Update: It's been confirmed that Corsair has sold a large portion of the company to private equity firm EagleTree Capital as they see potential in the growing esports market. CEO and founder Andy Paul will remain at the helm of the company and maintain a sizable equity stake according to Corsair's press release.
Corsair was founded in 1994 primarily as a provider of computer memory (RAM). They've since expanded to become a popular manufacturer of computer parts and peripherals including solid state storage, power supplies, cases, and other accessories like keyboards, mice and cooling solutions. Most recently they started selling pre-built systems as well.
Private equity firm EagleTree Capital is reportedly in advanced discussions to purchase PC component and gaming accessory maker Corsair Components for north of $500 million. Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported on the development late last week. Surprisingly enough, the news has seemingly flown under the radar as virtually nobody else is discussing it.
Both Corsair and EagleTree declined to comment, the publication said.
Founded in 1994, Corsair is a well-known name in the computer enthusiast industry. The company initially focused on development of Level 2 cache modules but shifted gears to focus on DRAM modules when Intel integrated L2 cache in its Pentium Pro processor family. In 2002, the company started marketing its goods to PC enthusiasts which it has been doing ever since.
Like rival OCZ, Corsair eventually expanded its product lines to include things like cases, flash drives, power supplies, cooling solutions, input devices, storage drives, headsets and more.
Another competitor, Razer, has arguably found even more success serving gamers and plans to go public later this year with a valuation of more than $3 billion according to Reuters.
Sources say EagleTree is getting financial backing for the deal from Goldman Sachs, Societe Generale, Macquarie Group and BNP Paribas to the tune of around $330 million.
