Fusion Corporate Partners

The Fusion Team have completed over 70 digital and media transactions for its private, corporate and private equity clients. For more information contact pkelly@fusioncorp.co.uk or visit our website
 
 
ACQUISITION 
FDN Database Reference:  F231109-321
 
Acquirer:   Morningstar

• Corporate website
• Customer website
• Nasdaq: MORN

Head Office: USA, Chicago, IL 
Region:  North America
Description:  Morningstar is a  provider of independent investment research. The company has an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 325,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 4 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. The company has operations in 20 countries and minority ownership positions in companies based in two other countries.
Category:  Finance
Contact 1:  Kunal Kapoor, president of individual investor software
Contact 2:  Joe Mansueto, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Vendor:  Financial Fineprint
Vendor Web:  http://www.footnoted.org
Other Web Links: Twitter
Location:  USA, Peekskill, NY
Region:  North America
Business Sold: Footnoted.org
Description:  Footnoted.org was founded in 2003 by Michelle Leder, author and journalist. Footnote provides SEC filing information, such as evidence of aggressive accounting, excessive compensation, questionable self-dealing that can indicate more serious problems at a company. Footnoted’s free site is read by professional money managers and analysts, as well as sophisticated individual investors. Footnoted Pro provides insight on actionable items and trends in filings to institutional investors, such as hedge fund firms, that
Category: Finance
Contact:  Michelle Leder, founder
  
Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Details:  Morningstar has acquired the Footnoted business of Financial Fineprint Inc. The acquisition includes the Footnoted.org website and the Footnoted Pro service.
 
Link: Company Announcement

The Fusion Team have completed over 70 digital and media transactions for its private, corporate and private equity clients. For more information contact pkelly@fusioncorp.co.uk or visit our website
 
 
FUND RAISING 
Database Reference:  F231109-346
 
Business:  Doostang
Web:  http://www.doostang.com
Other Web Links: Blog, Twitter
Location:  USA, Palo Alto, CA
Region:  North America
Business description:  Career community website that helps  young professionals find jobs.
Category: Recruitment
Contact 1:  Chuck Taylor, Chief Executive Officer
Contact 2:  Mareza Larizadeh, Founder  
 
Investors:  Shasta Ventures    

Amount raised:  $1,250,000
 
Details:  Job network Doostang has raised $1.25 million from Shasta Ventures bring its totlaa fnd raising to $5.25 million since being founded in 2005.
  
 Related DigiNet entry 

• Monster Worldwide acquires the assets of Yahoo! HotJobs for $225 million
   

Links

• paidContent.org | Career Site Doostang Gets $1.25 Million
• ‎OJO paidContent.org | Doostang consigue 1,25M
• VentureBeat | Doostang hangs tough with the competition, lands $1.25M

The Fusion Team have completed over 70 digital and media transactions for its private, corporate and private equity clients. For more information contact pkelly@fusioncorp.co.uk or visit our website
 
 
FUND RAISING 
Database Reference:  F231109-345
 
Business:  Ranker
Web:  http://www.ranker.com
Other Web Links: Twitter 
Location:  USA, Los Angeles, CA
Region:  North America
Business description:  Website which allows users to create their own lists, and share them with friends. According to their FAQ’s, the end goal is to produce a ‘wikipedia of opinions’.
Category: Consumer website
Contact:  Clark Benson, CEO/Founder
  
Investors:  Led by Siemer Venture Capital and includes a group of angels affiliated with eCrush, the business Clark Benson (Ranker founder) sold eCrush to Hearst Media in 2006.
  
Amount raised:  $750,000  
 
Details:  Ranker.com has raised $750,000 as part of a planned $1M funding effort. The first $1,000,000 raised came from company founder Clark Benson and brings the total raised to $1.75M.

Links

• socialtech.com |Ranker Gets $750K
• VentureBeat | Damian Rollison |Ranker nets $750K in seed money

The Fusion Team have completed over 70 digital and media transactions for its private, corporate and private equity clients. For more information contact pkelly@fusioncorp.co.uk or visit our website
 
 
FUND RAISING 
Database Reference:  F231109-344
 
Business:  Scrapblog
Web:  http://www.scrapblog.com/
Other Web Links: Blog  Twitter  Facebook
Location:  USA, San Francisco, CA
Region:  North America
Business description:  Turns your photos into a personalised scrapbook
Category: Consumer website
Contact 1:  Jill Braff, CEO & President
Contact 2:  Carlos García, Founder

Investo:  Steamboat Ventures
 
Round:  Series B
Amount raised:  $2,500,000 
 
Details:  Scrapblog has raised $2.5 million in series B funding from Disney’s Steamboat Ventures

Links

• VentureBeat | Scrapblog raises $2.5M for online scrapbooking  
• San Francisco Business Times | Patrick Hoge  ‎| Scrapblog Inc. raises $2.5M
• paidContent.org | Scrapblog Gets $2.5 Million More From Steamboat Ventures
• Digital Media Wire | Mark Hefflinger | Scrapblog Gets $2.5 Million for Online Scrapbook Creation
• TechCrunch (blog) | Scrapblog Raises Another $2.5 Million For Online Scrapbooking

The Fusion Team have completed over 70 digital and media transactions for its private, corporate and private equity clients. For more information contact pkelly@fusioncorp.co.uk or visit our website
 

FUND RAISING 
Database Reference:  F231109-343
 
Business:  Markit
Web:  http://www.markit.com
Other Web Links: 
Location:  UK, London
Region:  Europe
Business description:  Markit is a leading, global financial information services company with over 1,400 employees. The company provides independent data, valuations and trade processing across all asset classes in order to enhance transparency, reduce risk and improve operational efficiency.
Category: Market Data
Contact 1:  Lance Uggla, Chief Executive Officer, co-founder
Contact 2:  Kevin Gould, President – Markit North America, Global Head of Fixed Income and Structured Products, co-founder
Contact 3:  Chip Carver, Chief Operating Officer 
Contact 4:  Roy Flint, Global Head of Infrastructure
Contact 5:  Rony Grushka, Chief Financial Officer, co-founder
Contact 6:  Bill Ford, CEO of General Atlantic

Investors:  General Atlantic
Amount raised:  $250,000 for a 7.5% equity stake
 
Details:  Markit, a leading, global financial information services company, today announced that global growth investor General Atlantic (GA) has agreed to make a substantial equity investment in Markit. According to Wall Street Journal a 7.5% stake for $250 million. According to a Financial Times story dated 29th October 2009, the company reported 2008 revenues of $348.1m and is believed to have seen that rise more than 25 per cent this year.

Links:  

• Markit Press Release
• General Atlantic Press Release
  

Recent acquisition activity

13/10/2010 – Markit Completes Acquisition of ClearPar 
Markit has completed its acquisition of ClearPar.  ClearPar is an automated syndicated loan operations platform used for the settlement of par and distressed loan trades in the U.S. and Europe. The ClearPar business, which will be rebranded in due course, will operate from Markit’s offices in London, New York City and Valley Cottage, NY.

The Fusion Team have completed over 70 digital and media transactions for its private, corporate and private equity clients. For more information contact pkelly@fusioncorp.co.uk or visit our website

 
ACQUISITION 
FDN Database Reference:  F231109-318
 
Acquirer:  Monster Worldwide
ACQ Web:  http://www.Monster.com
Other Web Links: Twitter, Facebook 
Location:  USA, Maynard, MA
Region:  North America
Description:  Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: MWW) is the  parent company of Monster®, the global online employment solution. Has a local presence in key markets in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Category:  Recruitment
Contact:  Sal Iannuzzi, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Monster Worldwide
 
Vendor:  Yahoo!
Vendor Web:  http://www.yahoo.com
Other Web Links: 
Location:  USA, Sunnyvale, CA
Region:  North America
Business Sold: Yahoo! HotJobs
Description:  Online employment solutions recruitment and advice
Category: Recruitment
Contact 1:  Hilary Schneider, EVP, Yahoo!
Contact 2:  Carol Bartz, CEO
Contact 3:  Roy J. Bostock, Chairman
 
Aprox. Value:  $225,000,000
 
Details:  Monster Worldwide has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of Yahoo! HotJobs for $225 million in cash. Monster and Yahoo! have also entered into a three year commercial traffic agreement, to take effect upon the closing of the acquisition, in which Monster will become Yahoo!’s provider of career and job content on the Yahoo! homepage in the United States and Canada. The traffic agreement calls for performance based annual payments calculated by clicks and expressions of interest, subject to annual floors and ceilings. In addition, the traffic agreement provides Monster with an exclusive right for a period of time following the closing of the acquisition to negotiate similar traffic agreements with Yahoo! properties on a global basis, including countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America, subject to certain limitations. The transaction is subject to clearance under Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is currently expected to close sometime during the third quarter of 2010, subject to regulatory review. Monster expects to realize operating synergies from the acquisition and currently anticipates the transaction will be breakeven on a pro forma full year earnings in 2010 and accretive thereafter, inclusive of the costs incurred under the traffic agreement.
 
Link: Press Release
 
Advisors:  Stone Key Partners LLC and Bank of America Merrill Lynch acted as financial advisors to Monster in connection with this transaction. Allen & Company LLC provided a fairness opinion to Monster’s Board.
 
Related DigiNet Article: The Yahoo!/Maktoob acquisition deal has officially closed