Citrix Buys Network Optimisation Start-Up Cedexis

Citrix said on Monday it has acquired Cedexis, a French-American network optimisation start-up that has raised $33 million (£23m) in venture capital and last year figured on a TechTour list of potential European “unicorns” worth more than $1bn.

Cedexis, founded in 2009 by Julien Coulon in Val-de-Marne, just south of Paris, and Marty Kagan in Portland, Oregon, maps the internet’s constantly changing traffic conditions and routes data along the most efficient paths.

Such technology is increasingly in demand as companies come to rely on globally distributed offices and data centres, helping Cedexis acquire a list of major clients including Airbnb, Comcast, Facebook, Lenovo, Twitter, Microsoft and Google, as well as bricks-and-mortar enterprises such as Accor Hotels and Air France, and media groups like Le Monde and Vivendi-owned video-sharing site DailyMotion.

Citrix cited the trend toward hybrid and multi-cloud environments in its decision to purchase Cedexis, saying the start-up’s technology complements its own software-defined networking tools.

Cloud boost

“With this acquisition, Citrix is able to offer even more flexibility and choice to our customers as they accelerate their journey to the cloud,” the company said in a statement.

Cedexis chief executive Ryan Windham said the firms planned to combine their technologies into a unified offering aimed at securing organisations’ digital perimeters.

The companies didn’t disclose terms of the deal, but unnamed sources cited by Le Monde estimated a transaction of €70m to €120m (£62m to £107m).

The start-up’s funding includes a $22m round concluded in January 2016, with which it has boosted its presence in Asia.

Cedexis now has a presence in 116 data centres around the world and operates nine offices in San Francisco, New York, Portland, London, Barcelona, Geneva, Tel Aviv, Singapore et Paris, with a total of 75 staff.

Citrix has invested in Cedexis since 2013 and made an initial acquisition offer that year.

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