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:  F231109-345
 
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

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:  F231109-342
 
Business:  BrightRoll
Web:  http://www.brightroll.com
Other Web Links: Blog
Location:  USA, San Francisco, CA
Region:  North America
Business description:  Video advertising network, helps major brands and agencies execute “smart video ad campaigns” across the industry’s leading publishers, including three-fourths of the top 100 online media properties in the United States
Category: Advertising, Video
Contact 1:  Tod M. Sacerdoti Chief Executive Officer
Contact 2:  Dru Nelson Chief Technical Officer
Contact 3:  Rob Theis, Managing Director, Scale Venture Partners (joins the board) 
 
Investors:  Led by Scale Venture Partners. Existing investors True Ventures, Adams Street Capital and KPG Ventures also participated in this funding round.
Amount raised:  $10,000,000 
 
Details:  BrightRoll has secured $10M in Series C financing bringing the company’s total venture funding to $16M since its launch in July 2006. The company, which also announced today that it has been profitable for nearly the entire last 12 months, will use this round of financing to expand its technology platform, worldwide advertiser and publisher operations, and increase its leadership position in the U.S. BrightRoll also announced today that Rob Theis, Managing Director with Scale Venture Partners, has joined the board.

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:  F231109-341
 
Business:  Glam Media
Web:  http://www.GlamMedia.com
Other Web Links: Twitter
Location:  USA, Brisbane, CA
Region:  North America
Business description:  Glam Media describes itself asa vertical media company that connects brand advertisers with targeted vertical audiences online.  It has has over 1,400 publishers organized in vertical networks: Glam.com for Women, Brash.com for Men and Tinker.com for real-time Social Media.
Category: Media, Advertising
Contact 1:  Samir Arora, Founder, Chairman and CEO
Contact 2:  Fernando Ruarte, Co-Founder, CTO and EVP Engineering
Contact 3:  Raj Narayan, Co-Founder, Architect and VP, Engineering
Contact 4:  Ernie Cicogna, Co-Founder, EVP Glam Global Partners
Contact 5:  Stephen Recht, CFO
Contact 6:  Dr. Marcel Reichart, Managing Director of DLD Ventures

Investors:  Led by Aeris CAPITAL with existing Glam Media Series D Investors Burda Digital Holding—the digital arm of Hubert Burda Media—and Mizuho Capital participating.
 
Round:  Series E round
Amount raised:  $50,000,000
 
Details:  Glam Media, Inc. has raised approximately $50 million in a private equity mezzanine funding. The new funding will be used to open a Digital Media Technology Center, invest in new International markets, launch new Audience-based Vertical Channels, do strategic M&A to build the Glam Media Platform and build an alternative to portals for top brand advertisers.It is thought by some commentators that the values the company at $750 million.

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:  F231109-341
 
Business:  BlueKai
Web:  http://www.bluekai.com
Other Web Links: 
Location:  USA, Seattle, WA
Region:  North America
Business description:  Online intent data exchange to better connect advertisers with their target consumers online. BlueKai aggregates shopping and research activities across the Internet, offering non-personally identifiable actionable data to marketers, ad networks, and publishers on over 200 million retail, travel, auto, education and financial product shoppers online.
Category: Marketing, Market Research
Contact 1:  Omar Tawakol, CEO of BlueKai
Contact 2:  Jeff Richards, Partner at GGV Capital
 
Investors:  Led by GGV Capital www.ggvc.com  (formerly Granite Global Ventures). The round includes investments from existing investors Redpoint Ventures www.redpoint.com and Battery Ventures www.battery.com .

Amount raised:  $13,700,000
 
Details:  BlueKai has closed a C round of financing .  The company had previously raised a total of $13.7 million in two rounds of funding from Redpoint and Battery. As part of the current funding round, BlueKai added Jeff Richards, Partner at GGV Capital, to its Board of Directors.
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:  F231109-340
 
Business:  yodle
Web:  http://www.yodle.com
Other Web Links: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube
Location:  USA, New York, NY
Region:  North America
Business description:  Provider of local online advertising and lead generation services
Category: Advertising
Contact:  Court Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer
 
Investors:  Led by JAFCO Ventures and joined by Bessemer Venture Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth 
 
Amount raised:  $10,000,000 
 
Details:  Yodle has completed a $10 million Series D funding round. The round brings Yodle’s total financing to $38 million. The investment will be used for increased investment in innovation and new product launches to be announced in the coming months.

Link:  Press Release