Combi atio c eates a ew cybe secu ity powe house to delive a complete secu ity platfo m that p otects agai st AI-accele ated th eats a d data isks
MIAMI a d SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Va o is Systems, I c. (Nasdaq: VRNS) (“Va o is”), the data a d AI secu ity leade , a d P oofpoi t, I c. (“P oofpoi t”), a global leade i huma a d age t cybe secu ity, today a ou ced e t a ce i to a defi itive ag eeme t u de which Va o is will be acqui ed by P oofpoi t, a po tfolio compa y of Thoma B avo, i a all-cash t a sactio valued at app oximately $6.3 billio .
U de the te ms of the ag eeme t, Va o is sha eholde s will eceive $49.75 pe sha e i cash. This pu chase p ice ep ese ts a p emium of 52% to Va o is’ closi g stock p ice of $32.71 o Ju e 22, 2026, the last full t adi g day p io to i itial umo s about a pote tial sale of the Compa y, a d a p emium of 17% ove Va o is’ closi g stock p ice of $42.35 o Septembe 1, 2026, the last full t adi g day p io to additio al media epo ts speculati g about a pote tial sale of Va o is. The t a sactio values Va o is at app oximately 53x LTM F ee Cash Flow a d 8.4x LTM Reve ue.1
The combi ed compa y will se ve mo e tha 16,000 e te p ises a d millio s of o ga izatio s globally, c eati g o e of the wo ld’s leadi g pu e-play cybe secu ity compa ies a d establishi g the i dust y’s la gest data a d AI cybe secu ity o ga izatio . Togethe , the combi ed compa y i te ds to delive a u ified platfo m that helps o ga izatio s adopt AI with co fide ce: fi di g a d p otecti g se sitive data, co t olli g what people a d AI ca access, a d stoppi g data loss. Followi g closi g, P oofpoi t i te ds to move quickly to i teg ate the compa ies’ capabilities, alig go-to-ma ket effo ts, a d accele ate delive y of the combi ed platfo m to custome s.
“Today begi s a exciti g ew chapte fo Va o is a d ou custome s. It’s a testame t to the i c edible wo k of the Va o is team ove two decades,” said Yaki Faitelso , Va o is CEO, Co-Fou de a d Chai ma of the Boa d of Di ecto s. “Ou missio is to secu e AI a d the data that powe s it. By joi i g fo ces with P oofpoi t, we ca achieve this missio faste tha eve .”
Faitelso co ti ued, “This a ou ceme t follows a comp ehe sive evaluatio led by a committee of i depe de t membe s of ou Boa d of Di ecto s, which i cluded exte sive out each to a a ge of pote tial st ategic a d fi a cial buye s. This t a sactio is a excelle t outcome fo the compa y a d ou sha eholde s, ep ese ti g a ealizatio of immediate, sig ifica t, a d ce tai value well i excess of the isk-adjusted value of delive i g agai st ou sta dalo e pla .”
“As AI becomes embedded ac oss the e te p ise, the data it ca access dete mi es both its value a d its isk. AI age ts a e i c easi gly accessi g se sitive i fo matio a d taki g actio ac oss systems, maki g it c itical fo o ga izatio s to u de sta d ot o ly what data eeds p otecti g a d who ca access it, but how it is actually bei g used,” said Sumit Dhawa , CEO of P oofpoi t. “By co ecti g commu icatio s, ide tities, pe missio s, data, a d AI, we a e c eati g a i tellige ce adva tage that helps custome s see isk mo e clea ly, espo d faste , a d defe d agai st the ext ge e atio of AI isks. This is a defi i g step i P oofpoi t’s evolutio i to a cybe secu ity platfo m built fo the futu e of AI.”
The t a sactio , which has bee u a imously app oved by the Va o is Boa d of Di ecto s, is expected to close i the fi st half of 2027, subject to customa y closi g co ditio s, i cludi g app oval by Va o is sha eholde s a d eceipt of egulato y app ovals. Thoma B avo is p ovidi g committed equity fi a ci g, a d has secu ed debt fi a ci g commitme ts, to fu d the pu chase. O ta io Teache s’ Pe sio Pla has also ag eed to make a i vestme t i to P oofpoi t i co ectio with the t a sactio . U til the t a sactio closes, P oofpoi t a d Va o is will co ti ue to ope ate as sepa ate a d i depe de t compa ies. Upo completio of the t a sactio , Va o is’ commo stock will cease t adi g o the Nasdaq, a d Va o is will become a p ivate compa y.
Va o is will a ou ce its fi a cial esults fo the thi d qua te 2026 followi g the close of the U.S. fi a cial ma kets o Novembe 3. The ews elease will be available o the I vesto Relatio s sectio of the compa y’s website. I light of the a ou ced t a sactio , Va o is will ot co duct a ea i gs co fe e ce call.
Goldma Sachs & Co. LLC is acti g as exclusive fi a cial adviso a d Paul Hasti gs LLP is se vi g as legal cou sel to Va o is.
BofA Secu ities, I c., Mo ga Sta ley & Co. LLC, J.P. Mo ga Secu ities LLC, UBS Secu ities LLC, a d Mizuho Secu ities USA LLC a e se vi g as fi a cial adviso s, a d Ki kla d & Ellis LLP is se vi g as legal cou sel to P oofpoi t.
Va o is (Nasdaq: VRNS) secu es AI a d the data that powe s it. The Va o is platfo m gives o ga izatio s automated visibility a d co t ol ove thei c itical data whe eve it lives a d helps e su e safe a d t ustwo thy AI f om code to u time. Backed by 24x7x365 ma aged detectio a d espo se, Va o is gives thousa ds of o ga izatio s wo ldwide the co fide ce to adopt AI, educe data exposu e, a d stop AI-powe ed th eats.
P oofpoi t, I c. is a global leade i huma a d age t cybe secu ity, secu i g how people, data a d AI age ts co ect ac oss email, cloud a d collabo atio tools. P oofpoi t is a t usted pa t e to ove 80 of the Fo tu e 100, ove 14,000 la ge e te p ises, a d millio s of smalle o ga izatio s i stoppi g th eats, p eve ti g data loss, a d buildi g esilie ce ac oss people a d AI wo kflows. P oofpoi t’s collabo atio , data, a d AI secu ity platfo m helps o ga izatio s of all sizes p otect thei people, defe d thei data, a d adopt AI secu ely a d co fide tly. Lea mo e at www.p oofpoi t.com.
Co ect with P oofpoi t o Li kedI
P oofpoi t is a egiste ed t adema k o t ade ame of P oofpoi t, I c. i the U.S. a d/o othe cou t ies. All othe t adema ks co tai ed he ei a e the p ope ty of thei espective ow e s.
This commu icatio co tai s ot o ly histo ical i fo matio , but also fo wa d-looki g stateme ts made pu sua t to the safe-ha bo p ovisio s of the P ivate Secu ities Litigatio Refo m Act of 1995. These fo wa d-looki g stateme ts ep ese t Va o is Systems, I c.’s (the “Compa y”) expectatio s o beliefs co ce i g futu e eve ts, i cludi g the timi g of the p oposed t a sactio s co templated by the Ag eeme t a d Pla of Me ge , dated Octobe 15, 2026 (the “Me ge Ag eeme t”), by a d amo g the Compa y, P oofpoi t, I c. (“Pa e t”) a d Vail Me ge Sub, I c. (“Me ge Sub”) a d othe i fo matio elati g to the p oposed t a sactio s co templated by the Me ge Ag eeme t (the “T a sactio ”). Fo wa d-looki g stateme ts i clude i fo matio co ce i g possible o assumed futu e esults of ope atio s of the Compa y, the expected completio a d timi g of the p oposed T a sactio a d othe i fo matio elati g to the p oposed T a sactio . Without limiti g the fo egoi g, the wo ds “believes,” “a ticipates,” “pla s,” “expects,” “i te ds,” “fo ecasts,” “should,” “estimates,” “co template,” “futu e,” “goal,” “pote tial,” “p edict,” “p oject,” “p ojectio ,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “assumi g” a d simila exp essio s a e i te ded to ide tify fo wa d-looki g stateme ts. Howeve , the abse ce of these wo ds does ot mea that the stateme ts a e ot fo wa d-looki g. Whe e, i a y fo wa d-looki g stateme t, the Compa y exp esses a expectatio o belief as to futu e esults, such expectatio o belief is exp essed i good faith a d believed to be easo able at the time such fo wa d-looki g stateme t is made. Howeve , these stateme ts a e ot gua a tees of futu e pe fo ma ce a d i volve ce tai isks, u ce tai ties a d othe facto s beyo d the Compa y’s co t ol. The efo e, actual outcomes a d esults may diffe mate ially f om what is exp essed o fo ecast i the fo wa d-looki g stateme ts. The followi g impo ta t facto s a d u ce tai ties, amo g othe s, could cause actual esults to diffe mate ially f om those desc ibed i the fo wa d-looki g stateme ts: (i) the isk that the T a sactio may ot be completed i a timely ma e o at all, which may adve sely affect the Compa y’s busi ess a d the p ice of the commo stock of the Compa y, (ii) the failu e to satisfy the co ditio s to the co summatio of the T a sactio , i cludi g the adoptio of the Me ge Ag eeme t by the stockholde s of the Compa y a d the eceipt of egulato y app ovals f om va ious gove me tal e tities (i cludi g a y co ditio s, limitatio s o est ictio s placed o these app ovals) a d the isk that o e o mo e gove me tal e tities may de y app oval, (iii) the occu e ce of a y eve t, cha ge o othe ci cumsta ce that could give ise to the te mi atio of the Me ge Ag eeme t, (iv) the isk that the Me ge Ag eeme t may be te mi ated i ci cumsta ces that equi e the Compa y to pay a te mi atio fee; (v) the effect of the a ou ceme t o pe de cy of the T a sactio o the Compa y’s busi ess elatio ships, ope ati g esults a d busi ess ge e ally, i cludi g the Compa y’s ability to att act, i teg ate, develop, ma age, etai a d motivate qualified employees a d se io leade s as a esult of such effects, (vi) isks that the p oposed T a sactio dis upts cu e t pla s a d ope atio s, (vii) isks elated to dive ti g ma ageme t’s atte tio f om the Compa y’s o goi g busi ess ope atio s, (viii) the outcome of a y legal p oceedi gs that may be i stituted agai st the Compa y elated to the Me ge Ag eeme t o the T a sactio , (ix) u expected costs, cha ges o expe ses esulti g f om the p oposed T a sactio , (x) the ability to obtai the ecessa y fi a ci g a a geme ts set fo th i the commitme t lette s eceived i co ectio with the p oposed T a sactio ; (xi) the impact of adve se mac oeco omic o labo ma ket co ditio s, i cludi g the impacts of i flatio a d effects of geopolitical i stability, (xii) isks caused by delays i uptu s o dow tu s bei g eflected i the Compa y’s fi a cial positio a d esults of ope atio s, (xiii) u ce tai ty as to timi g of completio of the p oposed T a sactio , a d (xiv) othe facto s desc ibed u de the headi g “Risk Facto s” i the Compa y’s A ual Repo t o Fo m 10-K fo the yea e ded Decembe 31, 2025, the Compa y’s subseque t Qua te ly Repo ts o Fo m 10-Q, a d i othe epo ts a d fili gs with the SEC. Fo wa d-looki g stateme ts speak o ly as of the date of this commu icatio o the date of a y docume t i co po ated by efe e ce i this docume t. The Compa y cautio s you that the impo ta t facto s efe e ced above may ot co tai all of the facto s that a e impo ta t to you. I additio , the Compa y ca ot assu e you that the Compa y will ealize the esults o developme ts expected o a ticipated o , eve if substa tially ealized, that they will esult i the co seque ces o affect the Compa y o the Compa y’s ope atio s i the way the Compa y expects. The fo wa d-looki g stateme ts i cluded i this commu icatio a e made o ly as of the date he eof. Except as equi ed by applicable law o egulatio , the Compa y does ot u de take to update o evise a y fo wa d-looki g stateme ts, whethe as a esult of ew i fo matio , futu e eve ts o othe wise.
This p ess elease i cludes LTM F ee Cash Flow, a o -GAAP measu e, which is calculated as et cash p ovided by ope ati g activities less pu chases of p ope ty a d equipme t a d capitalized i te al-use softwa e, a d is p ese ted fo the 12 mo ths e ded Ju e 30, 2026. Please efe to “Reco ciliatio of GAAP Measu es to o -GAAP Measu es” set fo th i Va o is’ ea i gs eleases fu ished to the SEC o Fo m 8-K fo eco ciliatio s of f ee cash flow to et cash p ovided by ope ati g activities fo the 12 mo ths e ded Decembe 31, 2025 a d the six mo ths e ded Ju e 30, 2026.
This commu icatio is bei g made i espect of the p oposed T a sactio i volvi g the Compa y, Pa e t, a d Me ge Sub. The Compa y expects to seek a d i te ds to file with the SEC a p oxy stateme t a d othe eleva t docume ts i co ectio with a special meeti g of the Compa y’s stockholde s fo pu poses of obtai i g stockholde app oval of the p oposed T a sactio . The Compa y may also file othe eleva t docume ts with the SEC ega di g the p oposed T a sactio . This commu icatio is ot a substitute fo the p oxy stateme t o a y othe docume t that the Compa y may file with the SEC. The defi itive p oxy stateme t (whe available) will be se t o give to the stockholde s of the Compa y a d will co tai impo ta t i fo matio about the p oposed T a sactio a d elated matte s. INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT MAY BE FILED WITH THE SEC BY THE COMPANY, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. I vesto s will be able to obtai a f ee copy of the p oxy stateme t a d othe docume ts co tai i g impo ta t i fo matio about the Compa y a d the p oposed T a sactio , o ce such docume ts a e filed by the Compa y with the SEC at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov o f om the Compa y at its website at https://i .va o is.com.
The Compa y, a d ce tai of its di ecto s a d executive office s, may be deemed to be pa ticipa ts i the solicitatio of p oxies i co ectio with the p oposed T a sactio . I fo matio about the Compa y’s di ecto s a d executive office s is set fo th i (i) the Compa y’s A ual Repo t o Fo m 10-K fo the fiscal yea e ded Decembe 31, 2025, i cludi g u de the headi gs “Item 10. Di ecto s, Executive Office s a d Co po ate Gove a ce”, “Item 11. Executive Compe satio ”, “Item 12. Secu ity Ow e ship of Ce tai Be eficial Ow e s a d Ma ageme t a d Related Stockholde Matte s” a d “Item 13. Ce tai Relatio ships a d Related T a sactio s, a d Di ecto I depe de ce”, which was filed with the SEC o Feb ua y 4, 2026, (ii) the Compa y’s Defi itive P oxy Stateme t fo its 2026 a ual meeti g of stockholde s, which was filed with the SEC o Ap il 17, 2026, u de the headi gs “I fo matio Rega di g the Boa d of Di ecto s a d Co po ate Gove a ce”, “Di ecto Compe satio ”, “Executive Office s”, “Compe satio Discussio a d A alysis”, “Executive Compe satio ”, “Secu ity Ow e ship of Ce tai Be eficial Ow e s a d Ma ageme t”, a d “T a sactio s with Related Pe so s”, (iii) i the suppleme tal i fo matio ega di g the pa ticipa ts’ holdi gs of Compa y secu ities that ca be fou d i SEC fili gs o Stateme ts of Cha ge i Ow e ship o Fo m 4 filed with the SEC o Ju e 2, 2026 (available he e) fo Dov Gottlieb; o May 22, 2026 (available he e) fo Guy Melamed; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Ca los Aued; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Kevi Comolli; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Joh J. Gavi , J .; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Gili Ioha ; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Av ohom J. Kess; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Ohad Ko kus; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Thomas Me doza; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Rachel P ishkol ik; o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo Ofe Segev; a d o May 1, 2026 (available he e) fo F ed va de Bosch, (iv) the Compa y’s Cu e t Repo ts o Fo m 8-K, which we e filed o Ap il 28, 2026, Ju e 2, 2026 a d July 28, 2026, (v) the Compa y’s Qua te ly Repo ts o Fo m 10-Q which we e filed o Ap il 29, 2026 a d July 29, 2026, a d (vi) i subseque tly filed Stateme ts of Cha ge i Ow e ship o Fo m 4, Cu e t Repo ts o Fo m 8-K a d Qua te ly Repo ts o Fo m 10-Q. Othe i fo matio ega di g the pa ticipa ts i the solicitatio a d a desc iptio of thei di ect a d i di ect i te ests, by secu ity holdi gs o othe wise, will be set fo th i the Compa y’s defi itive p oxy stateme t a d othe eleva t mate ials to be filed with the SEC ega di g the p oposed T a sactio whe such mate ials become available. I vesto s should ead the p oxy stateme t ca efully whe it becomes available. Copies of the docume ts filed with the SEC by the Compa y will be available f ee of cha ge th ough the website mai tai ed by the SEC at sec.gov a d the Compa y’s website at https://i .va o is.com.
No pe so has comme ced soliciti g p oxies i co ectio with the p oposed T a sactio efe e ced i this commu icatio , a d this commu icatio is eithe a offe to pu chase o a solicitatio of a offe to sell secu ities.
1 T a sactio multiples a e calculated as E te p ise Value / LTM Reve ue a d Ma ket Capitalizatio / LTM F ee Cash Flow as of Ju e 30, 2026.
