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Enterprise software heavyweight SAP on Wednesday said it isacquiring“digital adoption ” platform providerWalkMefor $ 1.5 billion in immediate payment .

SAP ’s $ 14 - per - share whirl represents a premium of about 45 % on WalkMe ’s closing price of $ 9.64 on Tuesday .

Founded out of Israel in 2011 , WalkMe was initially project to simplify website pilotage by providing real - fourth dimension , on - concealment counselling . Over the years , the company moved its headquarters to San Francisco and pad its political program with more feature , focusing more on both consumer and endeavour app program — for example , to guide user through newfangled feature or to onboard Modern employee .

This charter the form of niggling balloon overlays or even on - screen prompts to try and commute free users into paying client . The society basically seek to automate a mental process that would otherwise be a resource - intensive endeavour with human assistant alone .

As part of its enterprise push , WalkMe also provide insight into terminal - user behavior , focusing on providing spare financial backing tools or information at point where a substance abuser is more likely to exit an app .

It is this centering on automating contextual , in - app financial support that SAP see as bringing value to its own endeavor customers .

Automation for the enterprise

WalkMe hadraisedaround $ 300 million before its2021 IPO , but like many companies during the pandemic period , its evaluation plump in the intervening years , going from a peak of $ 2.8 billion in September 2021 to a footling more than $ 600 million within a year — substantially below its last - know individual valuation ofaround $ 2 billion . The caller ’s market place capitalization has hovered around $ 800 million to $ 900 million this yr , butoff the back of potent earningslast calendar month , its share wax 25 % in two weeks .

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Indeed , in May , WalkMe reported that its first - quarter revenue rose 4 % from a year before andunveiled WalkMeX , a new AI - powered copilot that suggests “ the good next step for any workflow , anywhere ” using its existing contextual awareness smarting . SAP say it mean to mix WalkMeX with its own Joule copilot , which itdebuted last September .

SAP , for its part , has been on a tear of late , withits strong fiscal performancepushing its valuation to an all - time high of $ 230 billion this year .

Notably , the WalkMe deal is designed to complement two other acquisitions SAP has made in the retiring few years . It acquired fellow German firm Signavio , a business process mechanization society , for $ 1.2 billion in 2021 . And late last year , itbought another German companycalled LeanIX , which specialise in enterprise computer architecture management — essentially helping companies modernize more cursorily .

WalkMe fits into that pattern , insofar as it ’s all about serve ship’s company transform for the New software era , where people , AI and the cloud intersect .

“ Applications , process , datum , and people are the four key element of a successful line transformation , ” SAP CEO Christian Kleinsaidin a press release . “ By acquiring WalkMe , we are doubling down on the support we provide our end users , helping them to quickly adopt new resolution and feature to get the maximum value out of their IT investments . ”

SAP said it expects the attainment to shut , subject to regulatory and shareholder approval , in Q3 2024 .