Kubernetes-as-a-Service: SUSE buys Rancher Labs
SUSE announces the acquisition of Rancher Labs
An operation discussed since spring and which saw SUSE have to raise its offer to exceed that of competitors . The flagship solution proposed by Rancher Labs, called Kubernetes-as-a-Service and intended for the professional sector, has been downloaded over 100 million times (data updated in March) leading to a 169% increase in revenue in 2019 compared to the previous year. Clients include prominent names such as American Express, Comcast, Deutsche Bahn and Viasat. CEO Sheng Liang is not new to such maneuvers: in 2011 he sold Cloud.com to Citrix for over $ 200 million.The company was founded in 2014 in Cupertino, California and today to his LinkedIn profile he employs over 200 employees. Mayfield, Nexus Venture Partners, Telstra Ventures and other investors have so far funded the business with a total of approximately $ 95 million.
The magnitude of the economic investment put on the plate to finalize successfully the negotiation was not made known officially, but according to some sources believed to be aware of the deal the figure should be equal to at least $ 600 million. In march of last year, SUSE has passed under the control of Blitz , a subsidiary of EQT Partners , for a total of over 2,53 billion dollars. Its foundation dates back to 1992, in Germany, the work of three university students of mathematics: Roland Dyroff, Thomas Fehr, Burchard Steinbild and Hubert Mantel. In 2003 it passed into the hands of Novell for 210 million dollars.
Source: Rancher Labs
