciplinary project team, which included Ben Stepney on Employment, Jonathan Askin on Commercial matters, Mathew Boyle on Pensions and Caroline Cohen on Property.

Commenting on the recent sale, Jason Varney at Thomson Snell & Passmore says: “This transaction was incredibly complex and shows the breadth and strength of not only our core Corporate M&A team but also our wider commercial group; as well as our expertise in PE backed, international transactions. It was great to have been able to harness our M&A expertise, as well as our experience in the technology sector, to complete this deal for Uptime and Dominus Capital.”