Corsair Gaming was founded as Corsair Microsystems in 1994 originally selling cache modules before switching to DRAM after the incorporation of L2 cache in processors, since then Corsair has continued to expand its product lineup now offering a wide range of PC components and peripherals. In 2017 private equity firm EagleTree Capital acquired a majority stake of the company in a deal valued at $525 million. In recent years Corsair has been acquiring various gaming brands such as Elgato, ORIGIN PC, and SCUF Gaming, these acquisitions have likely left the company with significant loans to repay.

Corsair Gaming has recently filed an initial public offering with a target price of $100 million and will be treated as an emerging growth company. The company intends to list on the Nasdaq under the CRSR symbol. The IPO filing offers some insight into the financial position of Corsair however, many exact dollar values have been withheld in the public filing. Corsair Gaming has sold over 190 million products since 1998 with 85 million of those being sold in the last five years.

CORSAIR, a world leader in high-performance PC components, gaming peripherals, and enthusiast memory, announced today that EagleTree Capital ("EagleTree"), formerly Wasserstein Partners, has reached a definitive agreement in partnership with current management to acquire a majority stake in CORSAIR from Francisco Partners and several minority shareholders. As part of the transaction, CORSAIR founder and Chief Executive Officer Andy Paul will maintain a sizable equity stake in the Company and continue in his role as CEO. IMCO (Investment Management Corporation of Ontario) and the Honeywell pension are also co-investing alongside EagleTree, which is acting on behalf of its private equity fund EagleTree Partners IV.

Founded in 1994, CORSAIR has grown from a single performance memory product line into a leading global provider of high performance branded computer products, including memory, components, peripherals, and complete systems. The company's diverse portfolio of premium PC gaming products serves the high-growth PC gamer market, and the products are available through distributors and retailers in over sixty countries worldwide.

"We are excited about the opportunity to partner with EagleTree and leverage the team's consumer products expertise to further accelerate our progress," said Andy Paul, Founder and CEO of CORSAIR. "We are very fortunate to have attracted such experienced investment partners. EagleTree's backing will allow us to continue to focus first and foremost on our loyal and passionate customers, and accelerate our investment in innovation and new technology and products to enhance the quality experience that enthusiasts and gamers have come to expect from us."

News agency Reuters recently reported that hardware giant Corsair was in talks with middle market private equity firm EagleTree Capital for acquisition of the company in its entirety. The deal was reported by Reuters as being valued at close to $500 million. Part of the Corsair brand is, and continues to be, owned by Corsair founder and Chief Executive Andy Paul, who founded the company in 1994. Another part of it, however, is currently owned by Francisco Partners, an American private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in technology and technology-enabled services. In 2013, Francisco Partners made a $75 million investment in the company, after Corsair scrapped its IPO plans.

However, an industry source has shed some more light on the matter. The source (singular, since we couldn't verify this through multiple channels) told TPU that it isn't the entirety of Corsair that's for sale; only the share previously acquired by Francisco Partners. It's this particular stake that's being eyed by EagleTree Capital - probably at a much higher valuation than the initial $75 million investment. As always, you should take this current information with a grain of salt.