BlackBerry‘s founders disclosed in a regulatory filing on Thursday that they are exploring a bid for the flailing smartphone maker, as it casts about for a potential savior.
The two men, Mike Lazaridis and Douglas E. Fregin, said that they were weighing a bid for 92 percent of the company that they don’t already own, and that they had hired Goldman Sachs and Centerview Partners as advisers.
Representatives for BlackBerry Mr. Lazaridis were not immediately available for comment.
The formal entrance of the two men adds yet another wild card to the fate of BlackBerry, which is seeking to sell itself amid a precipitous decline in sales. It has already signed a letter of intent with one of its largest shareholders, Fairfax Financial Holdings, that would lead to a $4.7 billion deal. That offer, worth $9 a share, is highly preliminary and still subject to financing and other conditions.
Mr. Lazaridis has already been casting about for potential partners, having approached the likes of the Blackstone Group and the Carlyle Group, people briefed on the matter have said.
Others have expressed interest in a potential deal for some or all of the handset maker as well. Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm known for its investments in distressed companies, has been pursuing a nondisclosure agreement with BlackBerry that would give it access to confidential data, a person briefed on those discussions has said.
Shares of BlackBerry were trading nearly 1 percent higher, but still below $9 a shares.
