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Proofpoint Acquires Data Security Startup Dathena

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Email security and data loss prevention (DLP) company Proofpoint, backed by private equity firm Thoma Bravo, has acquired data security company Dathena.

This is technology M&A deal number 47 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2022. See more than 1,000 technology M&A deals for 2022, 2021, and 2020 listed here.

Proofpoint Acquires Dathena: Channel Partners Gain Data Security Tools

Dathena, founded in 2016, has 45 employees listed on LinkedIn and an overall headcount of 80 people, according to a LinkedIn blurb. A May 2020 press released mentioned headcount reaching 100 employees. Dathena, based in Singapore, also has offices in Singapore, Switzerland, France, and New York City.

Dathena’s AI (artificial intelligence) and cloud technologies will enable Proofpoint partners and customers to "automatically discover and classify data in real-time and better understand information risk with industry specific out-of-the-box and custom AI and Machine Learning (ML)-driven data classification models," the buyer said.

Dathena raised $12 million in Series A funding in May 2020. Jungle Ventures led that round, with the participation from CapHorn and SEEDS Capital, an investment arm of Enterprise Singapore which is the government agency championing enterprise development. Cerracap Ventures and MS&AD Ventures also participated in the round.

At the time of the Series A funding, more than 200,000 users had embraced Dathena's software.

Proofpoint Buys Dathena: Executive Perspectives

Gary Steele, CEO, Proofpoint
Gary Steele, CEO, Proofpoint

In a prepared statement about the Dathena acquisition, Proofpoint CEO Gary Steele said:

“Data doesn’t lose itself. People lose data, and organizations are increasingly adopting data loss prevention strategies to manage that risk. Unfortunately, legacy products fall far short in actually preventing, detecting, and investigating data loss incidents in real time or immediately after they occur. Integrating Dathena’s multi-patented, next-gen AI engine into our people-centric DLP solutions will provide our customers with unparalleled data protection and help them meet their challenging internal and regulatory compliance requirements.

We are thrilled to welcome the talented Dathena team that built this cutting-edge technology to Proofpoint, and we look forward to working together to help our customers protect their data."

Added Christopher Muffat, founder and CEO of Dathena:

“Proofpoint has firmly established itself as a DLP leader, and joining them provides us with the perfect opportunity to fulfill our mission of protecting the data and privacy of organizations around the world. I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a team through our unique technology and many innovations enabling better data protection. Working together with Proofpoint we will reach thousands of new customers, while further building trust in a digital world.”

Thoma Bravo: Private Equity Firm Acquires Cybersecurity, MSP Software Companies

Private equity firm Thoma Bravo acquired Proofpoint for $12.3 billion in April 2021.

Thoma Bravo has been an active investor and buyer in the cybersecurity market. The company’s key investments include Barracuda Networks and Sophos, among many other firms.

The private equity firm also owns and/or has investments in MSP-centric technology platform providers such as ConnectWise and N-able (formerly SolarWinds MSP).

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.