Constellation Software

Canadian-based Constellation Applications develops a wide variety of applications. It has its headquarters in Toronto, Canada, is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and makes up a portion of the S&P/TSX 60 index. Mark Leonard, a former venture entrepreneur, established the firm in 1996.It has had 25,000 employees across six different business segments since going public in 2006.

The company's objective is to buy up software development shops and keep them in the family for the foreseeable future. Since its inception, the company has purchased approximately 500 other firms.The emphasis here is on "vertical market" (or industry-specific) software developers, as opposed to "horizontal" (or cross-industry) software developers. It has hinted that it may pursue larger purchases in the future, but for the most part, its acquisitions are minor (for less than $5 million). In January 2018, for instance, Constellation paid $250 million to buy Acceo Solutions, making it the company's second-largest purchase to date.

Founded: 1995
Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Website: https://www.csisoftware.com/