Broadband provider Glide, which specialises in getting student accommodation and house sharers online, has been acquired by a US infrastructure investor.
Clevedon-based Glide designs, installs and manages fibre networks required for broadband connectivity together with other critical products and services. 
Its sale to Alinda Capital follows a six-year period of transformational growth since private equity firm Inflexion invested in it. At the time the firm was known as named as CableCom.
The firm was founded as a cabling business in 1993 by local businessman Chris Elliott. But under a change of management it decided to re-focus from the short-term nature of cabling installation to the prized area of managed services.
It has since become the clear UK market leader through a focus on technical excellence, high levels of customer service and by maintaining strong partnerships with investors in the student accommodation sector, such as Unite and UPP, and partner providers including Sky.
As a result, it has reached 100,000 premises and around 250,000 customers, mainly in high-density accommodation and urban edge business parks.
Glide chief executive Tim Pilcher said: “Inflexion has been a vital part of our success as we have significantly transformed and grown our business. Their strong experience in the technology and telecoms sector has been invaluable as we have expanded our network, enhanced our capacity and improved our services.
“With Inflexion’s support we were able to successfully complete two transformational strategic acquisitions, making Glide a national leader in our target markets. We look forward to continuing building on this success with our new partners.”
Inflexion managing partner Simon Turner added: “That Glide attracted strong interest at this time is vindication of its position as a robust leader in its field. Its transformation through the strategic merger and acquisition we supported has given it a very strong and defensible position, making it well placed to continue to grow further with its new backers.” 
Glide’s management team was advised by lawyers in the Bristol office of international legal practice Osborne Clarke.
The team was led by partners Mike Freer, pictured, and Mark Spinner, supported by Busayo Yusuff (private equity), Claire Bowles and Isobel Turner (both employment).
Tim Pilcher added: “We were thrilled with the outcome of the transaction. Mike and Mark provided great, pragmatic advice, using their experience to focus on the issues that really mattered to me and my team. It was an absolute pleasure working with the whole Osborne Clarke team throughout the process.”
