SimpliSafe Announces Closing of Sale to GTCR and Appointment of CEO and President
With the support of GTCR, SimpliSafe will build on its legacy of innovation to expand its reach and continue delivering advanced security solutions
BOSTON, Nov. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SimpliSafe (the "Company"), maker of award-winning smart home security systems, today announced the closing of its previously announced sale to GTCR, a leading private equity firm, from Hellman & Friedman. Additionally, longtime direct-to-consumer services executives Hilary Schneider and Ty Shay have assumed the roles of Chief Executive Officer and President, respectively, for SimpliSafe. Hilary succeeds Christian Cerda as CEO, and Ty joins as President to drive growth with a focus on an elevated customer experience and product offering. Both will work closely with GTCR, SimpliSafe's founders Chad and Eleanor Laurans, and the SimpliSafe team to continue to grow the Company and provide customers with superior home security products and services.
Headquartered in Boston, SimpliSafe is the third largest residential security provider in the U.S., protecting more than 5 million people with its full suite of professional alarm monitoring services. The Company pioneered the DIY home security space, offering innovative security systems that can be self-installed and protected by SimpliSafe's 24/7 professional monitoring plans with no long-term contracts. SimpliSafe offers customers cutting-edge, whole-home security solutions, including its AI-powered SimpliSafe® Active Guard Outdoor Protection monitoring service, which helps to stop crime before it happens. Recently, SimpliSafe also introduced SimpliSafe Business Security, a suite of products and services curated to meet the unique needs of both single and multi-unit business owners.
Hilary and Ty have a long history of successfully expanding leading direct-to-consumer services and technology companies. They first worked together at LifeLock, the leading identity theft protection company. At LifeLock, they developed a sophisticated marketing platform and built out new distribution channels to scale the subscriber count and drive sustained revenue and earnings growth. Hilary joined LifeLock in 2012 as President before assuming the CEO role in 2016. In addition to LifeLock, Hilary was previously CEO of Shutterfly, one of the leading consumer e-commerce companies, and held senior positions at Yahoo. Ty has held senior roles at numerous leading direct-to-consumer brands, including Esurance, Hotwire, SquareTrade, and Shutterfly.
"Hilary and Ty bring tremendous experience in scaling customer-focused businesses like SimpliSafe. I'm excited to partner with Hilary, Ty, GTCR, and the entire SimpliSafe team to provide security and peace of mind to even more people," said Chad Laurans, SimpliSafe Founder and Chairman of the Board. "Under Christian's leadership, SimpliSafe set a new standard for what it means to protect people at home. We have an incredible foundation to build upon for the future, and I want to thank Christian for his vision and impact."
"SimpliSafe has built a remarkable legacy of technology innovation and customer-centricity, setting a new standard for home security," said Hilary Schneider, SimpliSafe CEO. "I'm honored to lead SimpliSafe into our next chapter, advancing our mission to keep people safe. Together with Ty, GTCR, Chad, and the talented SimpliSafe team, I look forward to building on this legacy of innovation, accelerating growth, and continuing to elevate our award-winning customer experience."
"We've known Hilary and Ty for many years and are thrilled to welcome SimpliSafe to the GTCR portfolio as we partner with them in the company's next phase of growth," added Tom Ehrhart, Managing Director at GTCR. "Together with Chad and the broader management team, we look forward to advancing the company's innovative product platform and continuing to deliver industry-leading security solutions to customers."
About SimpliSafe
SimpliSafe fundamentally changed the alarm industry, pioneering a new way to make home the safest place on earth for everyone. Founded in 2006, SimpliSafe now protects millions of people and is committed to its founding goal: to make every home secure. SimpliSafe has been coined the number one home security pick by several highly esteemed publications and was recently recognized as the top home security system on "Best Home Security Systems" by U.S. News & World Report. Learn more about SimpliSafe's advanced home security products and services at SimpliSafe.com.
About GTCR
Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm that invests behind The Leaders Strategy™ – finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. GTCR is focused on investing in transformative growth in companies in the Business & Consumer Services, Financial Services & Technology, Healthcare and Technology, Media & Telecommunications sectors. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $30 billion in approximately 300 companies, and the firm currently manages approximately $50 billion in equity capital. GTCR is based in Chicago with offices in New York and West Palm Beach. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.
About Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman is a preeminent global private equity firm with a distinctive investment approach focused on a limited number of large-scale equity investments in high-quality growth businesses. H&F seeks to partner with world-class management teams where its deep sector expertise, long-term orientation, and collaborative partnership approach enable companies to flourish. H&F targets outstanding businesses in select sectors, including technology, financial services, healthcare, consumer services & retail, and information, content & business services. Since its founding in 1984, H&F has invested in over 100 companies and has over $115 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2024. Learn more about H&F's defining investment philosophy and approach to sustainable outcomes at www.hf.com.
For SimpliSafe
Erin Regal
press@simplisafe.com
For GTCR
Prosek Partners
Josh Clarkson / Ryan Smith / Peter Gavaris
pro-GTCR@Prosek.com
For Hellman & Friedman
FGS Global
Dan Abernethy
H&F-US@fgsglobal.com
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SOURCE SimpliSafe
