PRESS RELEASE

BrightPay and Relate Software join forces to create an accounting & payroll software champion

The combined business will provide an integrated suite of cloud payroll and accounting software tools for accounting bureaus and small to mid-sized businesses in the UK and Ireland.

Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and London, United Kingdom. 28th September 2021. BrightPay, a leading provider of payroll and HR software solutions, and Relate Software (“Relate”), a champion in post-accounting, practice management and bookkeeping software, today announce that they have agreed to join forces to create a software champion serving payroll and accounting bureaus and SMEs across the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Paul Byrne, co-founder and CEO of BrightPay, and Ray Rogers, co-founder and CEO of Relate, will remain as significant investors in the combined business and will become co-CEOs. Ross Webster and Richie McMahon, also co-founders of BrightPay and Relate respectively, will also remain as investors and will continue to focus on developing the combined business’ best-in-class product suite.

Hg, a leading software and services investor with over two decades’ experience in growing tax & accounting technology businesses across Europe and North America, will become majority investor in the combined business.

The two complementary businesses will bring together their operational strengths and sector-leading products whilst, with the support of Hg, investing further in new cloud innovations to deliver increased automation, efficiency and value for their customers. The combined group will have over 190 employees and has plans to further grow headcount to continue providing best-in-class services and support for its payroll, accounting and SME customers across both the UK and Ireland.

Paul Byrne, founder and CEO of BrightPay, said: “We are delighted to be joining with Ray and his team at Relate. They have a proven track record in a sector we know well and, together, we will aim to be a leading solution for many businesses and accountancy firms. We are also delighted that Hg continues to support us. Their deep sector knowledge has proven invaluable to us and will be instrumental in fuelling the further growth of BrightPay/Relate.”

Ray Rogers, founder and CEO of Relate, said: “Combining products from both businesses will provide a compelling offering for our customers, with the scope and backing for further innovation and development. I’m looking forward to working with Paul and am also excited to welcome Hg, a leading software investor with a track record of supporting growth in Irish software businesses.”

Jonathan Boyes, Hector Guinness and Thomas Martin at Hg, said: “Both BrightPay and Relate are very highly regarded businesses and champions in their field. The two companies bring together core operational strengths whilst also unlocking a high-quality, complementary suite of products to a newly combined customer base. We’re proud to bring together this highly accomplished team. This is a sector and region we know deeply and we are excited for what we’ll all be able to achieve together.”

The terms of the transaction are not disclosed.  

Media Contacts:

Hg
Tom Eckersley
Tom.Eckersley@hgcapital.com
+44 208 148 5401

About BrightPay

BrightPay is a modern payroll and HR software for accounting and payroll bureaus and SMEs. It takes care of every aspect of running your payroll, from entering employee and payment details to creating payslips and sending RTI submissions. BrightPay has been designed from the ground up to be really simple, yet with no compromise on payroll features. It's priced fairly with no hidden costs and free support. Our products are in use by over 330,000 employers in the UK and Ireland. As a customer-focused company, we strive to look after each and every one of them. BrightPay is also known as Thesaurus Software, a company with over twenty years of industry experience in the UK and Ireland. For more information visit: https://www.brightpay.ie/

About Relate Software

Relate Software was formed in 2002 from the former management team of Apex Software. We have been building software for the accountancy profession for over 25 years. Relate is dedicated to building innovative and focused products specifically for the accountancy profession. Its offering includes Surf products, a modern, cloud native product suite of bookkeeping, post-accounting, and practice management software to accountancy bureaus and SMEs in the Republic of Ireland. Relate’s product suite also includes compliance, company secretary, personal and corporation tax, and enterprise payroll software. For more information visit: https://www.relate-software.com/

About Hg

Hg is a leading investor in software and services, focused on backing businesses that change how we all do business. Deep technology expertise, complemented by vertical application specialisation and dedicated operational support, provides a compelling proposition to management teams looking to scale their businesses. Hg has funds under management of over $37 billion, with an investment team of over 140 professionals, plus a portfolio team of more than 35 operators, providing practical support to help our businesses to realise their growth ambitions. Based in London, Munich and New York, Hg has a portfolio of over 35 software and technology businesses, worth around $70 billion aggregate enterprise value, with over 55,000 employees globally, growing at over 20% per year. Visit www.hgcapital.com for more information.

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