Highlander Partners Announces the Acquisition of Black Sage Technologies, a Leading Provider of Counter-UAS Technology and Solutions
Black Sage represents the third investment made in connection with a newly formed division of Highlander that was established to pursue leading technologies in the C-UAS, UAS, and related defense industries
January 31, 2023 – Dallas, TX – Highlander Partners, L.P. (“Highlander”), a leading private investment firm, today announced the acquisition of Black Sage Technologies (“Black Sage” or “the Company”) from Acorn Growth Companies. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Boise, ID, Black Sage is an industry-leading multi-mission platform provider of Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“C-UAS” or “Counter-UAS”) and security solutions for military, internal security, and critical infrastructure industries.
The rise of drone activity has created an immediate need for sophisticated C-UAS systems and solutions to protect against threats to people and critical infrastructure. Black Sage has established itself as a leader in the C-UAS space with its proprietary, highly advanced, scalable open architecture DefenseOS command and control (“C2”) software. DefenseOS delivers leading automation capabilities, including AI/ML automated target recognition and threat evaluation, ISR functionality, electronic warfare, and kinetic and non-kinetic effectors. The Company operates as an integrator of over 40 cohesive sensor and effector systems. This capability facilitates an offering of highly configurable and hardware-agnostic systems that are customized to fit mission objectives and customer requisites. Such flexibility ensures that customers are able to address evolving UAS threats.
In 2022, Highlander formed High Point Aerotechnologies (“High Point”) as a division of Highlander to assist in civilian and military defense investments specifically related to the rapidly evolving C-UAS and UAS sectors. Highlander has quickly made significant progress with this initiative. Black Sage represents Highlander’s second focused C-UAS acquisition and complements the C-UAS platform that was established in late-2022 with Highlander’s acquisition of Liteye Systems. It is the third overall related investment, including the recent UAS acquisition of Dzyne Technologies. The assembled High Point team now consists of a variety of established leaders with backgrounds in defense, government, and technology, each of whom will assist Black Sage on tactical opportunities, government relations, regulatory and legislative matters, emerging technologies, and growth initiatives.
Al White, CEO of Black Sage commented, “The Black Sage executive team is excited to join forces with Highlander and High Point to continue our growth trajectory in the C-UAS, critical infrastructure, and security markets. The need for effective multi-mission C-UAS solutions is increasingly evident and we believe that Highlander will bring the necessary government and military relationships, industry experience, and long-term financial approach to accelerate our objectives in driving the business forward.”
Ben Slater, Partner and COO of Highlander, commented, “The acquisition of Black Sage marks Highlander’s third C-UAS/UAS acquisition since the formation of High Point in May 2022, reconfirming our strategy of targeting technology leaders in these high-growth, developing sectors. We are confident that Black Sage, with its highly advanced systems, will further our mission of creating world-class, cutting-edge solutions to aid in the defense of our armed forces, allies, and critical infrastructure. We are thrilled to partner with the entire Black Sage team.”
Jeff L. Hull, President and CEO of Highlander, added, “Black Sage has solidified a leadership role in the emerging C-UAS category. Its integrated solutions, driven by their highly advanced DefenseOS software, provide a differentiated solution to the market. We are highly impressed with the vision of the Black Sage team and look forward to working together to meet the large and growing need for effective counter-drone defense solutions.”
About Black Sage Technologies
Black Sage Technologies is a leading technology manufacturer and integrator of multi-mission C-UAS and security solutions that are designed to protect lives and critical infrastructure from threats around the world. The Company’s platforms are powered by an industry-leading, proprietary operating system, DefenseOS. This AI-driven, open architecture command and control software suite fuses layered sensor data and automates the C-UAS kill chain. Along with the integration of over 40 sensor and effector systems, Black Sage continues to deliver leading technologies and solutions to its customers. For more information, visit www.blacksagetech.com.
About Highlander Partners
Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with approximately $3 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience. Highlander Partners uses a buy and build investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow both organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com.
About High Point Aerotechnologies
High Point Aerotechnologies LLC is a division of Highlander Partners established specifically to pursue the rapidly evolving C-UAS, UAS, and defense industries. High Point’s objective is to become a recognized leader in its focus categories by acquiring preeminent technologies, companies, and talent. High Point is committed to supporting the defense of our nation against evolving threats and will remain mission-focused on developing needed capabilities for the U.S. and our allies. For more information, please visit www.highpointaerotech.com.