Kape Technologies and ExpressVPN Ownership
Verified ownership
- Kape Technologies owns ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, and ZenMate.
- Kape was formerly named Crossrider.
- Unikmind Holdings took Kape private in 2023.
ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, and ZenMate look like competing VPN services. They share one parent company: Kape Technologies.
Kape built this portfolio through acquisitions. It bought CyberGhost in 2017, ZenMate in 2018, Private Internet Access in 2019, and ExpressVPN in 2021. Its 2021 annual report records the completed ExpressVPN deal at $925.8 million. The original proposed transaction valued it at about $936 million.
- CyberGhost acquired
- 2017
- Kape 2017 report
- ZenMate acquired
- 2018
- Kape 2018 report
- PIA deal announced
- 2019
- Kape RNS
- ExpressVPN acquired
- 2021
- Kape 2021 report
Crossrider came before Kape
Kape did not begin as a VPN company. Its former name was Crossrider. Crossrider's 2016 annual report described three business segments: app distribution, media, and web apps and licensing. The web-app business included a browser-extension platform and monetisation technology.
The same report says Crossrider stopped investing in the web-app platform, outsourced its monetisation in January 2016, and expected 2017 to be the final reporting year for that segment. Its 2017 report records the later name change to Kape Technologies and the shift toward consumer security software.
This record supports a narrower claim than the one often repeated online. Crossrider supplied browser-extension and monetisation technology that attracted criticism during the adware era. The company's filings do not establish that every extension built with its tools belonged to Crossrider. Treat claims that Kape itself "distributed malware" as disputed unless they identify the software, conduct, and evidence.
Kape bought established VPN brands
CyberGhost was the first major VPN acquisition. Kape's 2017 annual report says it acquired the company in March 2017. Kape then acquired ZenMate for €4.8 million in October 2018.
In November 2019, Kape announced an agreement to acquire LTMI Holdings, the parent of Private Internet Access. The announcement set total consideration at about $95.5 million and enterprise value at about $127.6 million.
The largest deal followed in 2021. Kape proposed buying ExpressVPN for $936 million in September and completed the acquisition in December. Its annual report puts the final accounting consideration at $925.8 million, split across cash, deferred cash, and Kape shares.
Kape is now privately controlled
Kape no longer trades on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market. Unikmind Holdings made a cash offer for the Kape shares it did not already own in 2023. The offer became unconditional in April. Unikmind then requested Kape's delisting after it controlled or had acceptances for more than 75 percent of the shares. Kape was scheduled to leave AIM on 31 May 2023.
That change reduced public financial disclosure. Older annual reports still document Kape's acquisition history, but users cannot rely on the same stream of market announcements that applied while Kape was listed.
What ownership changes in a VPN review
A VPN operator handles encrypted tunnels, DNS resolution, account records, payment details, support requests, and abuse controls. The exact data available depends on the service design and policy. Parent-company ownership matters because it can shape legal response, infrastructure, staffing, and data practices across several brands.
Common ownership does not prove that each service uses the same servers or retains the same data. It does mean switching between these four brands does not diversify parent-company exposure.
Technical evidence still matters. ExpressVPN publishes independent assessment reports. A KPMG report covering controls as of 28 February 2025 gave reasonable assurance on the described TrustedServer and privacy controls and reported no exceptions in the tested controls. That is useful evidence for the period and systems examined. It is not a permanent guarantee, and it does not answer every question about corporate control.
- Parent company
- Identify the owner, controlling shareholder, and other brands in the group.
- Collection
- Read the current privacy policy for account, payment, device, diagnostic, and connection data.
- Audit scope
- Check the audit date, systems tested, assurance level, and any exceptions.
- Software
- Prefer maintained apps, public security reports, and clear vulnerability disclosure.
- Threat model
- A VPN shifts trust from the local network and internet provider to the VPN operator.
Sources
- Crossrider Annual Report 2016
- Kape Technologies Annual Report 2017
- Kape Technologies Annual Report 2018
- Kape proposed acquisition of ExpressVPN, September 2021
- Kape Technologies Annual Report 2021
- Unikmind notice of offer closure and Kape delisting, April 2023
- KPMG independent assurance report on ExpressVPN controls, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns ExpressVPN?
Kape Technologies owns ExpressVPN. Kape acquired the service in December 2021. Unikmind Holdings took Kape private in 2023.
Which VPN brands does Kape own?
Kape owns ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, and ZenMate. It assembled this portfolio through acquisitions between 2017 and 2021.
Was Kape Technologies called Crossrider?
Yes. Crossrider changed its name to Kape Technologies in 2018 after moving away from web apps and advertising technology and into consumer security and privacy products.
Does Kape ownership prove that its VPNs are unsafe?
No. Ownership history is one part of a VPN assessment. Users should also examine current privacy policies, published audit scope, software security, legal jurisdiction, and the data each service collects.