IceBreaker Software has been acquired by ANSYS Inc.

Boston, MA: March 20, 2002 – IceBreaker Inc., a designer and developer of online information management applications for product designers, has been acquired by Ansys, Inc. Mirus Capital Advisors represented IceBreaker on the transaction; terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ANSYS, Inc. is an engineering simulation software (computer-aided engineering, or CAE) developer that is headquartered south of Pittsburgh. The company was founded in 1970 by Dr. John A. Swanson as Swanson Analysis Systems, Inc. (SASI). Its primary purpose was to develop and market finite element analysis software for structural physics that could simulate static, dynamic, and heat transfer  problems. SASI  grew by 10 percent to 20 percent each year, and in 1994 it was sold to TA Associates. The new owners took SASI’s leading software, called ANSYS^®, as their flagship product and designated ANSYS, Inc. as the new company name.

IceBreaker, Inc. designs and develops online information management applications. Its product includes an online eNotebook which is used for capturing, managing, and collaborating on information and intellectual property. The company was formerly known as IceBreaker Communications, Inc. and changed its name in April 1999. IceBreaker, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Newton Center, Massachusetts.

About Mirus Capital Advisors

Mirus Capital Advisors provides investment banking solutions to corporate clients in technology, business services, manufacturing, consumer products, health care, and the resort & hospitality industry. Since 1987, Mirus has provided corporate finance advisory services on engagements including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations, and valuations. For additional information, visit www.merger.com.