Harvest and Vista join forces to support Granicus’ vision and momentum delivering broad digital transformation to governments with the industry’s first Civic Engagement Platform
DENVER, December 17, 2020 /Business Wire/ — Granicus, the leading provider of cloud-based citizen engagement technologies and services, today announced that Harvest Partners (“Harvest”) has joined as an investor alongside Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”) and K1 Investment Management (“K1”) to support Granicus’ continued growth and market leadership. As a technology innovator and trusted partner to governments, Granicus will continue to support government institutions as they transition to the cloud and adopt broader digital transformation initiatives to modernize their operations and connectivity to their constituents.
“2020 has been an unprecedented year. But in the face of adversity, we’ve been inspired by the resilience and innovation exhibited by government leaders as they rapidly respond to the challenges brought on by the pandemic,” said Mark Hynes, CEO of Granicus. “We are proud to play our part in helping our government customers accelerate digital connections with constituents. We are thrilled to continue our work with Vista while adding Harvest to the team as we work side-by-side with governments on their digital transformation journeys.”
During the human, health and economic crises brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, government agencies have increasingly turned to Granicus solutions to help them rapidly communicate and respond to the urgent needs of their communities. Supporting over 4,500 government agencies, 50,000 government users, and 250 million citizens, Granicus’ industry-leading platform of integrated web and mobile applications, digital communications, online digital service delivery, and virtual civic participation solutions has enabled governments to rapidly transition to be ‘always on’ as residents and citizens needed it most.
“As an established private equity firm with nearly 40 years of investing experience, Harvest looks to partner with market-leading organizations and leadership teams. Granicus’ solutions and expertise have proven to be invaluable to public sector customers who are increasingly leveraging digital tools to serve their constituents.” said David Schwartz, Partner of Harvest Partners. “We look forward to working with Mark and the Granicus team as they continue to enable government agencies to provide critical services more efficiently and effectively,” said Joshua Carter, Principal of Harvest Partners.
During one of the most challenging periods in modern history, Granicus has helped government leaders deliver over 5 billion COVID-related digital messages to constituents, conducted over 2,500 virtual community council meetings, and enabled hundreds of thousands of digital service transactions to ensure that people could remain informed, connected, and safe during the pandemic while maintaining access to vital services.
“Granicus has proven itself to be an essential partner to government workers and organizations—from the largest federal and state agencies to smaller local agencies and special districts,” said Patrick Severson, Managing Director of Vista Equity Partners. “During this unprecedented time, Granicus has demonstrated that the advanced capabilities and interoperability of the technology provided by its Civic Engagement Platform has never been more important and is here to stay. We are proud of the Granicus team and excited to partner with Harvest as we help build a more connected government.”
William Blair & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis acted as legal advisor to Granicus.
About Granicus
Granicus connects governments with the people they serve by providing the first and only Civic Engagement Platform for the public sector. Nearly 4,500 federal, state and local government agencies and more than 250 million citizen subscribers power an unmatched Subscriber Network that turns government missions into quantifiable results. With comprehensive cloud-based solutions for communications, government website design, online service delivery, meeting and agenda management software, and records management, Granicus empowers stronger relationships between government and citizens. Learn more at granicus.com
About Vista Equity Partners
Vista is a leading global investment firm with more than $73 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2020. The firm exclusively invests in enterprise software, data and technology-enabled organizations across private equity, permanent capital, credit and public equity strategies, bringing an approach that prioritizes creating enduring market value for the benefit of its global ecosystem of investors, companies, customers and employees. Vista’s investments are anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions and proven, flexible management techniques that drive sustainable growth. Vista believes the transformative power of technology is the key to an even better future – a healthier planet, a smarter economy, a diverse and inclusive community and a broader path to prosperity. Further information is available at vistaequitypartners.com. Follow Vista on LinkedIn, @Vista Equity Partners, and on Twitter, @Vista_Equity.
About Harvest Partners
Founded in 1981, Harvest Partners is an established New York-based private equity investment firm that focuses on investments in middle-market companies in the business services & consumer, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and software sectors. This strategy leverages Harvest Partners’ nearly 40 years of experience in financing organic and acquisition-oriented growth companies. For more information, please visit www.harvestpartners.com.
About K1 Investment Management
K1 builds category-leading enterprise software companies. As a global investment firm, K1 assists high-growth businesses to achieve successful outcomes, and invests alongside strong management teams that continue to guide their organizations on a day-to-day basis. With over 100 professionals, K1 changes industry landscapes by assisting with operationally-focused growth strategies designed to assist portfolio companies scale efficiently. Since inception of the firm, K1 has partnered with over 130 enterprise software companies including industry leaders such as Apttus, Buildium, Checkmarx, ChiroTouch, Clarizen, ControlUp, Emburse, FMG Suite, Granicus, Graduway, IronScales, Litera Microsystems, Onit, Rave Mobile Safety, RFPIO, Smarsh, WorkForce Software and Zapproved. For more information about K1, please visit k1capital.com or follow us at linkedin.com/company/k1im.
