Software Combined buys back government hiring platform Acendre in 14th deal
What's the deal? Sydney-based software aggregator Software CombinedDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired AcendreDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, an Australian-founded government recruitment and onboarding platform, from US owner HireRoadDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Financial terms were not disclosed. It is Software Combined's 14th acquisition since 2020.
Why now? HireRoad is offloading its Australian and New Zealand arm to refocus on North America. Software Combined says the deal returns Acendre to Australian ownership, 25 years after it was founded.
What does Acendre do? Its cloud-based platform handles recruitment and onboarding for federal, state, and local government agencies, plus utilities, resources firms, and other employers where hiring must be compliant and auditable. It serves more than 400,000 users and processes nearly two million resumes and hires a year.
Who stays? Acendre Group chief executive Liam Ackland and the existing team remain. Software Combined buys and holds profitable B2B software businesses without integrating or selling them, letting each keep its own leadership and brand.
The backstory: Founded in Australia in 1997, Acendre moved into US hands in 2018 when private equity firm Strattam CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → took a majority stake. The company rebranded as HireRoad in February 2022 but still markets the platform as Acendre Recruit.
What's the strategic rationale? Software Combined argues government and regulated-industry hiring demands secure infrastructure and specific compliance workflows, creating high barriers to entry. As AI reshapes recruitment, it says agencies need platforms that innovate "without routing sensitive hiring data offshore or compromising auditable hiring standards."
What did they say? "More than half of Australia's Commonwealth agencies have chosen to run on Acendre," said Software Combined chief executive and co-founder Evert den Hollander. "We're glad to be their permanent home."
Ackland said cultural fit mattered most as Acendre weighed its next chapter. "One of our team described the transition as 'we're coming home'. They were right."
The signal: Software Combined, backed by private equity group Navis Capital PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → since 2022, is building a hold-forever portfolio spanning Australia, New Zealand, and the Benelux. The deal reflects a broader pull toward data sovereignty, as governments favour vendors that keep sensitive information onshore.
Read more: businessnewsaustralia.com
Image credit: Matt Moloney
