DocuSign continues agreement cloud expansion with Liveoak Technologies acquisition

Rhea-AI Summary

DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU) has acquired Austin-based Liveoak Technologies for $38 million in an all-stock transaction. This move aims to enhance DocuSign's offerings, particularly the launch of DocuSign Notary, a remote online notarization product leveraging Liveoak's technology. The integration will allow notarized transactions via video, catering to the growing demand for remote solutions, especially amid the pandemic. Liveoak's secure platform and existing partnership with DocuSign are expected to accelerate the development of new functionalities within the DocuSign Agreement Cloud.

Positive

• Acquisition of Liveoak Technologies for $38 million enhances DocuSign's product suite.
• Introduction of DocuSign Notary improves service offerings for remote online notarization.
• Existing partnership with Liveoak allows for smoother integration of technologies.

Negative

• Integration challenges may arise post-acquisition.
• Transaction costs associated with the acquisition could impact near-term financial performance.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid increasing demand for solutions that enable the remote completion of agreements that traditionally required in-person contact, DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU) today announced its acquisition of Austin-based startup, Liveoak Technologies, for $38 million in an all-stock transaction.

The news builds on the companies' existing partnership, where DocuSign eSignature is integrated with Liveoak's secure agreement-collaboration platform. Liveoak uses web-based videoconferencing, rich collaboration features, identity verification and other tools to help complete an auditable transaction remotely—and it counts some of the world's largest financial institutions as customers.

DocuSign plans to leverage Liveoak's technology and expertise to accelerate the launch of DocuSign Notary, a new product in the Agreement Cloud suite that focuses on remote online notarization (RON)—where audio-visual technology is used to complete a notarial act when the signers and the notary public are in different places.

Slated for early-access availability later this summer, DocuSign Notary will enable notarized transactions via video—something increasingly supported by U.S. states' legislatures and executive orders. DocuSign Notary will also augment the company's existing eNotary offering, which enables a notary public to act as an in-person witness to the electronic signing of documents.

As part of today's news, DocuSign will continue to offer Liveoak's platform for remotely completing other "assisted agreements"—such as account openings or virtual inspections—that require in-person facilitation and an audit trail.

"DocuSign is practically synonymous with the electronic completion of agreements from almost anywhere, on almost any device," said DocuSign COO, Scott Olrich. "But there is an important class of high-value agreements that require the live participation of a notary or other representative. With this acquisition, we intend to bring the DocuSign experience to those agreements too—so signers and those assisting can get business done no matter where they are."

"Given the state of technology today, people often wonder why they still need to sign any document in-person—and the pandemic has only exacerbated this concern," said Liveoak CEO, Tim Ramza. "We've been working to solve this very issue for years, and we've had a strong partnership with DocuSign as a result. By joining forces and fully integrating our solutions now, we can bring the ease and simplicity of DocuSign to the execution of notarized and other complex assisted agreements."

For more information, visit docusign.com or liveoak.net.

Media Relations:
Adrian Wainwright
Head of Communications
media@docusign.com 

Investor Relations:
Annie Leschin
VP Investor Relations
investors@docusign.com 

About DocuSign
DocuSign helps organizations connect and automate how they prepare, sign, act on, and manage agreements. As part of the DocuSign Agreement Cloud, DocuSign offers eSignature: the world's #1 way to sign electronically on practically any device, from almost anywhere, at any time. Today, more than 500,000 customers and hundreds of millions of users in over 180 countries use DocuSign to accelerate the process of doing business and to simplify people's lives.

For more information, visit www.docusign.com

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements related to DocuSign, Liveoak and the acquisition that are based on our management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. These statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as "will," "expects," "believes," or "continue" or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, among other things, statements about the potential benefits of the transaction, our ability to develop our Agreement Cloud platform and deliver product innovation, new products and potential market opportunities, and the timing for the expected closing of the transaction. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to our ability to consummate the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all, including due to the satisfaction of the conditions to closing; our ability to successfully integrate Liveoak's products, technologies and operations; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, including the possibility that those benefits will not be realized when anticipated, or at all; the negative effects of the announcement or the consummation of the proposed transaction on the market price of our common stock or on our operating results; significant transaction costs; and unknown liabilities.

Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect our financial results are included in the sections titled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2020 filed on June 5, 2020 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), and other filings that we make from time to time with the SEC. In addition, any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of this date. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons if actual results differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE DocuSign, Inc.

FAQ

What is the purpose of DocuSign's acquisition of Liveoak Technologies?

The acquisition aims to enhance DocuSign's solutions by integrating Liveoak's technology, particularly to accelerate the launch of DocuSign Notary.

How much did DocuSign pay for Liveoak Technologies?

DocuSign acquired Liveoak Technologies for $38 million in an all-stock transaction.

What is DocuSign Notary?

DocuSign Notary is a new product focused on remote online notarization, enabling notarized transactions via video.

When will DocuSign Notary be available?

DocuSign Notary is slated for early-access availability later in the summer of 2020.

What impact does the acquisition have on DocuSign's Agreement Cloud?

The acquisition expands the capabilities of the Agreement Cloud by allowing remote notarization and other assisted agreements.