Good day, and welcome to the Private Equity Pro newsletter. Private equity firms, always on the lookout for the silver lining of even the grimmest cloud, have seen the recent spate of ransomware attacks as a boon to the cybersecurity sector. Today, WSJ Pro PE’s Laura Cooper brings news of the latest deal in the space: Bain Capital and Crosspoint Capital linking up for a $900 million investment in ExtraHop Networks Inc., a company that provides services to defend against ransomware and other threats. Next, Laura Kreutzer reports that SoftBank Group Corp. is leading a $90 million funding round for Whatfix Inc., a software maker that has seen its valuation triple since its investment round last year.

Turning to investment in the booming construction sector, Luis Garcia reports that Granite Creek Capital Partners is backing tool-parts supplier Diamond Blade Warehouse LLC. Finally, WSJ’s Miriam Gottfried reports on Blackstone Group Inc.’s huge deal for data-center company QTS Realty Trust in a transaction valued at about $10 billion.

Now on to today’s news...

Bain Capital Private Equity is joining forces with emerging manager Crosspoint Capital Partners to acquire cybersecurity software provider ExtraHop Networks Inc., in a $900 million deal, Laura Cooper reports for WSJ Pro Private Equity. The deal follows a recent spate of high profile ransomware attacks, including two just last week.

SoftBank Group’s second Vision fund has led a $90 million funding round for enterprise software provider Whatfix Inc., as the Japanese conglomerate continues what has been an active investment year so far, WSJ Pro Private Equity’s Laura Kreutzer writes. The funding round values Whatfix, which helps businesses with digital-software adoption, at roughly $600 million.

Granite Creek Capital Partners joined forces with a seasoned manufacturing executive to acquire cutting-tool parts supplier Diamond Blade Warehouse LLC, hoping to capitalize on a boom in U.S. construction, Luis Garcia reports for WSJ Pro Private Equity. The Chicago firm invested nearly $14 million in exchange for a “very large” minority stake in Diamond Blade, said Peter Lehman, a Granite Creek co-founder and partner. Vernon Hills, Ill.-based Diamond Blade sells blades, core bits and cup wheels used to cut building materials like concrete, granite, tile and marble.

Blackstone Group Inc. has agreed to take private data-center investor QTS Realty Trust Inc. for $78 a share in cash, or about $6.7 billion, Miriam Gottfried reports for The Wall Street Journal. Including debt, the deal is valued at about $10 billion. The $78 offer represents a 21% premium to the REIT’s closing price on Friday and is backed by the Overland Park, Kan.-based company’s board of directors. Blackstone is investing through vehicles that include its infrastructure strategy and Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust Inc.

KKR & Co. has agreed to buy the Atlantic Aviation business of Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. for nearly $4.48 billion in cash, assumed debt and other obligations in a deal that provides Macquarie with about 16.2 times Atlantic’s 2019 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, according to a news release. Atlantic provides airport services to the private aviation industry in 69 locations around the U.S. KKR is investing through its global infrastructure investors and core investments strategies.

Platinum Equity is buying environmental services company Urbaser SA from China Tianying Inc. at an enterprise value of about $4.2 billion. The Madrid-based company cleans streets and parks and operates 133 waste treatment centers in communities across 25 countries. Urbaser had revenue of about $2.8 billion in its last fiscal year, according to a news release.

LLR Partners has invested in Archer, a technology-enabled service provider for the investment-management industry. The Berwyn, Pa.-based company provides a platform for middle and back offices, enabling investment managers to maximize operating efficiencies and position for growth. The new capital is expected to be earmarked to help grow its technology.

BGH Capital has offered 1.3 billion Australian dollars (or about $1.01 billion) to take private software provider Hansen Technologies Ltd., David Winning reports for Dow Jones Newswires. Hansen, which supplies energy, water and other industries with software, said BGH is offering A$6.50 a share in cash, representing a 25% premium to its closing share price on Friday in Sydney. Hansen shares climbed nearly 23% Monday to close at A6.35 a share.

Onex Corp. has agreed to acquire a majority stake in mental health company Monroe Operations LLC, which operates as Newport Healthcare and is based in Nashville, Tenn. The Toronto firm is investing in the company, alongside management, through its Onex Partners V strategy, Adriano Marchese reports for Dow Jones Newswires.

Oak Hill Capital has agreed to buy a majority stake in Technimark Holdings LLC, which designs and manufactures injection-molding components used across a range of industries. Oak Hill joins Pritzker Private Capital and Technimark management as an investor in the Asheboro, N.C.-based company.

Fortress Investment Group is buying a collection of real estate assets from Colony Capital for $535 million. The deal includes assets tied to more than 100 properties in the U.S. and Europe.

TCV, the former Technology Crossover Ventures, is leading a $394 million investment in identity-management company Trulioo Information Services Inc., giving the company a $1.75 billion valuation. Existing investors Amex Ventures, Citi Ventures, Blumberg Capital and Mouro Capital also participated in the Series D round.

Great Hill Partners is backing business software company eloomi A/S with a $55 million investment. The Danish company provides software as a service to human resources and personnel department managers.

Canadian pension investment manager Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has increased its stake in energy company Énergir through its Trencap LP portfolio company. CDPQ owns a nearly 65% stake in Trencap, which has acquired a nearly 40% stake in Noverco Inc., Énergir’s parent, from Enbridge Inc. in a $1.14 billion transaction. Énergir is the main distributor of natural gas in Québec and also operates wind-driven power generators in the province, according to a press release.

Family office North Sixth Group is investing in news distribution company News Direct Corp. The Norwalk, Conn., company offers software as a service to businesses seeking to distribute news releases.

One Rock Capital Partners has agreed to invest in electrical and technologies contractor ArchKey Solutions LLC, backing the St. Louis-based company alongside its management.

Ronin Equity Partners has acquired and combined Barron County Cheese, Red Apple Cheese and Cheese Brothers under David Toy, a former Sauer Brands Inc. executive, with Gene Graf, a co-founder of Barron and Cheese Brothers, a distribution company, serving as head of operations, according to an emailed news release.

Primavera Capital Group has agreed to buy the China business of infant formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. from Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, which took the company private in 2017. Reckitt will retain a royalty-free perpetual and exclusive license for the Mead Johnson brand in China following the deal.

Clarion Capital Partners is backing digital-marketing company Ad.net Inc., investing alongside Jon Waterman, its founder and chief executive, according to an emailed news release. The company is based in Los Angeles.

Our add-on deal interactive tool allows you to sort and analyze volumes of add-on deal data compiled by WSJ Pro. View more.

A blank-check company backed by Victory Park Capital has agreed to acquire and take public banking app maker Dave Inc. in a deal that gives it a pro forma fully diluted equity value of about $4 billion, Micah Maidenberg writes for The Wall Street Journal. The Victory Park-backed company notched revenue of about $122 million last year, according to a regulatory filing. Other investors in Dave Inc. include Norwest and Mark Cuban, the filing indicates. The deal with VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings III Inc. also includes a $210 million private placement and about $254 million raised by the special-purpose acquisition company’s initial public offering of shares in March.

Clearlake Capital Group-backed building access systems provider Janus International Group LLC has been taken public by special-purpose acquisition company Juniper Industrial Holdings Inc., culminating a $1.9 billion deal announced in late December. While Clearlake remains the largest investor in Janus, shares of the newly renamed Janus International Group Inc. will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange today under the JBI ticker.

General Atlantic-backed Clear Secure Inc. has registered for an initial public offering of shares, without saying how many shares it plans to sell or the expected price range, Stephen Nakrosis reports for Dow Jones Newswires. The New York-based provider of identity-verification technology also lists airline operators and Alclear Investments as backers.

Riverside Co.-backed Bike24 Holding AG plans an initial public offering of shares on the Frankfurt stock exchange, according to a news release. Riverside first backed the online bicycle shop in February 2015 through its Riverside Europe strategy and is expected to sell some of its shares in the offering.

Arlington Capital Partners has sold air-filtering technology provider Molecular Products Ltd. to the filtration group of Madison Industries Holdings LLC in Chicago. The Harlow, England-based company also has a plant in Louisville, Colo.

Industrial investor CapitalWorks has sold cash-machine services and maintenance provider Tecniflex LLC, which operates as Bancsource, to York Capital-backed Cennox Inc. Cleveland-based CapitalWorks acquired Bancsource in 2015.

Marlin Equity Partners has closed its latest buyout fund with €675 million (or about $822.7 million). The new fund, Marlin Heritage Europe II LP, is more than twice the size of its predecessor, according to the Los Angeles firm. Marlin manages more than $7.6 billion in capital.

Energy-focused Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners in Houston has hired Brian Chase as managing director to help expand its fundraising and investor-relations activities, according to a news release. An infrastructure veteran, Mr. Chase previously worked at BlackRock Inc., where he was a managing director in the alternative-solutions group.

Vestar Capital Partners has named Jane Larsen Wildman as a senior advisor focused on the beauty and personal-care sector. She was most recently president of Combe Inc., a family-owned personal care business.

Kinzie Capital Partners has hired Michael Eisinger as a vice president on its investment team. He was previously a director with Parallel49 Equity.

Hammond, Kennedy, Whitney & Co. has promoted Rick Ammar to principal. He joined the Indianapolis firm as a vice president last year.

Baird Capital has hired Rebecca Schlagenhauf as a vice president on its private-equity team focusing on the industrial and technology sectors, according to an emailed news release. She joins from Northwestern Mutual Capital.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s asset management arm is setting up a growth-equity investment group. J.P. Morgan Private Capital is led by Brian Carlin as chief executive and Rick Smith as chairman. The unit, which includes a private lending arm, sits within the bank’s J.P. Morgan Global Alternatives group.

SoftBank Group Corp.-backed construction startup Katerra Inc. sought bankruptcy protection in the U.S. after attempts to shore up its finances floundered, Phred Dvorak and Julie Steinberg write in The Wall Street Journal. On seeking bankruptcy Sunday, Katerra said its financial condition had deteriorated rapidly, partly because the company couldn’t get construction projects bonded or secure additional capital following the “unexpected bankruptcy filing of Katerra’s former lender,” which wasn’t named. SoftBank invested in the company through its Vision Fund.

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Ted Bunker; Laura Cooper; Chris Cumming; Luis Garcia; Laura Kreutzer; Preeti Singh; Chitra Vemuri.

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