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:  F231109-300
 
Business:  Zulily
Web:  http://www.zulily.com
Location:  USA, Seattle, WA
Region:  North America
Business description:  New online store offering daily sales on apparel, gear and other goodies for mothers, babies and children. Members can enjoy big savings off retail prices. Zulily will go into beta in Q1, 2010 and membership is free.
Category: Retail
Contact 1:  Darrell Cavens, CEO
 
Investors:  Led by Maveron

Amount raised:  £4,600,000
 
Details:  Zulily has raised $4.6 million in a round led by Maveron LLC, the consumer-focused venture capital firm formed by former investment banker Dan Levitan and Starbucks’ chief executive Howard Schultz. Led by Blue Nile veterans Darrell Cavens and Mark Vadon, Zulily will use the funds to create a significant online private-sale retail e-commerce business focused on kids, babies and busy mothers.

Link:  Interview with Darrell Cavens,ceo of Zulily

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:  F231109-303
 
Business:  appolicious
Web:  http://www.appolicious.com
Location:  USA, Chicago, IL
Region:  North America
Business description:  Directory of mobile phone aps
Category: Directory
Contact:  Alan Warms, founder
  
Investors:  Apex Venture Partners and James Crouthamel, the founder of Performics. (According to TechCrunch )  
Amount raised:  $2,069,485
 
Details:  Appolicious (apps directory) has raised $2 million according to an SEC filing.  Previously $500K was rised on in seed funding from Apex.

Link:  Regulatory filing

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:  F231109-294
 
Business:  Kobo
Web:  http://www.kobobooks.com
Location:  Canada, Toronto
Region:  North America
Business description:  global eReading service with a catalog of over 2 million eBooks, and an open platform.
Category: eReading
Contact 1:  Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo
Contact 2:  Heather Reisman, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Indigo Books & Music
Contact 3:  Ron Marshall, Chief Executive Officer, Borders Group
Contact 4:  David Fenlon, chief executive officer, REDgroup Retail
  
Investors:  Indigo Books & Music (who will retain approximately 58% ownership of Kobo), Borders Group, Inc., Instant Fame, a subsidiary of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. of Hong Kong, and REDGroup Retail Pty Ltd. of Australia.
 
Amount raised:  $16,000,000
 
Details:  Indigo Books & Music, Canada’s largest book retailer, has transferred all the assets of Shortcovers, its digital reading initiative, into a new company, Kobo. Kobo has secured $16 million in funding including $5 million from Indigo and other strategic partners.

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:  F231109-273
 
Acquirer:  Definition 6
ACQ Web:  http://www.definition6.com
Location:  USA, Atlanta
Region:  North America
Description:  Interactive marketing agency
Category:  Advertising, PR
Contact:  Michael Kogon, founder and CEO
 
Vendor:  Leach Communications
Vendor Web:  http://www.leachcommunications.com
Location:  USA, New York, NY
Region:  North America
Description:  Public relations and Web services firm
Category: PR
Contact:  Alfred Leach, founder and president
 
Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Details:  Definition 6 has acquired the assets of Leach Communications. The transaction enables Definition 6 to integrate public relations into its delivery of integrated interactive marketing services. Upon completion of the transaction, Alfred Leach, LEACH founder and president, will lead Definition 6’s National Public Relations & Communications discipline.
 
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
 
FUND RAISING 
Database Reference:  F231109-293
 
Business:  Ace Metrix
Web:  http://www.acemetrix.com
Location:  USA, Los Angeles, CA
Region:  North America
Business description:  Online television advertising analytics
Category: Advertising, Market research
Contact:  Steve Goldman, co-founder and CEO
 
Investors:  Led by Leapfrog Ventures  . Existing investors Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and Palomar Ventures also participated in the funding.
 
Round:  Round B
Amount raised:  $6,000,000  
 
Details:  Ace Metrix has raised $6.0 million in a B round of financing, led by Leapfrog Ventures. The new funds will be used to expand sales and marketing of the company’s online television advertising effectiveness measurement service.Pete Sinclair, co-director at Leapfrog Ventures, will join the board of directors of Ace Metrix.

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:  F231109-271
 
Acquirer:  Rentrak Corporation
ACQ Web:  http://www.rentrak.com/
Location:  USA, Portland, OR
Region:  North America
Description:  Media measurement and research company
Category:  Market Research
Contact 1:  Bill Livek, Chief Executive Officer, Rentrak
Contact 2:  Ron Giambra, Executive Vice President, Rentrak 
 
Vendor:  The Nielsen Company / Nielsen EDI
Vendor Web:  http://www.nielsen.com
Location:  USA, New York & Los Angeles
Region:  North AmericaDescription:  Global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications.   Nielsen EDI provides measurement, information and research solutions for the motion picture industry
Category: Media, Market Research
Contact:  Eric Weinberg, President, Nielsen Entertainment
  
Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Details:  Rentrak Corporation and The Nielsen Company have announced that the companies have signed a definitive agreement under which Rentrak will acquire Nielsen EDI from The Nielsen Company. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first calendar quarter of 2010, is subject, in some jurisdictions, to consultation with employee representative bodies and other regulatory requirements. As part of the transaction, Nielsen will also enter into a long term data license agreement with Rentrak for continued access to certain box office sales information for certain of its existing products and services that currently use or feature such data.Nielsen EDI will be integrated into Rentrak’s AMI division.
 
Link: Press Release

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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:  F231109-289
 
Business:  AlikeList
Web:  http://www.alikelist.com
Location:  USA, Sunnyvale.CA
Region:  North America
Business description:  A social-local platform for listing, referring and discovering trusted local businesses
Category: Social Network : Directory
Contact 1:  Jim Delli Santi, co-founder and CEO
Contact 2:  Mark Law, vice president of product development
Contact 3:  Tony Thomas, General Partner, Syncom
Contact 4:  Stan Smith, Principal, Syncom
 
Investors:   Syncom Venture Partners 
 
Round:  Round A
Amount raised:  $5,000,000
 
 
Details:  AlikeList has received $5 million in Series A funding from Syncom Venture Partners. The financing will be used for product development, to build the AlikeList user base and to expand the company’s executive team. Concurrent with the funding, Syncom’s General Partner Tony Thomas and Principal Stan Smith will join AlikeList’s Board of Directors. Also, Mark Law will head up product development.

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
 
FUND RAISING 
Database Reference:  F231109-291
 
Business:  Article One Partners
Web:  http://www.articleonepartners.com/
Location:  USA, New York, NY
Region:  North America
Business description:  Article One Partners is a global online community that legitimizes the validity of patents.

Category: Database, IP
Contact 1:  Paul DiGiammarino, President
Contact 2:  Ray Felts, Chief Operating Officer
 
Investors:  General Catalyst Partners and other undisclosed  

Round:  Round A
Amount raised:  $3,000,000 (more than) 
 
Details:  Article One Partners has closed a Series A round of private equity funding that coincides with the appointment of Paul DiGiammarino as President and Ray Felts as Chief Operating Officer. With the completion of this round, Article One has raised more than $3 million. Through its founding sponsorship of the Startup 2009 NYC competition, General Catalyst Partners has become an investor as well.

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:  F231109-270
 
Acquirer:  United Business Media Limited on behalf of PR Newswire
ACQ Web:  http://www.prnewswire.com
Location:  USA, New York, NY
Region:  North America
Description:  Communications and marketing services, enabling organizations to connect and engage with their target audiences worldwide.
Category:  Media
Contact:  David Levin, Chief Executive Officer 
 
Vendor:  Virtual Press Office
Vendor Web:  http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/
Location:  USA, Montclair, NJ
Region:  North America
Description:  VPO is the market-leading provider of communications and marketing services to live event organisers, exhibitors and attendees. VPO was established in 1996 and now serves more than 500 tradeshows and conferences and 10,000 customers worldwide. VPO provides a range of tools and services designed to support all aspects of event marketers’ tradeshow communications, from building online press kits to direct email marketing, to social media outreach and analysis through its recently launched EventBuzz social media analytics capability.
Category: PR : Communications
Contact 1:  Peter Brand, chief executive officer
Contact 2:  Tom Cherry, chief operating officer
 
Aprox. Value:  An initial cash consideration of $6.5m, with a further performance-related consideration of up to $3.5m payable over three years. (VPO is expected to generate revenue of around $2.2m in 2009)
 
Details:  United Business Media Limited today announces that it has acquired Virtual Press Office (VPO) from its private shareholders on behalf of PR Newswire. VPO’s co-founders, Peter Brand, chief executive officer, and Tom Cherry, chief operating officer, will join PR Newswire to lead the integrated Global Events team.
 
Link: Press Release