Houlihan Lokey Advises Blume Global

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Blume Global (Blume), a multimodal supply chain orchestration platform that unites end-to-end visibility, supplier management, and logistics execution, has been acquired by WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC), a leading developer and provider of software solutions to the logistics execution industry globally, for $414 million. The transaction closed on April 3, 2023.

As the single source of truth for logistics data, Blume provides visibility throughout the value chain, from sourcing to delivery, allowing customers to use Blume solutions to navigate disruptions and create agile plans amid supply chain uncertainty. Blume has the most extensive network among logistics technology providers. The company’s direct connectivity to the ocean, air, rail, parcel, LTL, and truckload carriers combines with Blume’s solutions and 28 years of industry data to maximize transportation spend, improve customer service, and reduce carbon emissions for users. By developing technology that streamlines the logistics world, Blume is leading the industry in creating supply chain sustainability solutions, fighting climate change by eliminating significant carbon emissions in a world where most freight is transported using fossil fuels.

Blume has been a portfolio company of Apollo Global Management (Apollo) since 2019. Apollo is a global, high-growth alternative asset manager. Apollo seeks to provide its clients excess return at every point along the risk-reward spectrum from investment grade to private equity with a focus on three business strategies: yield, hybrid, and equity. For more than three decades, Apollo’s investing expertise across its fully integrated platform has served the financial return needs of its clients and provided businesses with innovative capital solutions for growth. As of December 31, 2022, Apollo had approximately $548 billion of assets under management.

WiseTech Global’s mission is to change the world by creating breakthrough products that enable and empower those that own and operate the supply chains of the world. The company’s customer base includes more than 18,000 of the world’s logistics companies across more than 170 countries, including 41 of the top 50 global third-party logistics providers and 24 of the 25 largest global freight forwarders worldwide. The acquisition further extends WiseTech Global’s capabilities, primarily by integrating rail into its landside logistics offering in North America.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Blume. This deal highlights Houlihan Lokey’s continued success as a leading advisor in the supply chain space.