BlackBerry is planning to spin off its Internet of Things (IoT) and cybersecurity business units, followed with a subsidiary initial public offering (IPO) for the IoT business during the next fiscal year.
The company reported its second-quarter results last week, posting IoT revenue of $49 million and cybersecurity revenue of $79 million out of a total $132 million.
BlackBerry said in May it would consider strategic options for its portfolio of businesses that could include the possible separation of one or more of its businesses.
The Board, together with its advisors, Morgan Stanley and Perella Weinberg Partners, has been evaluating a comprehensive range of strategic alternatives to drive enhanced shareholder value, including a possible separation of businesses and a range of potential sale structures.
Based on input from the current process and with the support of management, the Board has determined that separating the IoT and Cybersecurity business units into two independently-operated entities is the optimal strategic direction for BlackBerry.
The chief objective of the separation is to pursue a subsidiary initial public offering for the IoT business, the market leader for high-performance, safety-critical foundational software in automotive and other verticals, with a launch targeted in the first half of the next fiscal year.
BlackBerry believes that a separately-traded IoT subsidiary will enable shareholders to more clearly evaluate the performance and future potential of BlackBerry’s principal businesses on a standalone basis, while allowing each business to pursue its own distinct strategy and capital allocation policy.
Project Imperium objectives will continue to be pursued as the company launches activities to separate our principal businesses.
“The Board and management believe that separating our principal businesses will improve our ability to create value for all our stakeholders,” said John Chen , Executive Chair & CEO, BlackBerry.
“Both the IoT and Cyber businesses have leading technology and talent and address large and growing market opportunities. This new proposed structure will further increase both their operational agility and ability to focus on delivering exceptional solutions to their customers.”
