FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Simpli.fi, the programmatic advertising platform that delivers localization and personalization at scale, announced today that GTCR, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago, Illinois, will acquire a majority stake in the company.
The investment from GTCR, along with additional capital that GTCR expects to commit to fund organic growth initiatives and future acquisitions, positions Simpli.fi well to continue to deliver the functionality, training and support that local advertisers need.
Co-founders Frost Prioleau (CEO) and Paul Harrison (CTO) and the rest of the Simpli.fi management team will continue to manage the company, which will continue to focus on the largest buyers of localized advertising, including brands, agencies, local media groups, networks and trading desks.
“Frost, Paul and the Simpli.fi team have built a strong business serving a unique niche that is well-positioned for continued success in a rapidly growing industry,” said GTCR Managing Director Craig Bondy. “As both large and small advertisers look to localize and personalize their campaigns, Simpli.fi’s platform, through the use of unstructured data, will help them better connect with their target audiences.”
“We are excited to partner with GTCR as we continue to build our platform and solve the needs of local advertisers,” said Mr. Prioleau, who has served as Simpli.fi’s CEO since its inception. “GTCR brings significant resources and experience in building industry-leading companies, and they will be a valuable resource in the long-term expansion of our business.”
The transaction is expected to close in late September 2017.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to GTCR. Petsky Prunier LLC and LUMA Partners LLC served as financial advisors and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati served as legal advisor to Simpli.fi. Selling shareholders include Simpli.fi's lead institutional investors Contour Venture Partners and Frontier Capital.
About Simpli.fi
Simpli.fi is the leader in localized programmatic advertising. Simpli.fi works with the largest buyers of localized advertising, including brands, agencies, local media groups, networks and trading desks. These companies utilize Simpli.fi to localize ad targeting and content, to deliver performance on high volumes of localized campaigns, and to provide deep insights on their dynamic audiences. For more information about the company or partnership opportunities visit www.simpli.fi.
Follow Simpli.fi on:
http://www.simpli.fi
http://www.twitter.com/simpli_fi
https://www.facebook.com/Simpli.fiLocalizedProgrammatic/
About GTCR:
Founded in 1980, GTCR is a leading private equity firm focused on investing in growth companies in the Financial Services & Technology, Healthcare, Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Growth Business Services industries. The Chicago-based firm pioneered The Leaders Strategy™ – finding and partnering with management leaders in core domains to identify, acquire and build market-leading companies through transformational acquisitions and organic growth. Since its inception, GTCR has invested more than $12 billion in over 200 companies. For more information, please visit www.gtcr.com.
