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
 
FUND RAISING 
Database Reference:  F231109-286
 
Business:  Grapeshot
Web:  http://www.grapeshot.co.uk
Location:  United Kingdon, London & Cambridge
Region:  Europe
Business description:  Grapeshot has a technology that can go into a page and pick out the significant words. Instead of manually assigning categories to different parts of the publisher’s site, which is a very time consuming process, Grapeshot has an automatic way to unpick the right words in a page and effectively target advertising to that context.

Category: Search, Advertising
Contact:  Dr. Martin Porter, founder and Chief Scientist
 
Investors:  IQ Capital Partners http://www.iqcapitalfund.co.uk  Tim Schoonmaker (Odeon Cinemas CEO and Emap board member) and a group of angel investors.
  
Amount raised:  £1,500,000
 
Details:  Grapeshot has raised £1.5 million. Tim Schoonmaker, joins the Grapeshot board.

Link:  paidContent

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:  F231109-263
 
Acquirer:  Dennis Publishing
ACQ Web:  http://www.dennis.co.uk
Location:  United Kingdom, London
Region:  Europe
Description:  Independent publisher, founded in 1974. The group consists of a number of operating companies in both the UK and USA.
Category:  Media Owner
Contact 1:  Felix Dennis, Chairman
Contact 2:  James Tye, Chief Executive
Contact 3:  Brett Reynolds, Chief Operating Officer
Contact 4: Ian Leggett, Group Finance Director

Vendor:  The Golden Gate Production Co/ Land Rover Monthly
Vendor Web:  http://www.lrm.co.uk/
Location:  United Kingdom, Suffolk
Region:  Europe
Description:  Specialist car magazine and website. Land Rover Monthly also hosts the annual LANDROVERmax! Show.
Category: Media owner
Contact 1:  Cathie Howell-Thomas, Publishing director and co owner
Contact 2:  Richard Howell-Thomas, Editorial director and co owner

Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Details:  Dennis Publishing, owner of Auto Express, evo, Octane and iMotor has bought Land Rover Monthly. Owners Cathie Howell-Thomas, Publishing director,  Richard Howell-Thomas, Editorial director will remain with the business and the editorial, advertising and events team will be hired as Dennis Publishing employees and will continue to work in their Suffolk premises for the time being.
 
Link: Press Release

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:  F231109-262
 
Acquirer:  iLocal
ACQ Web:  http://www.ilocal.nl/
Location:  Netherlands
Region:  Europe
Description:  Web-based listings service for Holland and Belgium – lists shops, professionals, products and brands in a local area
Category:  Directory 
 
Vendor:  Tom Tom
Vendor Web:  http://www.tomtom.com/
Location:  Netherlands, Amsterdam
Region:  Europe
Category: Satellite Navigation

Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Details:  TomTom is buying ilocal, a business directory in its native Holland that also operates in Belgium. No price disclosed.
 
Link: Press Release on Trading Markets

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:  F231109-261
 
Acquirer:  Independent News and Media – disposal of its 49% interest in Verivox Holdings Limited
ACQ Web:  http://www.verivox.de/
Location:  Germany, Berlin / Ireland, Dublin
Region:  Europe
Description:  Online price comparator for energy and telecom services
Category:  Price comparison
Contact 1:  Gavin O’Reilly, CEO Independent News & Media
Contact 2:  Vincent Crowley, Chief Operating Officer Independent News & Media
Contact 3:  Dónal Buggy, Chief operating officer Independent News & Media
 
Vendor:  VVX Investments Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oakley Capital Private Equity LP
Vendor Web:  http://www.oakleycapital.com
Location:  United Kingdom, London
Region:  Europe 
Category: Private Equity
 
Aprox. Value:  The Transaction will realise gross cash proceeds of €18.3 million, including repayment by Verivox to INM of a €2.3 million loan prior to 31 March, 2010, with an additional €1 million additional consideration payable in 2010 conditional on Verivox achieving targeted EBITDA for 2009. The initial net proceeds of the Transaction will be approximately €16 million and will be used to pay down senior debt. The remaining net proceeds of €2.3 million will be received during 2010 assuming certain conditions are met.
 
Details:  Independent News & Media PLC has completed the disposal of its 49% interest in Verivox Holdings Limited a German online price comparator for energy and telecom services, to VVX Investments Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oakley Capital Private Equity LP.

The completion of the disposal of Verivox, together with that of INM Outdoor (expected to occur this month) will bring the total proceeds raised from disposals by INM in 2009 to approximately €150 million, fulfilling the target originally set out by the Company earlier this year to raise that amount for deleveraging purposes by means of the divestiture of non-strategic core assets or of those assets whose disposal will not impact adversely on the existing operating divisions.

This disposal strategy, together with the anticipated completion later this month of the Group’s Restructuring allows the INM Group to retain the global diversity and strong multi-media mix of the Group, while providing a stable and secure financial platform, with a combined €350 million reduction in debt, from which to leverage the Group’s businesses as economic conditions recover.

Consolidated profit before tax of the Verivox Group for the year ended 31 December 2008 was €87,000. The gross assets of the Verivox Group as at 31 December 2008 were approximately €27.5 million.
 
Link: London Stock Exchange

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:  F231109-269
 
Business:  Cler2Pay NV
Web:  http://www.clear2pay.com
Location:  Belgium, Brussels
Region:  Europe
Business description:  A financial services technology company that delivers global solutions for secure and timely electronic payments
Category: Technology: Financial Services
Contact 1:  Michel Akkermans, Chairman and CEO of Clear2Pay
Contact 2:  Jurgen Ingels, Clear2Pay Co-founder and CFO
Investors:  Aquiline Capital Partners LLC (“Aquiline”)
Contact:  Jeff Greenberg, Chief Executive of Aquiline 
 
Amount raised:  $50,000,000
 
Details:  Aquiline Capital Partners LLC (“Aquiline”), a New York-based private equity firm investing in the financial services sector has led an investment round in Clear2Pay NV (“Clear2Pay”), a financial services technology company that delivers global solutions for secure and timely electronic payments. The investment, which also includes funds from current Clear2Pay investors, will provide the company with €50 million to fund its next stage of growth and potential strategic acquisitions.

Link:  Press Release