It was just announced that ChoicePoint was acquired for $4.1B by Reed Elsevier, a London-based publisher and information provider.  The good news, is that it appears the company will remain here. This is an aggressive move by Elsevier, best known for LexisNexis.  They effectively just “bought” a new industry for themselves.

Alpharetta, Ga. — Reed Elsevier, a London-based publisher and information provider, has agreed to pay $5 billion in cash to acquire ChoicePoint, an Alpharetta-based provider of technology and information-based risk mitigation products. The deal values ChoicePoint at about $50 per share. Alpharetta will remain the location of ChoicePoint’s headquarters, according to the announcement on Thursday. ChoicePoint was founded in 1997 in a spin-off from Equifax, the credit bureau. The company’s annual revenue grew from about $400 million to approximately $1 billion since then. ChoicePoint provides businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations with technology, software, information and marketing services to help manage economic and physical risks as well as identify business opportunities.

http://www.ChoiceTrust.com

Hopefully, some of these new soon-to-be millionaires will get back into the early-stage game here in Atlanta and help fuel things … we’ll see.

Cheers.

My good friend and StartupLounge.com co-conspirator, Mike Blake, is going to be presenting a very “unique” presentation at the upcoming TAG/ATDC Entrepreneurs gathering on March 6th. Sadly, I will be out of town, and won’t be able to attend, but trust me, you will want to attend this one. Mike has put together perhaps one of the most compelling and thought-provoking presentations I’ve seen in a long time.

Please join us for TAG/ATDC Entrepreneurs “The South Shall Raise Again: Raising Early Stage Capital in Georgia and the Southeast” with Michael Blake, CFA and managing director of Adams Capital, Inc. This session will focus on the challenges early stage companies in the SE are facing in respect to raising capital. Mr. Blake will also convey success stories and address his thoughts on best practices. Finally, he will forecast the fund availability outlook going forward, and discuss what GA needs to do to be competitive with the SE and the most successful parts of the USA.

The event details are as follows:

• Organization: Technology Association of Georgia
• Event Name: TAG/ATDC Entrepreneurs “South Shall Raise Again: Raising Early Stage Capital in Georgia and the Southeast”
• Date: March 6, 2008, 7:30am to 9:00am
• Entrepreneurs Only Roundtable:* 9:15am to 10:00am
• You MUST attend the presentation in order to attend the Roundtable*
• Location: Centergy One Building
• 75 5th Street NW Atlanta, GA 30308
• http://www.tagonline.org

Cheers.