Cellebrite (NASDAQ: CLBT), a global leader in digital investigative solutions, announced on Thursday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Corellium, a privately held innovator in Arm-based virtualization technology. The acquisition, valued at $170 million in cash with an additional $30 million tied to performance milestones, marks a significant expansion of Cellebrite’s capabilities in mobile vulnerability research, digital forensics, and security testing.
The deal brings together two powerhouses in digital investigation and device security, promising a new wave of innovation for both public and private sector customers. Corellium is known for its highly advanced virtualization software that allows users to create and interact with virtual iOS, Android, automotive, and IoT devices—without needing the physical hardware. This approach not only accelerates vulnerability detection and mobile penetration testing, but also enables development and security teams to conduct testing in a fully forensically sound environment.
Cellebrite interim CEO Thomas E. Hogan said the acquisition will help the company’s clients “secure both their communities and institutions,” calling Corellium’s platform “industry-unique.” He emphasized that the merger adds not just game-changing technology, but also top-tier talent in malware analysis and security research. “The combination of our respective talent and IP changes the game in the efficient securing and analysis of all Arm-based devices which are pervasive across a vast range of applications from cloud to edge,” Hogan said.
Chris Wade, founder and CTO of Corellium, will take on the role of Chief Technology Officer at Cellebrite following the acquisition. “With Cellebrite’s offerings, users have the blueprints—technical schematics of what’s on a device,” Wade said. “With Corellium, they can now virtually walk through the device, explore every room, and open every door safely and without altering a thing.”
The acquisition signals Cellebrite’s intent to significantly broaden its total addressable market. In the public sector, Corellium’s technology will be integrated into Cellebrite’s Digital Investigation Platform to support defense, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies in navigating increasingly complex mobile environments. On the enterprise side, Corellium’s virtualization capabilities are expected to expand Cellebrite’s presence beyond traditional eDiscovery use cases, enabling more robust DevSecOps and security workflows for mobile and embedded systems.
The deal is also drawing attention from the broader tech community. Mohamed Awad, SVP and GM of Infrastructure at Arm, praised Corellium’s contributions to the Arm ecosystem. “As AI continues to transform markets and deliver new experiences, the safety and security of our devices has never been more critical,” said Awad. “Corellium’s virtualization solutions leverage the unique footprint Arm has from cloud to edge.”
The transaction, expected to close this summer, is subject to approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and other standard closing conditions. Cellebrite plans to share more details about Corellium’s financial contribution following the completion of the deal.
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Corellium.
Cellebrite also noted that it is nearing the conclusion of its search for a permanent CEO and expects to make an announcement before reporting its second-quarter 2025 results in mid-August.