Block Acquires Music-Fintech Startup Hifi

Block, Inc. (Square) Completes Acquisition of Afterpay Limited

January 31, 2022

Payments & Fintech

Block, Inc. (formerly Square, Inc.) has completed its acquisition of Afterpay Limited via a court-approved scheme of arrangement, bringing Afterpay's buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) capabilities into Block's Square and Cash App ecosystems. Afterpay co-founders joined Block to lead merchant and consumer businesses, and Block plans to integrate Afterpay to enable BNPL at checkout, deepen Cash App functionality, and drive growth for merchants and consumers.

Music Reports Acquires Blokur

January 31, 2024

Media & Entertainment

Music Reports, Inc. has acquired London-based music licensing and metadata specialist Blokur to integrate Blokur’s data-matching technology into Music Reports’ Songdex/Cuetrak rights-administration platform. The deal—announced Jan. 31, 2024—expands Music Reports’ capabilities for matching, registrations, and reporting across streaming, gaming, fitness and other digital platforms; Music Reports is a portfolio company of MidOcean Partners.

Piano Acquires SocialFlow

February 10, 2022

Marketing & Advertising

Piano, the Digital Experience Cloud, has acquired SocialFlow, a social distribution and marketing platform for publishers and media companies. The cash purchase (funded by Updata Partners, Rittenhouse Ventures and Sixth Street) will integrate SocialFlow’s social distribution, publishing and paid-social capabilities into Piano’s customer journey and digital experience platform to better connect social engagement to on-site revenue.

Hg Acquires Majority Stake in Fonds Finanz

December 10, 2021

Financial Services

Hg has made a majority investment in Fonds Finanz, a Munich-based tech-enabled financial intermediary pool serving insurance brokers, distributors and banks across Germany. The partnership will fund further technology investment, capability expansion into additional customer segments and potential add-on acquisitions to broaden Fonds Finanz's service offering.

Imagesound Acquires Freedom Music

February 19, 2019

Media & Entertainment

ECI-backed Imagesound Group has acquired the assets of Hampshire-based Freedom Music, a specialist provider of 'Rights Included' in-store music used by retailers and quick-service restaurants. The acquisition is Imagesound's second add-on since ECI partnered with the business in 2016 and is intended to broaden Imagesound's music licensing and in-store audio offering for clients such as B&M, Booker and Burger King.

BILL Acquires Finmark

November 3, 2022

Cloud & SaaS

BILL (Bill.com) has acquired Finmark, a provider of financial planning and analysis and cash‑flow forecasting software for small and midsize businesses. The acquisition adds FP&A, planning and cash‑flow analytics capabilities to BILL’s financial operations platform to help SMBs and accounting firms gain deeper, real‑time insight into cash flow and forecasting.