The McLean Group Advises Groundswell Consulting Group on Its Sale to CollabraLink
McLean, Va. – July 12, 2022 – The McLean Group is pleased to announce that it advised Groundswell Consulting Group on its sale to CollabraLink, a portfolio company of Washington Harbour Partners. Groundswell is a leading provider of Appian development and integration services to US federal agencies. The integrated company will assume the name Groundswell.
“We have been extremely impressed with the vision and leadership of the Groundswell team, and their relentless desire to bring modern solutions to critical government missions”, said Mina Faltas, Washington Harbour’s Managing Partner. “The combination of Groundswell and CollabraLink brings together two digital transformation leaders, now poised to make significant impacts for clients.”
CollabraLink specializes in deploying modern solutions to highly complex federal mission and administrative challenges. CollabraLink serves a wide array of civilian and national security agencies with its robust full stack, low code, data science, ERP, supply chain, and cloud practices.
The McLean Group is extremely excited for the Groundswell and CollabraLink teams. As leaders in the federal market they are positioned for significant growth in the low-code industry, providing customized enterprise platform solutions across markets. We look forward to the expansion of the combined firms across the federal space.
– Andy Smith, The McLean Group
The merger with Groundswell expands CollabraLink’s footprint through federal civilian and defense agencies, and solidifies CollabraLink as the largest, most accomplished Appian integrator in the public sector.
“Groundswell is a world-class Appian delivery firm, complete with some of the most innovative, cutting-edge intellectual property, and senior talent in the Appian ecosystem,” George Batsakis, CollabraLink Chief Executive Officer stated. “Together, we’ve formed a company that is focused on modernizing and transforming how the government delivers services through the application of next-generation technologies, expert talent, and modern, cloud- and platform-delivered applications and business models.”
“The Groundswell name reflects our commitment to bringing an unstoppable, seismic technology change to government.”
George Batsakis, Chief Executive Officer
Groundswell founders Blake Templeman, Eric Grinnalds and Justin Watts will continue with the firm as investors and operating executives.
“CollabraLink and Groundswell have a shared mission: to help government transform the way they deliver services,” said Blake Templeman. “We’re excited to expand our capabilities and continue the journey together.”
The adoption of the Groundswell brand is reflective of CollabraLink’s focus on modern, innovative ways to solve significant and complex federal challenges. “As CollabraLink and Telesto came together, and now as Groundswell joins the team, we have been re-thinking our brand,” said George Batsakis. “Certainly, the combination of these powerful capabilities under one roof is nothing short of a seismic change. So how do we best convey this power to the marketplace? We found the answer right under our nose. The Groundswell name reflects our commitment to bringing an unstoppable, seismic technology change to government. It’s a name of strength, of energy, and reflects the momentum and impacts that CollabraLink + Groundswell + Telesto will make as a combined team.”
The integrated Groundswell organization will remain headquartered in McLean, Virginia.
The McLean Group served as exclusive financial advisor to Groundswell Consulting Group. Holland & Knight and Whiteford Taylor Preston served as legal advisors to Washington Harbour Partners and Groundswell Consulting Group, respectively.
About Groundswell
Groundswell, previously CollabraLink Technologies LLC, is a premier technology integrator resolutely committed to solving the most complex challenges facing federal agencies today. We leverage our wealth of technology, capabilities, and expertise to help the government further its objectives and redefine what citizens can expect from digital government services. Our new name, Groundswell, represents our commitment to be an unstoppable, seismic change in government. For more information, visit www.gswell.com
About The McLean Group
For over 30 years, The McLean Group has been providing investment banking and financial services offerings focused on the Defense, Government & Intelligence (DGI), Security, Critical Infrastructure, Maritime, Facility Services, Unmanned Systems, and Public Safety markets. Our 60+ professionals bring deep industry experience and relentless execution to every client engagement. We provide solutions that blend financial creativity with operational expertise. Whether we are providing transaction advisory, valuation opinions, or growth capital, our services are unmatched in these core markets. Learn more at www.McLeanLLC.com.
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