HWL Ebsworth helps Whispir make some noise by making its ASX debut

04 July 2019

HWL Ebsworth has acted for Whispir (ASX: WSP) on its recent initial public offering and ASX listing. The oversubscribed IPO raised $47 million via the issue of 29.4 million shares at $1.60 each, comprised of a primary raise of $27 million and a secondary sell down by existing shareholders of $20 million. Whispir commenced trading on ASX on 19 June 2019 with a market cap of $163 million.

Whispir is a leading SaaS communications workflow platform that enables organisations to deliver actionable two-way interactions at scale using automated multi-channel communication workflows. The industry-agnostic software platform is used by more than 500 customers across Australia and New Zealand, Asia and North America, including blue-chip companies such as Qantas, NAB, AGL, Telstra, Foxtel and Disney.

The HWL Ebsworth corporate team was led by Sam Dwyer (Partner) and Jeremy McCarthy (Partner) and assisted by Paul Lewis (Special Counsel), Kenneth Lee (Associate), Nick Sitch (Solicitor) and Kris Paltoglou (Graduate Lawyer). Matthew Craven (Partner), Tim Lee (Senior Associate) and Scott La Rocca (Senior Associate) provided technology law advice. Leon Gorr (Partner) has advised Whispir and its founders since its formation in 2001 and provided his support and wise counsel during the lead up to the IPO process and beyond.

Sam Dwyer commented: ‘It was a great thrill to be able to assist a Melbourne-founded business with a game-changing global technology offering take a significant step in its maturation.’ Leon Gorr added: ‘I am very proud of the achievements of Jeromy and his team to reach this key milestone for Whispir. We have supported Whispir since its formative years and appreciate our enduring relationship built on hard work, sacrifice, mutual respect and shared values.’

Jeromy Wells, Whispir’s CEO, Executive Director and Founder commented: ‘HWL Ebsworth have provided much more than the sound legal counsel we required to navigate a complex process; they provided the intellectual support we needed beyond a traditional advisory relationship. The HWL Ebsworth team took the time to do the work, to think deeply about the nuances of the various challenges we sought to overcome and work alongside us as true partners.’

Wilsons and Ord Minnett acted as joint lead managers and underwriters for the IPO. Ernst & Young acted as investigating accountant and Deloitte provided tax advice.

The Whispir IPO follows hot on the heels of HWL Ebsworth acting for Next Science on its successful IPO and ASX Listing in April 2019.

For further information, please contact:

Russell Mailler, National Marketing Manager (03) 8644 3569 or rmailler@hwle.com.au

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