Marketing & Advertising Growth Capital Investments in 2021
Acquisition Volume in Marketing & Advertising Growth Capital Investments in 2021 by Year
Last 5 years
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- Buyer
- Associates International
- Target
- Global Research Group, Inc. (dba Prospect Direct)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Texas, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Associates International (Ai) made a minority investment in Global Research Group, Inc. (dba Prospect Direct), a Dallas-based lead generation company; the transaction closed on December 28, 2021. The investment provides Prospect Direct with capital and a strategic partner to support growth and expand its marketing implementation and lead-generation capabilities.
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December 21, 2021
- Buyer
- Mentha
- Target
- Bright River
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- North Holland, Netherlands
- Type
- Growth capital
Benelux private equity firm Mentha has taken a minority stake in Bright River, a Dutch visual content solutions provider, to accelerate the company's growth and support international expansion. Bright River, headquartered in Haarlem with offices in New York, Dhaka and Chennai, provides AI-powered image, video and 3D content services to leading e-commerce retailers and employs around 750 people.
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December 21, 2021
- Buyer
- Align Capital Partners
- Target
- We Are Rosie
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Georgia, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Align Capital Partners made a growth capital investment in We Are Rosie, a flexible talent marketplace for advertising and marketing, in December 2021. The deal valued We Are Rosie at $110 million; founder and CEO Stephanie Nadi Olson retained a significant stake and will continue to lead the company as it uses the capital to invest in people and technology to scale its marketplace.
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December 15, 2021
- Buyer
- TruArc Partners
- Target
- Lamark Media
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Florida, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
TruArc Partners, a New York–based private equity firm, has made a significant growth investment in Lamark Media, a Boca Raton–based integrated digital marketing agency. The capital and strategic partnership will be used to accelerate Lamark’s growth through investments in people, technology, capabilities and the continued acquisition of complementary businesses; terms were not disclosed.
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December 8, 2021
- Buyer
- Stone-Goff Partners
- Target
- Spotlight AR (Spotlight Analyst Relations)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Missouri, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Stone-Goff Partners made a growth investment in Spotlight AR alongside the company's founding partners to support expansion of sales and marketing, continued development of its proprietary analyst relations platform, and potential acquisitions. Spotlight AR, founded in 2012 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, serves more than 100 clients and has over 125 employees.
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December 8, 2021
- Buyer
- Insignia Capital Group
- Target
- New Engen, Inc.
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Washington, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Insignia Capital Group completed an equity investment in New Engen, a Seattle-based digital marketing agency, to accelerate growth and expand the agency's service capabilities. Insignia will join New Engen's board; existing investor August Capital and New Engen management will remain on the board as the agency continues to operate independently.
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December 2, 2021
- Buyer
- Tenex Capital Management
- Target
- Suited Connector
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Colorado, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Tenex Capital Management has made a growth investment in Suited Connector, a Colorado-based MarTech lead generation and remarketing platform. The capital will be used to accelerate organic and inorganic growth while the Suited Connector management team remains in place.
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November 15, 2021
- Buyer
- Great Hill Partners
- Target
- Prodege (Prodege, LLC)
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- California, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Prodege, a marketing and consumer insights platform that operates Swagbucks, MyPoints and Upromise, has signed a definitive agreement to receive a major growth investment from Great Hill Partners. The capital will support Prodege’s rapid organic expansion and targeted acquisition strategy while management and senior leadership retain significant ownership; financial terms were not disclosed.
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November 9, 2021
- Buyer
- NexPhase Capital
- Target
- Calcium
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
NexPhase Capital has made a financial investment in Calcium, a mid-sized healthcare marketing agency, to support the agency's strategic growth while keeping the existing management team in place. The partnership provides Calcium with financial backing to strengthen and expand its strategic, creative, and digital capabilities to better serve life-science clients.
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November 3, 2021
- Buyer
- Mentha
- Target
- Touch Incentive Marketing, Touch TVCC, Jibe Commerce
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Netherlands
- Type
- Growth capital
Mentha has invested to create Touch Network by merging Touch Incentive Marketing, Touch TVCC and Jibe Commerce into a single loyalty, incentive and promotions specialist. The investment will align the three businesses, support a buy-&-build strategy and international growth, with Dennis van den Berg named CEO of the combined group and Jibe founder Edwin Witvoet continuing to run Jibe's activities within Touch Network.
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October 28, 2021
- Buyer
- Netcapital Inc.
- Target
- Caesar Media Group, Inc.
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Netcapital Inc. acquired a 10% equity stake in Caesar Media Group, Inc., a marketing and technology solutions provider. The minority investment is intended to enable Caesar Media Group to provide lead generation, SEO, website development and other digital marketing services to Netcapital's private-company clients and strengthen marketing resources for Netcapital's platform users.
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October 20, 2021
- Buyer
- Trilantic North America
- Target
- WebFX
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Pennsylvania, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Trilantic North America has made a strategic minority growth investment in WebFX, a Pennsylvania-based, tech-enabled digital marketing services provider for premium SMBs. The capital will support WebFX’s expansion in talent, new services, geographic offices, technology, data analytics, and AI, and Trilantic partners will join WebFX’s board.
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- Buyer
- Clavis Capital Partners, Dobbs Management Services
- Target
- Click Here Digital
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Louisiana, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Clavis Capital Partners and Dobbs Management Services completed a strategic growth investment in Click Here Digital to support the agency’s expansion of personnel, technology and market penetration. Founder and CEO Bo White will remain in place as the partners help accelerate capability development and geographic and sector expansion.
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October 13, 2021
- Buyer
- RLH Equity Partners
- Target
- imre
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Maryland, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
RLH Equity Partners has made a growth investment in imre, a full-service digital marketing and communications agency, to support the firm's continued expansion and capability build-out. The partnership will provide imre with resources to scale expertise in areas such as data & analytics, omnichannel marketing, and public relations while supporting talent growth across its offices.
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September 28, 2021
- Buyer
- Livingbridge
- Target
- Venatus
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Type
- Growth capital
Livingbridge, a UK mid-market private equity firm, has invested in Venatus, a London-headquartered ad-tech platform specializing in gaming and entertainment audiences. The funding (via Livingbridge 7) will support Venatus’s international expansion—particularly in the US—and investment in its proprietary technology to scale publisher and advertiser relationships.
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September 28, 2021
- Buyer
- CIVC Partners, L.P., Stellus Capital Management, LLC
- Target
- 829 Studios
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Massachusetts, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Chicago-based private equity firm CIVC Partners has invested in Boston-based digital marketing agency 829 Studios, partnering with founders Peter Ross and Nick Riotto who will retain significant ownership and remain in management. Stellus Capital Management provided unitranche senior financing and an equity co-investment to support the transaction; the partnership is intended to accelerate 829's organic growth and support add-on acquisitions.
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September 21, 2021
- Buyer
- Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)
- Target
- ICR
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- New York, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) will acquire a significant stake in ICR, the Investcorp‑backed strategic communications and advisory firm, joining Investcorp and ICR management to support the company’s growth and global expansion. The transaction is intended to accelerate ICR’s organic growth and acquisition strategy; it remains subject to customary regulatory approvals.
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September 21, 2021
- Buyer
- Trinity Hunt Partners
- Target
- Exclusive Concepts
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Massachusetts, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Trinity Hunt Partners has partnered with Exclusive Concepts, a Burlington, Massachusetts–based digital marketing and advertising agency focused on eCommerce clients. The private equity firm will work with Exclusive's president, Scott Smigler (who remains a significant shareholder), to grow the business through investments in infrastructure, talent and add-on acquisitions to build a market-leading digital marketing platform.
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September 14, 2021
- Buyer
- Oakley Capital Origin Fund (Oakley Capital)
- Target
- Seedtag
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Community of Madrid, Spain
- Type
- Growth capital
Oakley Capital Origin Fund (Origin Fund) is investing $35 million to acquire a minority stake in Seedtag, a Madrid-founded leader in contextual advertising across EMEA and Latin America. The growth capital will support Seedtag's expansion into the United States and further investment in its contextual AI technology and product development.
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August 31, 2021
- Buyer
- Falfurrias Capital Partners
- Target
- H Code
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- California, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Falfurrias Capital Partners has made a growth capital investment in H Code, the largest multicultural digital media company in the U.S., to help scale the company’s content studio, publisher network, and intelligence center. As part of the investment, Falfurrias executive Alexander Jutkowitz will join H Code as Executive Chairman and Ad Council CEO Lisa Sherman will join the board; Canaccord Genuity served as financial advisor to H Code.
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August 12, 2021
- Buyer
- Apiary Capital
- Target
- MediaSense
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Type
- Growth capital
Apiary Capital has completed a growth investment in MediaSense, the UK-based technology-enabled media advisor. The investment will fund MediaSense’s expansion—particularly into Asia and the United States—and support capability and team investment to scale its advisory and technology offering.
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August 11, 2021
- Buyer
- Erie Street, Origami Capital Partners
- Target
- Trailer Park Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- California, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Trailer Park Group, a Hollywood-based entertainment marketing and content production company, received a growth investment from Erie Street and private equity firm Origami Capital Partners. The capital will support production innovation, international expansion, and technology investments while Trailer Park retains its name and CEO Rick Eiserman remains in place.
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August 9, 2021
- Buyer
- H.I.G. Capital
- Target
- The Bluebird Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Minnesota, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
An affiliate of H.I.G. Capital has made an equity investment in The Bluebird Group, a Minneapolis-based retail services and consulting firm. The investment will support Bluebird's expansion and development of next-generation digital insights and analytics to enhance services for consumer brands.
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- Buyer
- Clarion Capital Partners, Five Points Capital, PennantPark Investment Advisers, Stellus Capital Management
- Target
- Ad.net, Inc.
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- California, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Clarion Capital Partners completed a strategic growth investment in Ad.net, a Los Angeles-based provider of digital performance advertising. Financing for the transaction included unitranche and other debt from PennantPark Investment Advisers, Stellus Capital Management and Five Points Capital (which also made an equity co-investment); Ad.net's CEO and founder Jon Waterman retained a significant ownership stake and will remain CEO.
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- Buyer
- Cohere Capital
- Target
- iPromote
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- California, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Cohere Capital, a Boston-based private equity firm, made a strategic growth investment in iPromote, an omni-channel digital advertising platform based in San Luis Obispo, California. The capital will support product enhancements and deeper penetration of the underserved SMB digital advertising market through additional channel and agency partnerships.
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June 21, 2021
- Buyer
- LDC
- Target
- Hybrid
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Type
- Growth capital
LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, has invested £13 million in Bristol-based digital media and marketing agency Hybrid to support organic growth and enable targeted acquisitions. Hybrid, which serves higher education institutions and global technology brands and employs more than 70 people across offices in Bristol, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney, will retain its management team while founder James Craven remains as a Board Director.
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June 7, 2021
- Buyer
- IK Investment Partners, Jonas Levin
- Target
- Mecenat Holding AB
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Västra Götaland County, Sweden
- Type
- Growth capital
Funds advised by IK Investment Partners will invest in Mecenat Holding AB alongside founder and CEO Jonas Levin; financial terms were not disclosed. Mecenat, a Gothenburg-based marketing technology platform serving more than 1.2 million students and young professionals across Sweden with 4,500+ vendor partners, will use the investment to further develop its technology and expand into complementary affinity groups.
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May 13, 2021
- Buyer
- RLH Equity Partners, Salesforce Ventures
- Target
- Astound Commerce
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Georgia, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
RLH Equity Partners has made a growth investment in Astound Commerce, a global provider of e-commerce and digital experience services. The investment will support Astound's continued expansion of its managed services and digital commerce capabilities across North America, Europe and the Middle East.
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May 12, 2021
- Buyer
- Boathouse Capital
- Target
- Choozle
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Colorado, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Boathouse Capital has completed a growth investment in Choozle, a self-service programmatic advertising platform. The capital will be used to drive customer and revenue growth via product innovation and accelerated sales and marketing efforts.
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May 10, 2021
- Buyer
- LDC
- Target
- Headland
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Type
- Growth capital
LDC has made a minority growth investment in Headland, a London-based communications agency that specialises in financial and corporate reputation, public affairs and campaigning. The investment will support Headland's organic growth and capability expansion; Headland employs 117 people and works with clients including Accenture, ASOS, Danone, eBay and TikTok. Terms were not disclosed.
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- Buyer
- Serata Capital Partners, Landon Capital Partners
- Target
- Fusion92
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Chicago-based, technology-enabled marketing firm Fusion92 has received a strategic investment from Austin-based private equity firm Serata Capital Partners in partnership with Boston-based family office Landon Capital Partners. The investment will support Fusion92’s organic growth and fund selective add-on acquisitions while the founding management team remains in place.
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April 7, 2021
- Buyer
- Horizon Capital
- Target
- The Marketing Practice
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Type
- Growth capital
London-based private equity firm Horizon Capital has made a significant investment in B2B marketing agency The Marketing Practice to support its account-based marketing, demand generation and data capabilities. The funding will be used to deepen the agency's technology and data expertise and support further global expansion across its offices in the UK, US, Germany and Australia.
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February 8, 2021
- Buyer
- Foresight Group
- Target
- Space 48 Limited
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- England, United Kingdom
- Type
- Growth capital
Foresight Group has made a growth investment in Space 48 Limited, a Manchester-based eCommerce agency, to support the business's next stage of growth while founder Jon Woodall remains involved. The investment will fund expansion of the sales team, go-to-market capabilities and exploration of international opportunities; Foresight is also appointing an industry Chair to support the business.
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- Buyer
- Insignia Capital Group
- Target
- Market Performance Group
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- New Jersey, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Insignia Capital Group completed an equity investment in Market Performance Group (MPG), a Princeton Junction-based omnichannel commerce and sales strategy provider for CPG brands. The investment will fund MPG’s organic growth and support acquisition-driven expansion while the existing leadership team remains in place to continue operations.
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January 12, 2021
- Buyer
- Stella Point Capital
- Target
- Velir
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Massachusetts, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
New York-based private equity firm Stella Point Capital made a significant equity investment in Boston-based digital agency Velir to accelerate the agency's growth strategy. The capital will support capability expansion in data integration, personalization and experience design, regional expansion, and enable strategic future acquisitions while Velir's existing leadership team remains in place.
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January 6, 2021
- Buyer
- Abry Partners
- Target
- Freestar
- Seller
- Existing Freestar shareholders
- Industry
- Marketing & Advertising
- Location
- Arizona, United States
- Type
- Growth capital
Boston-based private equity firm Abry Partners made a strategic minority investment in Freestar, a Phoenix-area ad monetization and ad tech company. The growth capital will support Freestar's product and technology development, expansion of services to publishers, e-commerce sites and app developers, and pursuit of strategic acquisitions while existing shareholders retain majority ownership.
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