Tobii Dynavox enters into an agreement to acquire Link Assistive, gaining direct presence in Australia and New Zealand

Tobii Dynavox AB (publ) (“Tobii Dynavox”), the world leader in assistive communication, today has entered into an agreement to acquire all business activities and assets of its reselling partner Link Assistive Pty Ltd and Link Assistive New Zealand Limited (the “Transaction”). The Transaction brings Tobii Dynavox closer to its customers in the Australian and New Zealand markets, supporting people with disabilities to communicate more effectively. The Transaction is expected to be completed during the second half of 2024.
 
Background and reason for the acquisition
Link Assistive is the leading supplier of communication aid solutions and services to customers in Australia and New Zealand.  Link Assistive has grown over the past decade to currently 21 employees and is headquartered in Adelaide, Australia, with a local sales office in Perth and remotely operating staff in several other locations in Australia and New Zealand. Tobii Dynavox’s solutions comprise the majority of Link Assistive’s revenue, as the companies have a long-standing partnership. Link Assistive’s turnover in 2023 was over AU$8 million with an adjusted EBIT margin of 10%. Tobii Dynavox pays the seller AU$8 million in cash at closing, with a potential additional consideration after a period of two years. The seller and founder, Bas Tijdhof, will be the CEO of Tobii Dynavox Pty Ltd doing business as Link Assistive for a period of at least two years. After closing completion of the Transaction, approximately 40% of Link Assistive’s revenue and 100% of its profits will contribute to Tobii Dynavox’s consolidated result.

“I am delighted to welcome Link Assistive to the Tobii Dynavox family,” said Nils Normell, President, Tobii Dynavox, Europe & Rest of the World.  “Our collaboration over the past decade has been very strong and I am consistently impressed with the commitment and growth of the Link Assistive team.  Our recent reseller acquisitions in Irelandand Denmarkhave effectively supported more people who need communication aids.  As Australia is one of the strongest assistive communication markets, we will be positioned to realize the market potential and empower more people with a voice by collaborating more closely.”

“For many years Link Assistive and Tobii Dynavox have partnered in order to bring a voice to people in Australia and New Zealand,” said Bas Tijdhof, founder and CEO of Link Assistive.  “When I founded Link Assistive in 2008, my goal was to provide people with disabilities access to high quality communication devices.  A natural progression of this partnership is for Link Assistive to become part of the Tobii Dynavox family so that we can assist even more Australians and New Zealanders with outstanding service and high-quality assistive technologies.  I am excited to be part of the growing Tobii Dynavox global team that is committed to providing communication aids to those who need a voice.” 

Transaction details
The upfront consideration of AU$8 million will be paid in cash and financed with Tobii Dynavox’s own cash but mainly through an existing revolving credit facility. Additionally, a potential earn-out consideration of up to AU$5 million in cash may be paid to the seller based on the financial performance during a period of two years after completion of the Transaction. Completion of the Transaction is subject to relevant regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. Completion is expected to occur in the second half of 2024.
 
This information is inside information that Tobii Dynavox AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 07:30 CEST on May 13, 2024.