Tag Archives: Media

Verizon Media to be Acquired by Apollo Funds

Transaction Expected to Accelerate Growth of the Internet and Digital Media Leader

Verizon to Maintain Minority Stake in the New Company to be Known as Yahoo

NEW YORK, May 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and Apollo Global Management, Inc. (NYSE: APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”) today announced that funds managed by affiliates of Apollo (the “Apollo Funds”) entered into an agreement to acquire Verizon Media for $5 billion. Verizon will retain a 10% stake in the company, which will be known as Yahoo at close of the transaction and continue to be led by CEO Guru Gowrappan.

One of the world’s premier global technology and media companies, Verizon Media is comprised of iconic brands such as Yahoo and AOL, as well as leading ad tech and media platform businesses. The corporate carveout will allow Verizon Media to aggressively pursue growth areas and stands to benefit its employees, advertisers, publishing partners and nearly 900 million monthly active users worldwide.

“We are excited to be joining forces with Apollo,” said Guru Gowrappan, CEO, Verizon Media. “The past two quarters of double-digit growth have demonstrated our ability to transform our media ecosystem. With Apollo’s sector expertise and strategic insight, Yahoo will be well positioned to capitalize on market opportunities, media and transaction experience and continue to grow our full stack digital advertising platform. This transition will help to accelerate our growth for the long- term success of the company.”

“We are thrilled to help unlock the tremendous potential of Yahoo and its unparalleled collection of brands,” said Reed Rayman, Private Equity Partner at Apollo. “We have enormous respect and admiration for the great work and progress that the entire organization has made over the last several years, and we look forward to working with Guru, his talented team, and our partners at Verizon to accelerate Yahoo’s growth in its next chapter.”

“We are big believers in the growth prospects of Yahoo and the macro tailwinds driving growth in digital media, advertising technology and consumer internet platforms,” said David Sambur, Senior Partner and Co-Head of Private Equity at Apollo. “Apollo has a long track record of investing in technology and media companies and we look forward to drawing on that experience to help Yahoo continue to thrive.”

“Verizon Media has done an incredible job turning the business around over the past two and a half years and the growth potential is enormous,” said Hans Vestberg, CEO, Verizon. “The next iteration requires full investment and the right resources. During the strategic review process, Apollo delivered the strongest vision and strategy for the next phase of Verizon Media. I have full confidence that Yahoo will take off in its new home.”

Verizon Media reported strong, diversified year-over-year revenue growth the past two quarters, driven by innovative ad offerings, consumer ecommerce, subscriptions, betting and strategic partnerships. Yahoo, one of the best recognized digital media brands in the world and the fourth most visited internet property globally, continues to evolve as a key destination for finance and news among Gen Z. This was most recently marked by Yahoo News becoming the fastest growing news organization on TikTok.

Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon will receive $4.25 billion in cash, preferred interests of $750 million and retain a 10% stake in Verizon Media. The transaction includes the assets of Verizon Media, including its brands and businesses. The transaction is subject to satisfaction of certain closing conditions and expected to close in the second half of 2021.

Goldman Sachs served as lead financial advisor to Verizon in the transaction. Evercore also served as financial advisor to Verizon. Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP are serving as legal counsel to Verizon.

LionTree served as lead financial advisor to and will invest alongside the Apollo Funds, bringing its global strategic relationships to Yahoo as the company continues to accelerate growth and pursue strategic investments in key verticals and product areas.

RBC Capital Markets also served as financial advisor to the Apollo Funds in connection with the transaction, alongside Barclays, BMO Capital Markets Corp., Deutsche Bank and Mizuho Securities USA LLC; all are also providing financing for the transaction. Mizuho Securities USA LLC also served as lead structuring advisor to the Apollo Funds. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to the Apollo Funds.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $128.3 billion in 2020. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award-winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.

About Apollo

Apollo is a leading global investment manager with offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Houston, Bethesda, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo, among others. Apollo had assets under management of approximately $455 billion as of December 31, 2020 in credit, private equity and real assets funds. For more information about Apollo, please visit www.apollo.com.

About Verizon Media

Verizon Media, a division of Verizon Communications, Inc., houses a trusted media ecosystem of premium brands like Yahoo, TechCrunch and Engadget to help people stay informed and entertained, communicate and transact, while creating new ways for advertisers and media partners to connect. From XR experiences to advertising and content technology, Verizon Media is an incubator of innovation and is revolutionizing the next generation of content creation in a 5G world.

VERIZON’S ONLINE MEDIA CENTER: News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at verizon.com/news. News releases are also available through an RSS feed. To subscribe, visit www.verizon.com/about/rss-feeds/.

Media contact:
Allison Butler
Corporate Communications
Verizon Media
(202) 669- 9887
allison.butler@verizonmedia.com

Joanna Rose
Global Head of Corporate Communications
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0491
Communications@apollo.com

Kim Ancin
+ 1 908-801-0500
kimberly.ancin@verizon.com

Investor Contact
Peter Mintzberg
Head of Investor Relations
Apollo Global Management, Inc.
(212) 822-0528
APOInvestorRelations@apollo.com

 

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Source: Verizon Sourcing LLC

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Altor-backed Iyuno Media Group enters agreement to acquire SDI Media

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Altor

Creating the Media and Entertainment Industry’s Largest, Most Comprehensive Global Localization Services Company

LOS ANGELES – January 22, 2021 – Iyuno Media Group, a market leader in localization services to the media and entertainment industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Imagica Group Inc. to acquire 100% of SDI Media. This transaction, which is subject to review and approval from relevant authorities, brings together two companies with the shared mission of supporting, innovating and leading the art of global storytelling. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“SDI Media is a great fit for Iyuno,” said Shaun Gregory, CEO, Iyuno Media Group. “We are well-aligned in our quality standards, complementary strategies and compatible service offerings. As a combined company, we will continue to deliver best-in-class services and technology innovations to our industry. We are certain that new and existing clients will benefit from the collective experience and capabilities of the combined company.”

“By merging IYUNO with SDI we create a clear global leader, optimally positioned to serve the accelerating and increasingly complex demand from the leading entertainment players”, said Klas Johansson, Partner at Altor and a Board member of Iyuno Media Group. “We also build scale and capacity within technology and data, to ensure that IYUNO will continue to lead the way in terms of developing next generation services to the benefit of all our clients”

“We are excited to join Iyuno and become part of the industry’s leading localization services company,” said Mark Howorth, Chief Executive Officer, SDI Media. “We believe that the explosive global content distribution needs of the industry can only be served by a complimentary service provider that can scale with them in support of their needs.”

Iyuno was supported in this transaction by Altor, Shamrock Capital and SoftBank Ventures Asia, its primary financial partners. The three investors are pleased to see this sustained momentum in the expansion and diversification of the Iyuno Media Group portfolio. The completion of this transaction remains subject to review and approval from relevant authorities.

For more information, please contact:
Tor Krusell, Head of Communications at Altor +46 705 43 87 47

About Altor
Since inception, the family of Altor funds has raised some EUR 8.3 billion in total commitments. The funds have invested in excess of EUR 4.2 billion in more than 60 companies. The investments have been made in medium sized predominantly Nordic companies with the aim to create value through growth initiatives and operational improvements. Among current and past investments are Dustin, Byggmax, Piab, Aalborg Industries, Trioplast, SATS and RevolutionRace. For further information please visit www.altor.com.

About IYUNO MEDIA GROUP
Iyuno Media Group (www.iyunomg.com) is a market leader in the localization industry with leading-edge technology providing dubbing, subtitling, and access services in any language. A technology trailblazer with grounded core values in an ever-changing industry, Iyuno Media Group uses its sophisticated in-house technology for all of its product and service offerings. Today, the company operates 35 local facilities globally, spanning a network of fully owned local sites across 30 countries in Europe, Asia and The Americas – offering clients end-to-end solutions for broadcasters, all major film studios, OTT and streaming platforms.

About SDI MEDIA
SDI Media (www.sdimedia.com) is one of the world’s leading media localization providers, offering dubbing, subtitling, and media services to content owners, broadcasters, and multi-platform distributors. SDI Media offers a complete end-to-end localization solution for theatrical releases and episodic series, using the most comprehensive suite of customizable localization software applications in the industry. With the world’s largest owned and operated network of 33 facilities in Asia, EMEA and the Americas, incorporating over 150 recording rooms and 85 mixing rooms globally.

Author: Katarina Karlsson
Date: 2021.01.22
Categories: News

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Altor-backed Iyuno Media Group enters agreement to acquire SDI Media

Altor

reating the Media and Entertainment Industry’s Largest, Most Comprehensive Global Localization Services Company

LOS ANGELES – January 22, 2021 – Iyuno Media Group, a market leader in localization services to the media and entertainment industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement with Imagica Group Inc. to acquire 100% of SDI Media. This transaction, which is subject to review and approval from relevant authorities, brings together two companies with the shared mission of supporting, innovating and leading the art of global storytelling. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“SDI Media is a great fit for Iyuno,” said Shaun Gregory, CEO, Iyuno Media Group. “We are well-aligned in our quality standards, complementary strategies and compatible service offerings. As a combined company, we will continue to deliver best-in-class services and technology innovations to our industry. We are certain that new and existing clients will benefit from the collective experience and capabilities of the combined company.”

“By merging IYUNO with SDI we create a clear global leader, optimally positioned to serve the accelerating and increasingly complex demand from the leading entertainment players”, said Klas Johansson, Partner at Altor and a Board member of Iyuno Media Group. “We also build scale and capacity within technology and data, to ensure that IYUNO will continue to lead the way in terms of developing next generation services to the benefit of all our clients”

“We are excited to join Iyuno and become part of the industry’s leading localization services company,” said Mark Howorth, Chief Executive Officer, SDI Media. “We believe that the explosive global content distribution needs of the industry can only be served by a complimentary service provider that can scale with them in support of their needs.”

Iyuno was supported in this transaction by Altor, Shamrock Capital and SoftBank Ventures Asia, its primary financial partners. The three investors are pleased to see this sustained momentum in the expansion and diversification of the Iyuno Media Group portfolio. The completion of this transaction remains subject to review and approval from relevant authorities.

For more information, please contact:
Tor Krusell, Head of Communications at Altor +46 705 43 87 47

About Altor
Since inception, the family of Altor funds has raised some EUR 8.3 billion in total commitments. The funds have invested in excess of EUR 4.2 billion in more than 60 companies. The investments have been made in medium sized predominantly Nordic companies with the aim to create value through growth initiatives and operational improvements. Among current and past investments are Dustin, Byggmax, Piab, Aalborg Industries, Trioplast, SATS and RevolutionRace. For further information please visit www.altor.com.

About IYUNO MEDIA GROUP
Iyuno Media Group (www.iyunomg.com) is a market leader in the localization industry with leading-edge technology providing dubbing, subtitling, and access services in any language. A technology trailblazer with grounded core values in an ever-changing industry, Iyuno Media Group uses its sophisticated in-house technology for all of its product and service offerings. Today, the company operates 35 local facilities globally, spanning a network of fully owned local sites across 30 countries in Europe, Asia and The Americas – offering clients end-to-end solutions for broadcasters, all major film studios, OTT and streaming platforms.

About SDI MEDIA
SDI Media (www.sdimedia.com) is one of the world’s leading media localization providers, offering dubbing, subtitling, and media services to content owners, broadcasters, and multi-platform distributors. SDI Media offers a complete end-to-end localization solution for theatrical releases and episodic series, using the most comprehensive suite of customizable localization software applications in the industry. With the world’s largest owned and operated network of 33 facilities in Asia, EMEA and the Americas, incorporating over 150 recording rooms and 85 mixing rooms globally.

Author: Katarina Karlsson
Date: 2021.01.22
Categories: News

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UNICEPTA acquires social intelligence specialist Ubermetrics

Paragon

UNICEPTA, the global innovation leader for Media & Data Intelligence expands its competencies in social media. In course of this technology acquisition, both companies will combine their AI-based technology platforms and expand their ability to automatically analyze large amounts of data for communication and marketing management.

Ubermetrics analyzes over 460 million sources from social media as well as blogs and forums in real time and offers the quantified results and insights via its technology platform. The platform is a highly scalable SaaS solution currently used by over 200 companies and focuses on monitoring and text mining.
Patrick Bunk, founder and CEO of Ubermetrics, says: “We are very motivated to partner with UNICEPTA. Two smart companies are now working with a joint technological vision: we want to make AI easily and quickly accessible for more and more communication and marketing areas.”
“Ubermetrics possesses one of the best technology platforms based on semantic AI. We are very pleased that Patrick Bunk, founder and CEO of Ubermetrics, along with his team, has decided to join UNICEPTA.”, says Georg Stahl, Managing Partner of UNICEPTA.
Both brands – UNICEPTA and Ubermetrics – will remain and combine their technology platforms. UNICEPTA will continue to act as an innovation leader and insights advisor for international corporations and large mid-sized companies. Ubermetrics will continue to develop automated intelligence solutions under the leadership of Patrick Bunk. Ubermetrics will launch new market intelligence solutions for risk management (e.g., supply chain risk), as well as text mining services for SaaS and analytics providers.

About Ubermetrics
Ubermetrics is the leading content intelligence platform for marketing and PR professionals. With Ubermetrics, digital communicators find and analyze relevant content and can use the results to track, measure and optimize communication campaigns. In addition, relevant trends, influencers and communication channels as well as successful content can be determined. Per minute, the Ubermetrics platform processes over 50,000 articles and content from more than 460 million sources. Ubermetrics is based in Berlin and successfully works with clients in more than 15 countries worldwide.

About UNICEPTA
UNICEPTA is the leading provider of visionary AI-powered Media & Data Intelligence solutions with an added human factor of analytics and insights that drive faster, more effective business decisions. UNICEPTA offers real-time end-to-end Global Media Monitoring across all media channels (social media, online, broadcast, print), supported by Analytics & Insights to help the subscribed customer to spot corporate issues and opportunities immediately. UNICEPTA is headquartered in Cologne and has subsidiaries in Germany, the USA, China, Poland, Switzerland and the UK.

About Paragon
Paragon is one of the leading independent private equity firms in Europe with more than €1.2 billion of equity under management. Paragon works closely with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth and operational excellence. The investment portfolio covers various industries and currently comprises 14 companies. Since 2018, Paragon is majority shareholder of UNICEPTA. Paragon was founded in 2004 and is based in Munich, Germany.

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News Break Announces $115m in Series C Funding led by Francisco Partners

Franciso Partners

Press Release – January 07 2021

New Funding to Drive Further Growth & Development of Nation’s No. 1 Intelligent Local News App

MOUNTAIN VIEW – News Break, The Nation’s No. 1 Intelligent Local News App, today announced it has closed a $115 million round in Series C funding led by Francisco Partners, a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology businesses. Francisco Partners will gain a seat on News Break’s Board of Directors. The investment makes News Break one of the first new unicorns of 2021.

News Break has previously raised more than $36 million from investors including IDG Capital, who have also participated in this latest round.

The investment comes as News Break is experiencing greater than three times year-over-year user growth, reaching 12 million daily active users. The new funding will allow News Break to significantly increase its investments in the local-content ecosystem — both in the United States, and for the first time, internationally — making vital local news and information more easily accessible and abundantly available to people everywhere.

Already top ranked in the News category on Google Play and in the App Store, News Break is transforming how local news and information is published and shared, bringing people together around the unique and inspiring stories they mutually experience in their own communities.

“News Break’s breakout multi-year successes in the local news space is what first brought them to our attention,” said Alan Ni, Principal at Francisco Partners. “We are inspired by their mission and extremely impressed by the work they have done to bring local-news distribution into the 21st Century through cutting-edge machine learning and media savvy. We are thrilled to be partnering with News Break’s talented leadership team as they continue to drive local news innovations while also rapidly expanding their business into adjacent local verticals beyond news.”

News Break was founded in Silicon Valley in 2015 by ex-Yahoo executive Jeff Zheng, with Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang as Advisor. News Break launched its iOS and Android apps in 2016. In 2020, Harry Shum, former Executive Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Research at Microsoft, joined News Break as Chairman of the Board. In 2021, News Break plans to substantially expand its leadership, business, product, and engineering teams.

“Today, more than 30 million app users across the country trust News Break to deliver their breaking neighborhood news,” said Jeff Zheng, CEO at News Break. “With this investment, we plan to significantly grow that number by broadening News Break’s mission to include everything local, delivering the information and services locals everywhere need to feel connected and empowered. We are thrilled to have Francisco Partners by our side as their expertise and financing will support us through this next phase of talent and user growth as we expand into new verticals and geographies.”

About Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners is a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology and technology-enabled businesses. Since its launch over 20 years ago, Francisco Partners has raised over $24 billion in committed capital and invested in more than 300 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. The firm invests in opportunities where its deep sectoral knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential. For more information on Francisco Partners, please visit www.franciscopartners.com.

About News Break

News Break, The Nation’s No. 1 Intelligent Local News App, is a business name of Particle Media, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, founded in Silicon Valley in 2015 by Jeff Zheng. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is Advisor. Harry Shum, former Executive Vice President of Artificial Intelligence and Research at Microsoft is Chairman of the Board. News Break’s mission is to make local information easily accessible and abundantly available, with the goal of helping people everywhere live safer, more vibrant, more truly connected lives. Its long-term vision is to be the world’s largest intelligent local information platform, connecting and empowering local users, local content creators, and local advertisers. To download News Break or to learn how to join our fast-growing team, please visit www.newsbreak.com/about.

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Deluxe Acquires Sundog Media Toolkit

Platinum

UK firm provides mastering and versioning services for theatrical, television, and OTT content

LOS ANGELES, CA, JANUARY 07, 2021 – Deluxe, the global provider of digital and cloud-based solutions to the world’s leading content production studios and distributors, announced today their acquisition of UK-based Sundog Media Toolkit, Ltd. (“Sundog”). Financial terms were not disclosed.

Founded in 2013 by CEO Richard Welsh and CTO Chris Ralph, Sundog quickly established a market foothold with their highly automated, cloud-based platform that creates specialized multi-format, multi-language files for theatrical distribution and streaming platforms. Welsh and Ralph have joined Deluxe in senior executive positions.

“We are thrilled to welcome Richard, Chris, and the rest of the Sundog team into the Deluxe family. Sundog will provide us with an expansion and enhancement of our robust technology driven services, adding efficiency, speed, and scale,” said Cyril Drabinsky, CEO of Deluxe. “This acquisition confirms our commitment to innovation that puts us ahead of the increasing complexity and scale needs of our customers’ day and date multiplatform releases.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Richard, Chris, and the rest of the Sundog team into the Deluxe family. Sundog will provide us with an expansion and enhancement of our robust technology driven services, adding efficiency, speed, and scale,” said Cyril Drabinsky, CEO of Deluxe. “This acquisition confirms our commitment to innovation that puts us ahead of the increasing complexity and scale needs of our customers’ day and date multiplatform releases.”

“We’re delighted to be joining Deluxe. We established Sundog to bring advanced SaaS technology and workflows to the media industry and we’re very excited about taking the next steps on the Sundog journey together with Cyril and the Deluxe team,” said Welsh. “With our combined drive for innovation and Deluxe’s global footprint, we will be able to extend our cloud automation technologies to customers worldwide.”Deluxe provides the world’s leading content creators and distributors a portfolio of media services including Cinema (mastering, key generation and distribution to theaters), along with Localization & Fulfillment (subtitling, dubbing, encryption, transcoding and distribution of movies and tv content), Home Entertainment (compression, encoding and authoring), and digital asset management, virtual screening and live-streaming events via its One Showcase solution.

The Sundog technology, integrated with the overall Deluxe One workflow, will create the industry’s most sophisticated and comprehensive end-to-end solution for mastering content, including asset/library management, localization, and final delivery.

About Deluxe
Deluxe Media Inc. (Deluxe) provides innovative, secure distribution and localization services for studios, OTT platforms and content creators worldwide. Deluxe’s cloud-based solutions offer unprecedented flexibility and reach through its customizable, end-to-end solutions that enable customers to create, transform, and distribute content and immersive streaming experiences to audiences on a global scale.

Investor Relations
and Media Contacts:

Mark Barnhill
Partner
+1 310.228.9514 E-mail Mark

Dan Whelan
Principal
+1 310.282.9202 E-mail Dan

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Vector Capital to Acquire Mood Media

Vector Capital

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Vector Capital, a leading private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mood Media, the world’s leading in-store media solutions company dedicated to elevating the Customer Experience. Under the terms of the agreement, Vector Capital will make a meaningful equity investment in Mood Media’s business, and the company’s existing lenders, including investment funds and accounts managed by HPS Investment Partners, LLC, will continue to support Mood Media with a new credit facility at closing.

Austin-based Mood Media offers global retail, fashion, restaurant, healthcare, hospitality, and consumer brands audio, visual, messaging, scent, social, and mobile services designed to create greater emotional connections between brands and consumers. The company reaches more than 150 million consumers each day through more than 500,000 subscriber locations in 100+ countries around the globe.

“Vector Capital has a long track record of building and growing global technology businesses,” said David Hoodis, CEO of Mood Media. “We are eager to leverage their industry expertise and deep operating capabilities as we continue to enhance our product offerings to assist leading brands in connecting with customers. I believe, with the great Mood team and Vector’s support, our best days are ahead.”

“We are excited to partner with Mood Media, which has developed a global, market-leading presence and proven ability to enhance the customer experience for the most demanding customers across the retail, fashion, restaurant, hospitality, and healthcare sectors,” said David Fishman, a Managing Director at Vector Capital. “We are confident that our long-term capital support will enable Mood Media to invest in the technology initiatives and acquisitions that will further differentiate Mood and accelerate our product vision.”

“Mood Media has an impressive management team and a motivated employee base to support its global platform, broad blue-chip client base, and strong business model,” added Sandy Gill, a Principal at Vector Capital. “We look forward to partnering with Mood Media during its next stage of growth and helping the company’s leadership team accelerate its development through both organic initiatives and strategic acquisitions.”

The transaction is subject to standard and customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Paul Hastings LLP served as legal counsel to Vector Capital on the transaction. PJ SOLOMON acted as financial advisor, and Milbank LLP served as legal counsel to Mood Media.

About Vector Capital
Vector Capital is a leading global private equity firm specializing in transformational investments in established technology businesses. With more than $3 billion of capital under management, Vector actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of businesses and enhance value for employees, customers, and all stakeholders. For more information, visit http://www.vectorcapital.com.

About Mood Media
Mood Media is the world’s leading in-store media solutions company dedicated to elevating the Customer Experience. We create greater emotional connections between brands and consumers through the right combination of sight, sound, scent, social and systems solutions. We reach more than 150 million consumers each day through more than 500,000 subscriber locations in 100+ countries around the globe. Mood’s clients include businesses of all sizes and market sectors, from the world’s most recognized retailers and hotels to quick-service restaurants, local banks and thousands of small businesses. For more details: www.moodmedia.com.

Contacts

For Vector Capital:
Nathaniel Garnick / Grace Cartwright
Gasthalter & Co.
(212) 257-4170

For Mood Media:
Caroline Traylor / PR & Communications Director
caroline.traylor@moodmedia.com
(210) 365-8761

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Nordic Capital adds additional firepower to Siteimprove with Morten Hübbe as new Chairman and new partnership with Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker

Nordic Capital

November 30 2020
Nordic Capital adds additional firepower to Siteimprove with Morten Hübbe as new Chairman and new partnership with Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker Image

 

Nordic Capital-backed Siteimprove, a leader in website experience and digital marketing optimisation, has appointed Morten Hübbe as its new Chairman to accelerate growth. Morten Hübbe brings significant experience within financial services, software and technology as the Group CEO of Tryg and Deputy Chairman of SimCorp. In addition, Danish-based Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, with a focus on long-term ownership of Danish businesses, will become a strategic minority partner in Siteimprove to further support international expansion.  

“Siteimprove is one of the leading SaaS companies globally with great potential for further growth. It has a world class product offering which reduces inequality in society by helping people with disabilities gain access to a digitalised world and it also drives growth across essential digital disciplines. Nordic Capital is enthusiastic about bringing further expertise to expand Siteimprove’s offering and international footprint. Morten Hübbe is a very experienced leader in the software and tech space and brings a unique set of skills and experience that will help Siteimprove scale and grow”, says Fredrik Näslund, Partner and Head of Technology and Payments, Nordic Capital Advisors.

Morten Hübbe is Group CEO of Tryg, one of the largest non-life insurance companies in the Nordic region and Deputy Chairman of SimCorp, one of the world’s leading provider of integrated investment management solutions. He has a proven track record of building strong fintech businesses. Morten holds 25+ years of insurance experience, of which nearly 20 years have been at the top executive level. In addition, he has Supervisory Board experience in Banking, Software and IT development. He has also recently been appointed the new Chairman of Conscia, another Nordic Capital portfolio company.

“Siteimprove is one of the fastest growing software companies in Denmark and it is truly exciting to be appointed Chairman of Siteimprove. The task is to continue growing on the back of Siteimprove’s strong people and product offering, its exciting customer portfolio and solid business plan. I’m looking forward to supporting the company with my experience on this journey,” says Morten Hübbe.

Siteimprove was founded in 2003 by its CEO Morten Ebbesen, and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since inception, the company has grown steadily, and today has offices across Europe, North America and Asia. Siteimprove has 550 employees in 15 countries and over 7,200 customers globally. The Company’s customer base derives mainly from financial services, healthcare, and the public sector, and includes some of the most well-respected organisations in the world.

In October 2020, Nordic Capital became the majority owner in close partnership with the CEO and founder Morten Ebbesen. In addition, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, a well-established and dedicated long-term owner of Danish-based businesses, will now become a strategic minority owner to support sustainable value creation.

“Firstly, we are truly impressed with the competences and innovation power that we discovered in Siteimprove, and secondly, for Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, this is a chance to actively invest in a company that wants to grow internationally from their Danish base. That is the kind of situation that we exist to support,” says Claus Gregersen, CEO, Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker.

Technology & Payments is one of Nordic Capital’s focus sectors where it has extensive experience, a strong and active sector network, and a dedicated team with local presence across Northern Europe. Since 2018, Nordic Capital has made 18 platform investments in this sector including former and current investments such as Bambora, Trustly, Conscia, BOARD International and Signicat.

Footnote: “Nordic Capital” refers to any, or all, Nordic Capital branded or associated investment vehicles and their associated management entities. Nordic Capital is advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which is referred to as “Nordic Capital Advisors”.

Press contacts

Nordic Capital
Katarina Janerud, Communications Manager
Nordic Capital Advisors
Tel: +46 8 440 50 50
e-mail: katarina.janerud@nordiccapital.com

Siteimprove
Jesper Termansen, Chief Marketing Officer
Tel: +45 2479 8646
e-mail: jte@siteimprove.com

Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker
Tel: +45 3314 7222
e-mail: info@augustinusfabrikker.dk

About Siteimprove

Siteimprove is a SaaS solution that helps organisations achieve their digital potential by empowering teams with actionable insights to deliver a superior website experience and drive growth. Siteimprove has 550+ employees across 13 offices, helping over 7,200 customers globally. The company has 17+ years of digital expertise and partners with leading organizations such as the W3C, the UN, and Adobe. They also offer best-in-class technical support, academy courses, services, and technology integrations. www.siteimprove.com

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Core sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services and Industrials & Business Services. Key regions are Northern Europe and globally for Healthcare. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested more than EUR 15 billion in over 110 investments. The Nordic Capital vehicles are based in Jersey. They are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities based in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, the UK and the US, any or all of which are referred to as Nordic Capital Advisors. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com

About Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker

Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker is a subsidiary of the Augustinus Foundation, which is among the largest cultural foundations in Denmark. The industrial heritage stems from 1750 and the focus on value creation is based on this long-term tradition. As part of a strategy to be a long-term, committed and value-adding owner, the portfolio comprises considerable ownership in successful and iconic Danish businesses such as Tivoli, Jeudan, Royal Unibrew, STG, the furniture companies Fritz Hansen and GUBI as well as Gyldendal. Through ownerships the aim is to create value for the benefit of both Danish businesses and society. With a balance of more than DKK 30 billion, it is Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker’s investment return which facilitates the significant non-profit cultural, social and research-related pursuits of the Foundation. For further information about Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, please visit www.augustinusfabrikker.dk/en

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Adobe to Acquire Workfront

JMI Equity

Acquisition Brings Leading Work Management Platform for Marketers to Adobe Experience Cloud

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Workfront, the leading work management platform for marketers, for $1.5 billion, subject to customary purchase price adjustments. With more than 3,000 customers and one million users, Workfront is the solution marketers rely on every day to efficiently manage content, plan and track marketing campaigns, and execute complex workflows across teams.

Adobe solutions are at the nexus of creativity and customer experience management and mission-critical to marketers, creatives, analysts, and now, operations managers. Adobe Creative Cloud provides the world’s best creative apps and services to everyone, from students, to social media influencers, to professional photographers, filmmakers, and designers. Adobe Experience Cloud is the most comprehensive solution for content and commerce, customer journey management, and customer data and insights, all built on an open platform, enabling businesses of every size across every industry to deliver exceptional customer experiences at scale.

Satisfying the increasing expectations of B2B and B2C customers today requires large volumes of content and personalized marketing campaigns delivered at lightning speed and scale. This must be accomplished across increasingly dispersed teams, as remote work becomes prevalent in today’s environment and the future of work is redefined. The combination of Adobe Experience Cloud and Workfront will bring efficiency, collaboration, and productivity gains to marketing teams currently challenged with siloed work management solutions.

Workfront has deep leadership in orchestrating marketing workflows. Workfront’s platform is agile and uniquely architected for the enterprise, with extensive integration capabilities that can be easily configured to meet the varied needs of companies of all sizes.

Adobe and Workfront are longstanding partners with strong product synergies and a growing base of over 1,000 shared customers. Workfront is equipped with APIs that enable a seamless connection to Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Experience Cloud. Shared Adobe and Workfront customers include Deloitte, Under Armour, Nordstrom, Prudential Financial, T-Mobile, and The Home Depot.

“Adobe is the undisputed leader in content creation, management, delivery, and measurement and a trusted partner to digital leaders around the globe,” said Anil Chakravarthy, executive vice president and general manager, Digital Experience Business and Worldwide Field Operations, Adobe. “The combination of Adobe and Workfront will further accelerate Adobe’s leadership in customer experience management, providing a pioneering solution that spans the entire lifecycle of digital experiences, from ideation to activation.”

“Adobe and Workfront share a common affinity to help the modern marketer thrive in an ever-evolving, increasingly demanding setting,” said Alex Shootman, CEO, Workfront. “We’re excited to join Adobe and believe this will be a tremendous opportunity for our customers and partners.”

Upon close, Workfront CEO Alex Shootman will continue to lead the Workfront team, reporting to Anil Chakravarthy, executive vice president and general manager, Digital Experience Business and Worldwide Field Operations.

The transaction, which is expected to close during the first quarter of Adobe’s 2021 fiscal year, is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. Until the transaction closes, each company will continue to operate independently.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities law. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to future events and future performance and reflect Adobe’s expectations regarding the ability to extend its leadership in the experience business through the combination of Adobe Experience Cloud’s capabilities in content creation, management, delivery and measurement, with Workfront’s work management products and other anticipated benefits of the transaction. Forward-looking statements involve risks, including general risks associated with Adobe’s and Workfront’s business, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: Adobe’s ability to further integrate Workfront technology into Adobe Experience Cloud; the effectiveness of Workfront technology; potential benefits of the transaction to Adobe and Workfront customers; the ability of Adobe and Workfront to close the announced transaction; the possibility that the closing of the transaction may be delayed; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Adobe and are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. For a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, individuals should refer to Adobe’s SEC filings. Adobe does not assume any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements or other statements included in this press release.

About Workfront

Workfront is the leader in enterprise work management, trusted by more than 3,000 companies, one million users, and 10 out of 10 of the world’s top brands. Workfront was founded to help people, teams, and companies do their best work. For more information, visit www.workfront.com.

About Adobe

Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

© 2020 Adobe. All rights reserved. Adobe and the Adobe logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts

Public relations contact
Ashley Levine
Adobe
aslevine@adobe.com

Investor relations contact
Jonathan Vaas
Adobe
ir@adobe.com

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Herkules II completes exit of Nevion to Sony

Hercules Capital

Herkules Private Equity Fund II exits Nevion to Sony. Nevion is a leading provider of virtualized media production solutions.
Nevion supplies video signal processing and transportation equipment to broadcasters and telecommunication companies. Nevion was established through the combination of Network Electronics, Video Products Group (VPG) and T-VIPS. Network Electronics acquired VPG in January 2008, and merged with T-VIPS in 2012. Nevion has the majority of its customers within the broadcasting and the telecommunication sector, and offers effective solutions for direct transmission of live video (point-to-point) and for transport of video in larger network infrastructures.On 30 September 2020, Sony Imaging Products & Solutions Inc. (“Sony”) announced that it is acquiring Nevion AS, to further enhance its portfolio, providing end-to-end IP and cloud-based production solutions for broadcasting and other applications. Sony, which has been a minority shareholder in Nevion since July 2019, is purchasing the remaining shares in Nevion, and making it a subsidiary.

Since 2016, Nevion has enjoyed a positive development with expanded gross margins, key new product launches, and success with several new strategic customers in both Europe, North America and Asia. The transaction is expected to close in early October 2020. Nevion was the last portfolio company remaining in Fund II and the process to liquidate the fund will commence in due course.

Read Sony’s full press release here.

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