Yefira-The Marketshare

In this week's newsletter, we delve into the dynamic landscape of mergers and acquisitions, spotlighting three prominent narratives that are shaping the business landscape. Firstly, we zoom in on Canada, a hub of vibrant M&A activities this month. From Truelink Capital's acquisition of digital marketing platform Flipp Corporation to Plus Company's strategic takeover of Martech consultancy Munvo, Canadian businesses are displaying robust interest in expanding their digital capabilities and marketing expertise. These deals underscore Canada's flourishing market for innovation-driven acquisitions and its significance on the global M&A map. Furthermore, the media and entertainment industry is experiencing significant transformations through strategic acquisitions. Lionsgate's acquisition of production distribution firm Entertainment One (eOne) showcases the trend of media companies expanding their portfolios to create more comprehensive entertainment offerings. Blue Ant Media's acquisition of production company Marblemedia is another example of the ongoing efforts to strengthen media content and distribution capabilities. Lastly, we shift our focus to the Australian business landscape, where the Big 4 accounting firms are making waves through their active engagement in acquisitions. Ernst & Young's acquisition of creative solutions provider Future Friendly and Deloitte Australia's acquisition of cybersecurity firm ParaFlare underscore the Big 4s' strategic initiatives to bolster their service offerings. These deals reflect the concerted efforts of these influential players to diversify and enhance their value propositions in the evolving business environment.

Some recent highlights:

Singapore: Carlyle Acquires Minority Stake in Engineering Services Firm Quest Global

• Quest Global has 17,500 employees.
• Quest Global specialises in engineering, research and development services for the design, product development and operations of complex engineering systems.
• Carlyle Group will acquire a 28% stake in Quest Global for $500 million.
• As part of this transaction, current investors Bain Capital and Advent International will exit, meanwhile, Quest Global will repurchase its company shares and Ajit Prabhu, Chairman and CEO of Quest Global, will acquire an additional stake in the company.

USA: Cegeka Acquires Digital Transformation Consulting Computer Task Group (CTG)

• CTG has 3,600 employees.
• CTG provides information technology (IT) staffing and solutions primarily in North America and Europe.
• The acquisition bolsters Cegeka’s digital transformation capabilities and complements its customer and service portfolio.
• CTG share prices closed at $8.00 per share pre-news but jumped nearly 28% to reach $10.22 per share after news of the proposed acquisition broke.
• The deal is valued at $170 million, or 45% over CTG’s recent valuation pre-announcement.

Canada: Lionsgate Acquires Production-Distribution Firm Entertainment One (eOne)

• eOne has 1,050 employees.
• eOne specialises in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content.
• The eOne acquisition will allow Lionsgate to continue to scale its operations in the UK and Canada.
• eOne was put up for sale by toy manufacturer Hasbro last year, just three years after it acquired the TV and film company for $4bn.
• The deal is valued at $500m, comprised of $375m cash, subject to additional purchase price adjustments, and the assumption of production financing loans.

USA: MSCI Acquires Data and Analytics Provider The Burgiss Group?

• The Burgiss Group has 647 employees.
• The Burgiss Group develops products featuring portfolio monitoring, performance measurement, benchmarking, cash flow forecasting, document management, investor administration, and exposure analysis.
• The acquisition aims to provide MSCI with comprehensive data and deep expertise across all private assets, empowering investors to assess foundational data, gauge and compare performance, comprehend risk exposures, handle potential risks, and perform robust analytics.
• The deal reached a definitive agreement to be valued at $697 million for the remaining 66% of The Burgiss Group.

Canada: Truelink Capital Acquires Digital Marketing Platform Flipp Corporation?

• Flipp has 455 employees.
• Flipp specialises in retail technology, digital merchandising and online advertising.
• The company was acquired by Truelink Capital through an LBO.
• This transaction marks the third acquisition for Truelink, which was launched in 2022 to target companies in the industrial and tech-enabled services sectors.

Canada: Plus Company Acquires Martech Consultancy Munvo

• Munvo has 123 employees.
• Munvo provides martech-focused services in implementation, transformation, operations, and data and analytics.
• The acquisition aims to enhance Plus’s expertise in marketing technology and enterprise platforms.
• Munvo will retain its leadership, staff, and client roster.
• Plus Company’s network has 24 agencies and 3,000+ people spanning North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. Its notable companies include Cossette, We Are Social, and Jungle Media.

India: Logicserve Digital (LS Digital) Acquires Digital Marketing Services Provider Higa Digital (Social Panga)?

• Social Panga has 317 employees.
• Social Panga specialises in creative and digital strategy, analytics, SEO, branding, marketing communications, influencer management, consulting, and media planning and buying solutions.
• The acquisition aims to move LS Digital towards its aim of delivering a comprehensive array of services needed for the transformation of digital marketing, all within a single entity.
• This acquisition follows previous acquisitions of Langoor Digital and F1Studioz separately to achieve the same objectives of building an integrated marketing platform.

Israel: Check Point? Software Technologies Ltd. ?Acquires Network Security Platform Perimeter 81?

• Perimeter 81 has 228 employees.
• Perimeter 81 specialises in simplifying local networks, providing cloud infrastructures, and business applications.
• The acquisition aims to provide Check Point with the expertise to help organizations accelerate the adoption of secure access across remote users, sites, cloud, datacentres, and the internet and to deliver secure and fast SSE solutions.
• The deal is currently still in progress to date and under current terms of agreement, will be valued at US$490 million, on a cash-free, debt-free basis.

Saudi Arabia: Iot Squared Acquires IoT-based Solutions Provider Machinestalk

• Machinestalk has 273 employees.
• Machinestalk specialises in internet-of-things (IoT) platforms and services intended to maximize efficiency and reinforce scalability.
• The acquisition will add value for Iot Squared through Machinestalk’s field services capabilities, technology, proprietary IoT platforms, internal development capabilities, local and international partner and customer relationships.
• Iot Squared is a joint venture between Saudi Telecom Company and the Public Investment Fund.

USA: Thomson Reuters Corporation Acquires Legal Research Platform Casetext, Inc.?

• Casetext has 121 employees.
• Casetext specialises in utilising AI and machine learning to gain access to legal research, legal publishing, legal networking, and legal knowledge.
• The acquisition aims to support Thomas Reuters Corporation’s strategy to bring generative AI solutions to its clients through applications of generative AI.
• The deal was valued at $650 million.

USA: Sprout Social Acquires Influencer Marketing and Social Intelligence Platform Tagger Media?

• Tagger Media has 99 employees.
• Idea Marketing Group specialises in social and digital media intelligence and marketing intelligence, operations and analytics.
• The acquisition aims to accelerate Sprout Social’s Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) and Annual Contract Value (ACV) growth rates and deliver upside to its gross and operating margin expansion goals beginning in 2024.
• The deal was valued at $140 million, funded with a combination of cash from Sprout Social’s balance sheet and Sprout’s newly established revolving credit facility.

Canada: Blue Ant Media Acquires Production Company Marblemedia

• Marblemedia has 88 employees.
• Marblemedia develops, produces and distributes compelling TV and interactive digital content for audiences.
• The acquisition aims to create bigger creative projects at scale with IP and originals and consists of its sales division Distribution360, with nearly 2,000 hours of content and formats.
• Blue Ant also acquired Lilla Hurst and Ben Barrett’s UK-based firm Drive in 2022.
• The deal will see production companies Marblemedia, Blue Ant Studios, Saloon Media and Look Mom! Productions combined, while distributors Distribution360 and Blue Ant International will also merge operations.

UK: Ascential PLC Acquires Marketing Solutions Agency Contagious Communications?

• Contagious Communications has 57 employees.
• Contagious Communications specialises in brand content management, mobile marketing, social media advertising, brand communication, and consulting services.
• The acquisition aims to grant Warc access to market-leading events, subscription products and advisory services.
• The company was acquired by Warc, a subsidiary of Ascential PLC.

Australia: Ernst & Young, Australia Acquires Creative Solutions Provider Future Friendly?

• Future Friendly has 41 employees.
• Future Friendly specialises in providing strategic design, product design and development and business case solutions.
• The acquisition aims to enhance EY’s ability to provide clients with the relevant industry knowledge and technical experience they require to address their transformation challenges.
• Future Friendly will join the EY Australia team to lead the new business transformation offering.

Australia: Deloitte Australia Acquires Cybersecurity Firm ParaFlare

• ParaFlare has 80 employees.
• ParaFlare is a specialist Managed Detection and Incident Response provider servicing Federal Government, Critical Infrastructure and Financial Service sectors.
• The acquisition bolsters Deloitte Australia’s active cyber defence capability.
• Last year, Deloitte bought Sydney-based cyber security company Hacktive, which targets the financial services, health, utilities, retail and public sectors.

UK: Digital Media Stream Acquires Digital Marketing Agency Bespoke

• Bespoke has 38 employees.
• Bespoke specialises in B2B performance websites & ongoing marketing for service & manufacturing sectors.
• The acquisition aims to bolster DMS’ specialist digital lead generation capabilities in England.
• Digital Media Stream doubles in size with the acquisition.

USA: CloudMellow Acquires Advertising and Marketing Services Agency Idea Marketing Group?

• Idea Marketing Group has 11 employees.
• Idea Marketing Group specialises in web design and marketing strategies such as search engine marketing, content creation, blogging, social media, pay-per-click and email marketing.
• The acquisition aims to serve as a collaboration to strengthen their capabilities around SEO and SEM and collectively provide niche enterprise digital solutions to their clients.
• The Key Principal of Idea Marketing Group will remain on board together with the team of developers, designers, project managers and digital marketers.

USA: Rael & Letson Acquires Strategic Communications Agency Aukema & Associates?

• Aukema & Associates has 5 employees.
• Aukema & Associates specialises in web design, brand strategy, marketing services and strategic communications planning.
• The acquisition aims to expand Rael & Letson’s range of services and further build communications practices.

The team will operate as a division of Rael & Letson under the same name Aukema & Associates.

Let us be the bridge to your success. Claim your 1-hour complimentary introduction session today and unlock your full potential. Contact us at?[email protected]