Tyler Born

Willkie represented Turnspire Capital Partners LLC in its acquisition of Swanson Industries, a premier provider of manufacturing, remanufacturing, repair, and distribution services of mining equipment, hydraulic cylinders, and related industrial equipment. The transaction includes Swanson’s controlling stake in Tiefenbach North America, a supplier of highly engineered hydraulic controls and hose assemblies for mining, energy, and industrial applications. The Willkie team was led by partners Claire James and Tyler Born and included associates Nidhi Modani, Johana Borjas-Pavon and Jordan Oh.

Jun 11

1 min

Willkie advised NanoString Technologies, Inc., a publicly traded company and leading provider of life science tools for discovery and translational research, in connection with its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and related sale of its assets to Bruker Corporation, a global life science analytical instrument company, for approximately $392.6 million. On April 17, NanoString announced that Bruker Corporation was selected as the winning bidder in a court-supervised competitive auction process and will acquire substantially all of NanoString’s assets for a cash payment of approximately $392.6 million. The transaction was approved by the bankruptcy court on April 19. NanoString initially entered a stalking horse asset purchase agreement with Patient Square Capital for $220 million, which has now been terminated. NanoString initiated the Chapter 11 restructuring proceeding with support from key creditors on February 4 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company filed for bankruptcy protection following an unfavorable outcome in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by a competitor. The Willkie bankruptcy team is led by partners Rachel Strickland and Debra Sinclair and the corporate team advising on the asset sale is led by partners Thomas Mark and Tyler Born.

Apr 22

1 min

Willkie is advising NanoString Technologies, Inc., a publicly traded company and leading provider of life science tools for discovery and translational research, in connection with its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and related sale of its assets to Patient Square Capital. On March 10, NanoString announced that it entered into a stalking horse asset purchase agreement with Patient Square Capital to acquire substantially all of its assets for a cash payment of $220 million. NanoString initiated the Chapter 11 restructuring proceeding on February 4 with support from key creditors. The company filed for bankruptcy protection following an unfavorable outcome in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by a competitor. The Willkie bankruptcy team is led by partners Rachel Strickland and Debra Sinclair and the corporate team advising on the sale of assets to Patient Square is led by partners Thomas Mark and Tyler Born.

Mar 12

1 min

On December 19, it was announced that Willkie client iCON Infrastructure Partners VI, L.P., a fund advised by iCON Infrastructure LLP, entered into a partnership with Royal Caribbean Group to develop strategic cruise port infrastructure in support of Royal Caribbean Group's growth plans. The partnership will be owned 90% by iCON VI and 10% by Royal Caribbean Group. It will be managed by an independent management team with strategic support from Royal Caribbean Group. Both parties have committed to provide funding for future expansion in accordance with their percentage interest. At closing (anticipated for the first quarter of 2023), Royal Caribbean Group expects to receive net cash proceeds of approximately $210 million. The new partnership will initially include PortMiami Terminal A, and several development projects in Italy, Spain and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The partnership will also pursue additional port infrastructure developments based on the robust pipeline of projects as part of Royal Caribbean Group's destination development strategy. iCON VI, iCON’s latest flagship fund, closed fundraising in June 2022 with $3.6 billion of capital committed. iCON is a leading independent investment group focused on investing in high-quality infrastructure assets located predominantly in North America and Europe, with extensive experience investing in ports and port-related infrastructure. The Willkie team was led by partners Claire James, Russell Leaf and Gavin Gordon and included associates Brittany Klinger, Tyler Born and William Buchanan.

Dec 19

1 min

Willkie is representing Accedian, a portfolio company of firm client Bridge Growth Partners, LLC, specializing in performance analytics and end-user experience solutions, in its sale to Cisco. Bridge Growth Partners, a leading technology investment firm, announced on June 21 that it signed a definitive agreement to sell Accedian to Cisco, a worldwide technology leader. Bridge Growth Partners acquired Accedian in 2017 and helped it develop into a leading provider of network and application performance monitoring solutions primarily used by telecommunications companies. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of Cisco’s fiscal year 2024, which begins July 30, 2023, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The Willkie team is led by partners Adam Turteltaub and Howard Block and includes associates Tyler Born and Jacqueline Foley and law clerks Rachel Hankers and Nayanika Ruia.

Jun 22

1 min