New Investor Consortium to Acquire 27%
Interest in DataBank Positioning it to Capture Edge Infrastructure
Demand Over the Next Decade
DALLAS, June 17,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DataBank, a leading provider of
enterprise-class colocation, interconnection, and managed services,
today announced a recapitalization led by long-term institutional
investors Swiss Life Asset Management AG ("SLAM"), EDF Invest
("EDF") and current DataBank investor DigitalBridge. The
initial stage of the recapitalization is being structured as a sale
of ownership interests with SLAM and EDF acquiring 27% of the fully
diluted equity interests in DataBank from existing investors for
$1.2 billion.
![DataBank logo (PRNewsfoto/DataBank) DataBank logo (PRNewsfoto/DataBank)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/695296/DATABANK_Logo.jpg)
The transaction will enable DataBank to execute a 10-year plan
that capitalizes on edge infrastructure growth in the U.S. Since
2016, DataBank has been progressively building an ecosystem of
interconnect and data center locations in over two dozen Tier 1 and
Tier 2 U.S. metros that it believed would serve as the geographic
foundation of a more decentralized, next-generation Internet
infrastructure platform. Today, with over 65 data center assets in
27+ markets, DataBank has more data centers in more U.S. metros
than any other data center provider in the US, public or
private.
"This recapitalization allows us to accelerate our expansion
efforts and capture the substantial secular growth in edge
computing which we believe will be at multi-gigawatt opportunity,"
said Raul K. Martynek,
DataBank's CEO. "DataBank is strategically positioned as the
leading platform to deliver geographically distributed colocation
and interconnect edge solutions, as the shift from traditional
centralized infrastructures continues to evolve to the
edge."
Marc Ganzi, CEO of DigitalBridge,
said, "Since we led the acquisition of DataBank in 2016, we have
scaled DataBank's footprint, capacity and customer base in key
metro areas across the United
States, transforming DataBank from a business serving three
markets with six facilities to the premier domestic edge
infrastructure platform serving twenty-seven markets across more
than sixty-five facilities. This transaction will catalyze the next
phase of DataBank's growth with a new group of marquis investors
poised to benefit from the continued powerful infrastructure
expansion at the edge and DigitalBridge's track record and
expertise investing across the digital infrastructure
ecosystem."
The recapitalization is also expected to result in additional
new investors acquiring ownership interests in DataBank prior to
the recapitalization's expected completion in the third quarter of
2022, subject to customary closing conditions and receipt of
required regulatory approvals.
"This new investor group will provide the financial backing
required to continue to scale DataBank's leading edge
infrastructure platform," said Kevin
Ooley, DataBank's President and CFO. "Swiss Life and
EDF's long term outlook on the sector, perfectly aligns with our
view on the significant opportunity around edge demand."
DataBank was advised by Goldman Sachs as financial advisor and
Proskauer Rose LLP as legal advisors.
About DataBank
DataBank enables the world's largest enterprises, technology,
and content providers to consistently deploy and manage their
infrastructure, applications and data on the right platform, at the
right time, in the right place. Our colocation and edge
infrastructure footprint consists of 65+ data centers and 20
interconnection hubs in 27+ markets, on-ramps to an ecosystem of
cloud providers, and a modular edge data center platform with
virtually unlimited reach. We combine these platforms with contract
portability, managed security, compliance enablement, hands-on
support, and a guarantee of 100% uptime availability, to give our
customers absolute confidence in their IT infrastructure and the
power to create a limitless digital future for their business. To
learn more or tour a facility, visit databank.com or call 1(800)
840-7533
For DataBank media inquiries, please contact: JSA
+1.866.695.3629 ext. 13 JSA_DataBank@jsa.net
About Swiss Life Asset Management
AG
Swiss Life AM has more than 160 years of experience in managing
capital on behalf of the Swiss Life Group and its clients. The
investment philosophy of Swiss Life AM focuses on principles of
long-term strategic approach, capital preservation, generation of
consistent and sustainable returns as well as a responsible
approach to risks. Swiss Life AM offers its asset management
expertise to third-party clients in Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the UK. As at 31 December 2021, assets managed by Swiss Life on
behalf of third-party clients amounted to €99 billion. Together
with the investment mandates for the Swiss Life Group, total assets
under management by Swiss Life AM stood at €266 billion, of which
€7.3bn is managed by the Infrastructure Equity Business area. Swiss
Life AM has a dedicated infrastructure team of more than 42
investment professionals, focusing on investments in global
infrastructure assets including renewables and a proven track
record in creating value for its clients.
About EDF Invest
EDF Invest is the investment arm of EDF for non-listed Dedicated
Assets. Dedicated Assets will fund the decommissioning of EDF's
power plants in France. EDF Invest
currently manages around €9bn of equity and is targeting around €12
billion in the next few years. Our mission is to diversify EDF's
portfolio of Dedicated Assets and lengthen its investment horizon
by targeting three non-listed asset classes in France and abroad: Infrastructure, Real Estate
and Funds. Follow EDF Invest on: www.edfinvest.com / and
www.linkedin.com/company/edf-invest
About DigitalBridge
DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) is a leading global digital
infrastructure investment firm. With a heritage of over 25
years investing in and operating businesses across the digital
ecosystem including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells,
and edge infrastructure, the DigitalBridge team manages a
$47 billion portfolio of digital
infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and
shareholders. Headquartered in Boca
Raton, DigitalBridge has key offices in New York, Los
Angeles, London, and
Singapore. For more information
visit www.digitalbridge.com.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/databank-announces-major-recapitalization-301570111.html
SOURCE DataBank