Tag: Networks in Motion

Navigating a decent exit

Brenon Daly

Contact: Brenon Daly

When we last checked in with Networks In Motion (NiM) two weeks ago, we noted that the turn-by-turn navigation vendor had just been stepped on by the not-so-gentle giant, Google. As it turns out, NiM’s valuation got stepped on a bit, too. The Aliso Viejo, California-based company sold itself Tuesday to TeleCommunication Systems for $170m. Terms call for TeleCommunication to hand over $110m in cash and $20m in shares, along with a $40m note. Raymond James & Associates advised TeleCommunication Systems while Jefferies & Co advised NiM on the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of the month.

The offer values NiM at 2.3 times 2009 revenue and 1.7x the company’s projected sales for next year, according to our understanding. NiM’s expectation of $100m in sales in 2010, representing 33% growth, strikes us as a bit aggressive. The reason? Google has started giving away a turn-by-turn navigation product for select Android devices that run on Verizon Wireless, the only network on which NiM currently offers its service. Although the threat of Google completely wiping away NiM’s business is grossly overblown, we suspect that it did put some pressure on the price of the company. NiM’s early focus on feature phones gave competitors such as TeleNav an early lead on smartphones such as BlackBerry and Windows Mobile. According to one rumor, T-Mobile and NiM had been close to a deal earlier this year. Without the ‘Google overhang,’ we could imagine that NiM would be selling for quite a bit more than the $170m that TeleCommunication Systems is slated to pay.

That said, it’s actually a decent exit for seven-year-old NiM. Although it’s getting an admittedly so-so multiple for its business, the company is providing a solid return for its backers, largely because it didn’t raise much money. It drew in a total of less than $20m, with Mission Ventures and Redpoint Ventures as early NiM backers and Sutter Hill Ventures joining in the third – and last – round of NiM funding in March 2006. (There was also some money from unnamed strategic investors.) Unlike rival TeleNav, NiM was unlikely to go public because of concerns about competition from Google. (TeleNav, which put in its IPO paperwork a month ago, isn’t immediately threatened by Google because the latter’s service isn’t yet available on TeleNav’s networks, AT&T and Sprint.) A solid (if not spectacular) trade sale of NiM in the face of growing competition from Google isn’t a bad bit of navigation for the startup at all.

Navigating for relevance in a changing landscape

-Email Thomas Rasmussen

It’s becoming increasingly evident that once-dominant makers of personal navigation devices, such as Garmin and TomTom, have lost their way. They have seen billions of dollars in market capitalization erased as smartphone manufacturers have encroached on their sector, largely through M&A. Consider the most-recent example of this trend: Research in Motion’s acquisition of startup Dash Navigation earlier this month.

RIM’s buy is more of a catch-up move than anything else. Rival Nokia has already spent the last few years – and several billion dollars – acquiring and building a dominant presence in the location-based-services (LBS) market. And let’s not forget about the omnipresent Google. Starting with its tiny 2005 purchase of Where2, the search giant has quietly grown into a LBS powerhouse that we suspect keeps even the larger players up at night.

The Dash Navigation sale may well signal the start of some overdue consolidation, a trend we outlined last year. Specifically, we wonder about the continued independence of TeleNav, Telmap and Networks in Motion. TeleNav, for instance, is the exclusive mapping provider for the hyped Palm Pre through Sprint Navigation. But with the trend for open devices, we wonder how long that will be the case.

Mapping vendor Garmin searches for direction

In a time of increasing competition and decreasing margins, the once-soaring navigation companies seem to have lost their bearings. Former Wall Street darlings Garmin and TomTom both reported lackluster quarters last month. Although overall revenue at both companies is still solid, other lines on the P&L sheet have deteriorated – notably margins. Both companies are now trading near 52-week lows, down roughly 70% from their highs for the year. (Undoubtedly, Garmin will face some investor ire when the company holds its shareholder meeting on June 6.)

With fierce consolidation and price declines, the issue facing Garmin and others is how to differentiate themselves from the new entrants that range from conglomerates Nokia and Research in Motion to small startups such as Dash Navigation. (Looming over all of this is the phenomenal success of Apple’s iPhone.) We foresee 2008 being a year of further consolidation as Garmin continues to shop in an attempt to retain its competitive edge.

Garmin’s gross margins are down to less than 50% from 70% just a few years ago and are expected to decline to below 40% this year, according to CFO Kevin Rauckman. The new competitive environment has forced a steep decline in average selling price: the company’s personal navigation device sold for $500 just a few years ago, but now the gizmo goes for half that amount. Garmin has stated that it intends to stave off the price erosion by setting up its products as a premium brand, much like what Apple did with the iPod. In order to achieve this, Garmin has been looking to make acquisitions in the content segment and will launch its first mobile phone, the Nuvifone, which looks, sounds and works eerily similar to a GPS-enabled iPhone.

So which companies might be ripe for the taking? Aside from the expected distribution acquisitions such as Garmin’s rumored purchase of Raymarine, mapping, traffic and content provider startups such as Dash, Inrix and Networks in Motion offer the kind of technology that Garmin needs. Moreover, if Garmin is serious about branching into the complex mobile phone market, a case could easily be made for an acquisition of longtime partner Palm Inc. The struggling pioneer was reportedly in play last year, but instead opted to have Elevation Partners take a 25% stake in the firm. Palm’s valuation has since been cut in half; we believe the company could surely be had for cheap as investors are eager to recoup their losses. Debt-free Garmin is cash-rich with about $600m, plus another $550m in marketable securities. So financing acquisitions is not a big issue for the company. The real question is whether Garmin can navigate a margin-boosting plan into place before it plummets off a cliff.

Signs of a consolidating industry

Announced Acquirer Target Deal value
Oct. 1, 2007 Nokia Navteq $8.1bn
July 23, 2007 TomTom Tele Atlas $2.8bn

Source: The 451 M&A KnowledgeBase