Kian Capital Partners has sold MSP platform company The Purple Guys to another MSP platform company, Ntiva, which is backed by PSP Capital. This transaction signifies a significant development in the managed services mergers and acquisition market, highlighting the growing interest of private equity companies in MSPs, especially following Court Square’s recapitalization of MSP Thrive in 2021. The trend now shows platform companies acquiring other platform companies to consolidate and expand their market presence.
The Purple Guys, established in 2020 in Shreveport, Louisiana, has 210 employees and specializes in disaster recovery, business continuity, cybersecurity training, and managed IT support. Ntiva, based in McLean, Virginia, with 330 employees, offers IT consulting, cloud computing, managed services, and cybersecurity among other services. Both companies are focused on providing comprehensive IT solutions to their clients, ensuring robust support and security.
Kevin Cook, CEO of The Purple Guys, expressed satisfaction with the partnership with Kian, emphasizing their collective goal of building a leading IT managed services provider for the SMB community. Matt Levenson, Partner at Kian, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the disciplined acquisition strategy and sustainable organic growth that has characterized their partnership. This combination with Ntiva is expected to create one of the largest pure-play MSPs serving the SMB market.
The Purple Guys was originally formed through the merger of ECS and My IT in January 2020, with backing from Kian Capital and ParkSouth Ventures. Since then, the company has made several strategic acquisitions, including Accelerate, The Purple Guys of Kansas City, Network Technologies, and Technology Pointe. The company remains committed to its strategic growth plan, focusing on expanding its market reach and service offerings.
