F5 Networks: Acquires Shape Security, for $1 Billion
- The acquisition will help F5 bolster its application protection services
- It’s the largest acquisition to date for Seattle-based F5, which paid $670M to buy popular web server technology NGINX
- NGINX is the commercial company behind the open-source web server of the same name
- Shape recently reached a $1B valuation after raising a $51M Series F round in September
- This deal expected to close in mid-2020, and is of course, subject to standard regulatory approval
- Upon closing Shape’s Smith also will join the F5 management team and Shape employees will folded into F5