MariaDB was recently quietly acquired by private investment company K1 Investment Management. The acquisition follows rumors that the open-source database specialist was looking for a buyer due to disappointing results.
K1 Investment Management’s acquisition of MariaDB doesn’t come as a surprise. In February of this year, the private investment company already made an offer for the open-source database specialist, following earlier interest from Runa Capital. The final amount has not been disclosed.
Back then, K1 Investment Management offered 55 cents per share, bringing the total bid to about 34 million euros (37 million dollars). At the time, this was 189 percent more than the last listed value of MariaDB shares.
New CEO
With the private investor’s acquisition, MariaDB will soon disappear from the New York Stock Exchange. Rohit de Souza, from Actian and Micro Focus, has since been named the new CEO. Former CEO Paul O’Brien will remain an advisor with the open-source database specialist.
The acquisition follows an ailing period experienced by the open-source database specialist in recent years. Its enterprise value dropped soon after its IPO in late 2022, resulting in two major rounds of layoffs in 2023, with a third of the employees having to leave.
Components sold
The SkySQL-managed database service was sold off last year. Early this year, the geospatial component of MariaDB was divested. This business component provided software for analyzing satellite imagery and equivalent files.
K1 Investment Management plans to invest more in product development now and continue to ensure that the open-source database specialist’s high-quality products and services meet market demand.
Also read: Ailing MariaDB mulls over $37 million takeover bid