MiQ Announces Partnership with Bridgepoint

Bridgepoint

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022 — MiQ, one of the largest global programmatic media partners in the world, today announced a new key partnership with private equity group Bridgepoint. As part of the partnership, Bridgepoint will support MiQ’s existing management team to deliver the next phase of programmatic media solutions, with a focus on continued international expansion and client growth. This investment represents a realization for growth focused private equity firm ECI Partners, who have been partnered with MiQ since 2017, generating a 6.1x return.

Founded in London in 2010 by Gurman Hundal and Lee Puri, MiQ has transformed into a major global player in helping businesses to scale and deliver proven ROI through its media offering, analytical solutions and tech platform. The company turns data into high-performing advertising campaigns and provides real-time insights to drive tangible business change. Bridgepoint was selected due to its cultural and strategic alignment, and its ability to strengthen MiQ’s rapid growth trajectory through its experience in product development strategies and assisting businesses with their global expansion plans.

“Our success is built on revolutionizing the way companies can maximize data, but unique business challenges around data science, analytics and programmatic trading are getting more complex every day,” said Gurman Hundal, co-founder and Global Executive Chairman, MiQ. “Bridgepoint’s proven track record of innovative and scalable investments matches our ambition to move to the next chapter to deliver for our people and clients. We’d like to thank Tom Wrenn and the ECI team for the fantastic support in helping us develop over the past five years, helping us turn MiQ into a truly global business. We look forward to where MiQ is going over the next five years and beyond.”

“The connected and data-driven world continues to change and MiQ will evolve along with it,” said Lee Puri, co-founder, MiQ. “We’re beyond excited to work with Director Charles Welham and Partner and Chief Investment Officer Xavier Robert, as well as the entire Bridgepoint team, in this new milestone in our global growth journey.”

Charles Welham, director of Bridgepoint in London, said: “MiQ is a major global player partnering with some of the world’s leading brands and agencies to deliver high-performing advertising campaigns and drive true business change through data analytics and insights. It offers leading analytics solutions and platforms to companies everywhere and has achieved significant growth over the last few years. Gurman, Lee and the entire MiQ family have cultivated best-in-class processes around innovation, technology and data partnerships, and we look forward to providing the necessary expertise to help maximize the company’s market potential.”

Tom Wrenn, Partner at ECI comments, “It has been an amazing journey with Gurman and Lee, backing them in their ambition to grow MiQ into a global programmatic market leader. Since our investment the team have developed and executed an incredible North American expansion strategy, with over two thirds of group revenue now coming from the US. Delivering a 6.1x return is representative of the fantastic partnership, and Gurman and Lee’s enthusiasm and ambition has made this investment a career highlight. We wish them all the best for the next stage of the MiQ journey.”

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Bain Capital and Nextalia SGR to acquire Deltatre, a leading sports and entertainment technology provider

BainCapital

LONDON, June 23, 2022 – Bain Capital and Nextalia SGR today announced that they have agreed to acquire Deltatre, one of the world’s leading sports and entertainment technology providers, from Bruin Capital. Deltatre offers over-the-top (OTT) streaming solutions enabling direct-to-consumer content distribution via the internet as well as data, graphics and live broadcast solutions. Deltatre’s clients include some of the largest sports organizations in the world, including UEFA, NFL, MLB and MLS.

With a presence in 14 countries, Deltatre operates globally and enables rights owners, media companies, broadcasters, telcos, content creators, distributors and other brands to create and deliver compelling solutions at scale to consumers and fans.

Deltatre has grown into a market leader in over-the-top streaming, website and app development, graphics, data, officiating systems, broadcast production, user experience, and product design, revolutionizing how media is consumed globally. It helps sports rights owners and rights holders to better engage with fans and ultimately increase monetization opportunities.

Owing to its differentiated offering, 20% of internet users globally have engaged with a digital product from Deltatre and its OTT solutions have approximately 25 million end users per day. Driven by strong performance across its core solutions and by continuous expansion of its product portfolio, Deltatre has experienced significant organic growth, enabling it to outperform the market. It is expected to generate $180M of revenue in 2022.

Andrea Marini CEO of Deltatre, who will continue to lead the business with the existing management team and remain a significant shareholder in the company, said: “It’s never been a more exciting time for the media and sport industries. Rapid technological innovation in how content is produced, distributed, and consumed has opened new opportunities for rights owners to monetize and reach their fans globally, and Deltatre sits at the heart of this shift. I am excited to welcome Bain Capital and Nextalia SGR as our new partners as we enter this exciting chapter in our company history.

“From the start it has been clear that they share many of the same core values that are held by the wider Deltatre community and that have contributed to our long-standing reputation as the premier technology provider for many of the world’s most recognizable brands. We believe that their guidance and support will accelerate our mission of transforming the way the world engages with content on their favorite platforms. Finally, I’m extremely grateful for the support of George Pyne and the team at Bruin Capital. They have been a terrific partner over the last six years, and we have achieved great things together.”

Luca Bassi, a Managing Director at Bain Capital said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Andrea and the team of Deltatre. They have built a world leading sports and entertainment technology provider and the strides they have taken to date is very much testament to the quality of their team and the initiatives they have deployed. We look forward to working with them on the next phase of Deltatre’s growth journey. Bain Capital has the expertise to help deliver value around revenue model, delivery, talent and M&A.”

Francesco Canzonieri, Nextalia SGR CEO, commented: “We are proud to support an Italian excellence such as Deltatre, a company founded and rooted in Turin capable of affirming its leadership at a global level. The investment in Deltatre and in its management team represents a clear example of how Nextalia can leverage on its competences and network and help the company in further developing its business in Italy as well as globally.”

Bain Capital and Nextalia SGR received financial advice from HSBC and Nomura, and legal advice from Weil Gotshal & Manges and Legance and Gatti Pavesi Bianchi Ludovici.

About Deltatre

Deltatre is the global leader in fan-first video experiences. Its market-leading product and services portfolio has helped redefine the way the world consumes sport, media, and entertainment by offering specialist innovations in over-the-top streaming, websites and apps, graphics, data, officiating systems, user experience, and product design. It has a growing employee community of over 1,000 members, who are distributed in key cities around the world.

About Bain Capital

Bain Capital is one of the world’s leading private investment firms that creates lasting impact for our investors, teams, businesses, and the communities in which we live. It has approximately $160 billion of assets under management, offices on four continents and more than 1,350 employees. Since our founding in 1984, we’ve applied our insight and experience to organically expand into several asset classes including private equity, credit, public equity, venture capital and real estate, leveraging the firm’s shared platform to capture opportunities in strategic areas of focus. Read more at baincapital.com.

About Nextalia SGR

Nextalia SGR is an asset management company promoted by Francesco Canzonieri together with leading Italian institutional investors (Intesa Sanpaolo, UnipolSai Assicurazioni, Coldiretti, Confindustria and Micheli Associati), set up with the aim of investing in Italian excellence to accelerate the path of sustainable growth. Nextalia is positioned as the reference platform in Italy dedicated to investments in private markets, leveraging its network and the skills of a team of highly qualified professionals. Nextalia has set up “Nextalia Private Equity”, a closed-end mutual investment fund under Italian law, reserved for professional investors, focused on Italian SMEs.

The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

Media Contacts

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3i invests in Digital Barriers to drive international growth, accelerate new channel sales and further develop its unique technology

3I

3i Group plc (“3i”) announces that it has agreed to invest in Digital Barriers, a leading provider of IoVT (Internet of Video Things) surveillance and security products. 3i is investing alongside existing investor, Volpi Capital LLP, who will maintain a minority stake in the business.

Headquartered in the UK with offices across the US and Europe, Digital Barriers’ unique video compression technology allows live streaming over low-bandwidth environments, including cellular body worn cameras, and an ever growing set of commercial applications. When coupled with its cloud-based, video management platform Digital Barriers is able to provide an end-to-end solution incorporating a wide range of AI-based operational, safety and business intelligence analytics – the only such cloud video platform that works as effectively on cellular as on fixed networks.

The company has been a trusted partner to leading law enforcement, intelligence and defence agencies around the world for many years and will continue to serve this market. Working closely with Intel, Digital Barriers has leveraged its unique IP to develop commercial off-the-shelf products that are now being sold by blue chip telecom and security partners such as AT&T, Vodafone, Fujitsu and G4S to a wide range of commercial and public sector customers across various end-markets.

The partnership with 3i will enable Digital Barriers to accelerate its international expansion, invest further in its unique technology, significantly grow its go-to-market capabilities to support its channel partners and pursue targeted acquisitions to build out its differentiated solution.

David Stephens, co-Head of 3i’s UK Private Equity team, commented: “Digital Barriers provides a highly attractive market and growth opportunity with a strong executive team, led by Zak Doffman. The video surveillance industry is at an inflection point with a shift towards live-streaming, growing cloud adoption and increased analytics enabling greater scalability and opening up more commercial applications. Digital Barriers’ unique technology positions it at the forefront of this movement and we look forward to supporting Zak and the team as they continue to build on the company’s strong relationships with blue chip partners and expand their global operations.”

Zak Doffman, CEO of Digital Barriers, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with 3i and benefiting from their expertise and global reach as we expand our offering with new products, move towards a subscription-based model and broaden our customer base, whilst continuing to provide a highly differentiated product and market-leading technology. We have now made live video over cellular networks a reliable and affordable reality for the first time – working with 3i and our new channel partners we can take these disruptive solutions out much more widely.”

The transaction is conditional upon certain regulatory approvals and is expected to complete in Q3 2022.

For further information, contact:

3i Group plc

 

Silvia Santoro

Investor enquiries

 

Kathryn van der Kroft

Media enquiries

 

 

Tel: +44 20 7975 3258

Email: silvia.santoro@3i.com

 

Tel: +44 20 7975 3021

Email: kathryn.vanderkroft@3i.com

 

About 3i Group

3i is a leading international investment manager focused on mid-market private equity and infrastructure. Its core investment markets are northern Europe and North America. For further information, please visit: www.3i.com

About Digital Barriers

Digital Barriers is a leading provider of IoVT (internet of video things) surveillance and security products. Headquartered in the UK with regional offices in the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific, Digital Barriers has developed a trusted global customer-base spanning industries such as defence and national security, law enforcement, border security, first responders, critical national infrastructure, transportation agencies, automotive and mobility and private security in over 60 over countries.

Regulatory information

This transaction involved a recommendation of 3i Investments plc.

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CVC Credit provides PEI Media with facilities to support its continued strategic development

CVC Capital Partners

CVC Credit provides PEI Media with facilities to support its continued strategic development

14 Jun 2022

CVC Credit is pleased to announce that it has provided further debt facilities to PEI Media (“PEI”), the global provider of insight, market data and business conferences for alternative assets professionals. The new facilities include both senior and acquisition financing and will support the company’s ongoing strategic development.

CVC Credit has supported PEI since 2018, when it financed Bridgepoint Development Capital’s acquisition.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in London, PEI provides alternative asset management professionals globally with news, analysis, data, marketing solutions, as well as must-attend events and conferences. In 2018, the business partnered with Bridgepoint Development Capital to further its growth ambitions and over the last four years has, significantly grown revenues and profits.

CVC, having supported Bridgepoint with the acquisition of PEI, was identified as the preferred lender and was able to quickly offer a solution tailored to the company’s size and strategic position. The facilities provided have been designed to facilitate the company’s next phase of growth and have factored in sustainability considerations through the inclusion of an ESG margin ratchet.

Simone Zacchi, Managing Director at CVC Credit, commented: “Since partnering with Bridgepoint, PEI Media has proven itself an innovative and resilient company, with the capability and drive to meet the needs of its fast-growing market. We look forward to continuing to support their ongoing development.”

John Empson, Partner & Co-Head of Private Credit at CVC Credit, added: “Our approach, is to build trusted partnerships and to provide bespoke solutions. This allows us to develop deep long term relationships with experienced sponsors and management teams as they define and execute their strategies to deliver great performance and growth in the companies they manage and advise.”

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Why we invested in Komon: Web3 platform to empower creator communities

Adara

We are pleased to announce our recent investment in Komon, a platform that permits creators to launch NFT-powered communities. Adara participated in the $2 million pre-seed round alongside SamaipataInvereadyShilling, and several business angels.

We are excited to back Komon founders Sebastián Fernández-Medrano, former Principal at Samaipata, and Manuel Bevilacqua, a computer scientist with years of experience in companies such as Capchase, Returnly, and Stubhub.

Both founders share a deep passion for art in all its forms. Beyond their professional experience, Sebastián is a trained actor and Manuel is a professional violinist, which has led them to take the leap to change creative industries through technology.

The challenge: One-sided creator platforms

Digital creators face many challenges, often sacrificing ownership over their audiences and potential revenue depending on the platforms they choose to distribute their work. First-generation models (YouTube, Twitch, Spotify) have helped creators make money primarily through digital ads but still require a significant following and traffic numbers to generate meaningful revenue. And while second-generation models (Patreon, OnlyFans) have helped creators unlock additional revenue by charging fans subscription fees to access content, dependence on any one platform forever limits the creator’s potential audience size, engagement, and revenue.

Enter Komon: Enabling direct creator-community relationships

Komon offers an alternative to these existing models, helping creators regain control over their entire content production, monetization, and distribution processes.

The Madrid-based startup is developing a platform that will allow creators and artists to build and manage a community and engage directly with their audiences. Community members can unlock access and rights to a creator’s exclusive content through utility-focused NFTs, or “Komon Keys,” which are governed by smart contracts. Members can also resell, rent, or give away “Komon Keys” to transfer their community membership to someone else.

Komon will use the funding to develop the platform and build out its team in Europe and the US.

The Adara view: Web3 & and empowering the new creator economy

We’re fascinated to see how Web3 will harness the power of digital communities and the future of commerce. To build and run these communities is time-consuming, costly, and complex, and we believe creator tools and platforms like Komon will catalyze audience engagement in the same way that e-commerce infrastructure has unlocked distribution for D2C brands.

We were very impressed with Sebastian and Manu’s deep “Problem-Founder Fit,” having both experienced firsthand the current difficulties the creative industry faces, and we believe they have a product-first approach to a very large market opportunity. The potential for NFTs to provide creators with more autonomy over how they engage with their audiences and monetize their work is enormous. We are thrilled to support Komon on their mission to help creators worldwide build income in a way that truly enables their creative work.

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Faraway Road Productions Acquired by Candle Media, Next-generation Media Company Backed by Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, and Blackstone

Blackstone

LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK, & TEL AVIV – Candle Media (“Candle”), the next-generation media company run by leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and backed by investment capital from Blackstone, today announced it has acquired Faraway Road Productions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded by Lior Raz & Avi Issacharoff, the creators of FAUDA and Hit & Run, Faraway Road Productions is a global media and entertainment company delivering high-impact, original stories to audiences around the world. Season Four of FAUDA is set to premiere later this year on Israel’s YES TV and streaming worldwide on Netflix. Other current development projects include the film Siege of Bethlehem – to be directed by Antoine Fuqua – and a non-scripted spy thriller for Showtime with director Greg Barker.

Kevin Mayer & Tom Staggs, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of Candle, said: “Lior and Avi are world-class storytellers who produce exhilarating content that strikes a chord globally with audiences across cultures and languages. They are exactly the type of partners we and Blackstone are looking to invest behind – and we are excited to work with them to further accelerate Faraway Road’s growth trajectory.”

Joe Baratta, Global Head of Private Equity at Blackstone, and David Kestnbaum, a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: “We are proud to back Lior and Avi, who stand for the highest standards of quality in international media and entertainment. Content creation is one of our highest-conviction investment themes, and we believe that elite talent like the Faraway Road team is exceptionally well positioned to thrive in today’s increasingly global, digital media environment.”

Lior Raz & Avi Issacharoff Co-CEO’s of Faraway Road Productions said: “Faraway was founded to bring authentic and engaging international stories to global audiences.  Partnering with Kevin, Tom, Blackstone and the unbelievable creators that are part of the Candle family will allow us to significantly accelerate that, while participating in creating the next-generation media company that puts creators first.”

About Candle Media
Candle is an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises that is built for the digital age. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community, and commerce, it helps position leading entertainment businesses for accelerated, sustainable growth in the current market and beyond. The company has acquired Hello Sunshine, the mission-driven media company that puts women at the center of every story it creates, founded by Reese Witherspoon; and Moonbug Entertainment Ltd., the digital-first, global children’s entertainment company behind highly popular shows such as CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum; as well as made a strategic minority investment in Westbrook Inc., the media company founded by Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Miguel Melendez and Ko Yada, focused on empowering artists to tell stories that connect the world. Candle is run by its Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs, leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and backed by investment capital from funds managed by Blackstone’s flagship private equity business.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $731 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

About Faraway Road Productions
Founded and led by award-winning creator, writer and actor Lior Raz and creator, writer and award-winning journalist Avi Issacharoff, Faraway Road is a global media entertainment company developing and producing bold, high-impact and engaging original content. In addition to creating original material, the duo and their team are trusted with bringing to screen many deeply personal experiences from authentic voices around the world. They give a platform to these voices and adapt them into sophisticated, character-driven stories that wouldn’t be told otherwise. Faraway Road oversees each of their projects from conception to production and release, developing film and television series for the US, Israeli and international markets.

Faraway Road is best known for creating and producing the critically acclaimed series FAUDA, a political thriller in which Raz also stars, based on his and Issacharoff’s time serving in the Israeli Defense Force’s special forces unit. The series is one of the biggest successes in Israeli television, with all three seasons available for streaming on Netflix and the fourth season in production. Also, airing on Netflix is the action thriller series HIT & RUN starring Raz and Sanaa Lathan, which Issacharoff and Raz co-created with the award-winning team behind THE KILLING. Upcoming for Faraway Road is a robust slate of film and television projects in various stages of development.

Media Contact

Blackstone
Matt Anderson
518-248-7310
Matthew.Anderson@Blackstone.com

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Westbrook Inc. Announces Strategic Minority Investment from Candle Media, Next-Generation Media Company Backed by Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, and Blackstone

Blackstone

LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK – Candle Media (“Candle”), the next-generation media company run by leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs and backed by investment capital from Blackstone, today announced a strategic minority investment in Westbrook Inc., the media company founded by Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Miguel Melendez and Ko Yada, focused on empowering artists to tell stories that connect the world. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs said: “We are thrilled to back Will and Jada and for the opportunity to work with Westbrook’s CEO Ko Yada and the rest of their incredibly talented team. They have established Westbrook as a home for world-class creators that is built for the digital age – which fully aligns with our company’s vision for the future of media. We are excited for what we can all achieve together with Blackstone in the years ahead.”

Joe Baratta, Global Head of Private Equity at Blackstone, and David Kestnbaum, a Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, said: “Will, Jada, and Westbrook have a deep firsthand understanding of today’s evolving entertainment content and social media environment – and how to create high-quality, engaging content that spans platforms, genres, and geographies. We look forward to helping accelerate the company’s growth as they continue to build a next-generation leader in global entertainment.”

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith commented: “Westbrook is the realization of our dream to give artists from all backgrounds equal opportunities to pursue their creative visions and share their stories.  We are pleased to join forces with Kevin, Tom and Blackstone to accelerate this mission by growing our content pipeline, our talent network, and our global expansion plans.”

Ko Yada, CEO of Westbrook Inc., said: “When we launched Westbrook just two and a half years ago, our mission was to empower artists to connect the world, and we do that through the independent infrastructure we’re building. We started with a focus on premium content across all platforms in a way that would bring creators, artists, brands, and global audiences together. As we look to the next phase of the company, Kevin, Tom and Blackstone are ideal strategic partners. We look forward to this new relationship, building out more infrastructure, and working with more artists to help tell stories that connect.”

Westbrook was formed to execute the Smith Family’s vision to improve as many lives as possible through storytelling. Their parent company, Westbrook Inc., furthers that mission by providing strategic, financial, legal, and operational support to its studio and media companies and developing new business opportunities for revenue growth and diversification. Westbrook houses Westbrook Studios, the premium film and television studio; Westbrook Media, an integrated IP incubator, brand content studio, and production company; Red Table Talk Productions, maker of the Emmy Award-winning Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk and Red Table Talk: The Estefans; and Good Goods, a direct-to-consumer business which creates unique consumer products around the company’s IP and talent partners. By leveraging the Smith Family’s deep experience in entertainment and media, Westbrook curates and produces content – from short and mid-form digital to traditional television and motion pictures – for all major platforms.

In just over two years, Westbrook has created a diverse and robust slate of content including feature films, scripted and unscripted television, animated series, digital series and more. On the Westbrook Studios side, projects include the critically acclaimed film KING RICHARD, based on the life of Richard Williams, father to tennis greats Serena and Venus, the six-part docuseries on Netflix, Amend: The Fight For America, which uses a groundbreaking narrative format to explore the Fourteenth Amendment through the lens of American history, posing the question, what does “united states” really mean, season 4 of the six-time Emmy nominated and SAG Award nominated series Cobra Kai, and Welcome to Earth with National Geographic which premiered on Disney+. Westbrook Media has produced and released projects with partners including Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, and HBO Max including Snapchat’s most popular series ever – Will Smith’s Will From Home which garnered 43M+ viewers, as well as Will From Home Season 2, Ryan Doesn’t Know starring Ryan Reynolds, Jaden Smith’s social justice series The Solution Committee, Charli Vs. Dixie with social media sensations, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, the YouTube series Best Shape of My Life with Will Smith as well as Alicia Keys docu-series, Noted, along withHulu’s photography competition series Exposure, and the HBO Max hit Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reunion.

In addition to the projects that have already been released, upcoming high profile projects include the film EMANCIPATION, which sold to Apple TV+ in the largest film festival acquisition deal in film history, the scripted television series Bel-Air, the dramatic reboot of Will Smith’s iconic The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air which landed a two season order from Peacock and premieres in February, a five year first-look deal with National Geographic to create adventure, exploration, travel and science content and upcoming Snapchat series Off Thee Leash with Megan Thee Stallion.

Other film projects in production and development include the drama REDD ZONE, starring Jada Pinkett Smith at Netflix and based on the true story of Tia Magee and her sons, the hip-hop musical feature SUMMERTIME based on Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s hit song for Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems, CLEAN AIR, a joint project from Westbrook, NASCAR and the Chainsmokers, action-thriller FAST & LOOSE starring Will Smith and directed by David Leitch, and THE SOUL SUPERHERO, a live action musical fantasy film with a screenplay that is co-written by Kwame Kwei-Armah and songwriter-producer, Freddy Wexler, and based on an original story by Wexler. Upcoming television seriesinclude This Joka, a 16-episode standup comedy series premiering on Roku in March 2022; a two-season order of the docu-scripted hybrid series African Queens coming soon to Netflix,and a one-hour variety special hosted by Will Smith.

Westbrook’s executive team includes Ko Yada, CEO, Tera Hanks, President, Gila Jones, COO, Kevin McDonald, CFO, Brad Haugen, President of Westbrook Media, Terence Carter, Co-President, Head of Television, Westbrook Studios, and Jon Mone, Co-President, Head of Film, Westbrook Studios. Westbrook was listed as one of Fast Company’s 10 Most Innovative Companies in 2021.

The name of the Mayer-Staggs-Blackstone backed company, Candle, reflects the light of creativity at the heart of its model as an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community, and commerce, Candle helps position leading entertainment businesses for accelerated, sustainable growth in the current market and beyond. The company has previously announced acquisitions Hello Sunshine, the mission-driven media company that puts women at the center of every story it creates, founded by Reese Witherspoon; and Moonbug Entertainment, the digital-first, global children’s entertainment company behind highly popular shows such as CoComelon, Blippi, Little Baby Bum, and many others. Blackstone’s investment in Candle has been made through funds affiliated with the firm’s flagship private equity business.

About Westbrook

Launched in 2019 by founders Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Miguel Melendez, and Ko Yada, Westbrook is a media company that empowers artists to tell stories that connect the world.  Westbrook houses Westbrook Studios, the premium film and television studio; Westbrook Media, a vertically-integrated IP incubator, brand content studio, and production company; Red Table Talk Productions, maker of the Emmy Award-winning Facebook Watch shows Red Table Talk and Red Table Talk: The Estefans; and Good Goods, which creates unique consumer products around the company’s IP and talent partners.  By leveraging the Smith Family’s deep experience in entertainment and media, Westbrook curates and produces content – from short and mid-form digital to traditional television and motion pictures – for all major platforms.

About Blackstone

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $731 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

***

Media Contacts

Blackstone:
Matt Anderson
518-248-7310
Matthew.Anderson@Blackstone.com

Westbrook Inc.:
Sarah Rothman
(917) 623-6060
sarah.rothman@ledecompany.com

Meredith O’Sullivan
(310) 754-6016
meredith.osullivan@ledecompany.com

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TPG Real Estate completes acquisition of Studio Babelsberg AG

TPG Capital

January 3, 2022 – TPG Real Estate Partners (“TREP”), the dedicated real estate equity investment platform of alternative asset firm TPG, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Studio Babelsberg AG (“Studio Babelsberg”). Dr. Carl L. Woebcken and Mr. Christoph Fisser, CEO and COO of Studio Babelsberg, respectively, maintain a minority stake in the business.

On 16 September 2021, TREP announced that it agreed to acquire a stake in Studio Babelsberg via acquisition of the company’s main shareholder, Filmbetriebe Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB), which was controlled by Mr. Woebcken and Mr. Fisser. As part of the agreement, FBB launched a public tender offer to acquire a majority of the shares in Studio Babelsberg for a cash offer price of EUR 4.10 per Studio Babelsberg Share. The offer was subject to a minimum acceptance threshold, which was fulfilled on 29 October 2021 following a successful acceptance period. All closing conditions of the transaction have now been fulfilled.

With the closing of the transaction, Studio Babelsberg has become part of TREP’s global studio platform, Cinespace Studios (“Cinespace”). Cinespace is the second largest sound stage operator in North America. With Studio Babelsberg, Cinespace will now operate 90 stages, furthering its strategy of building a best-in-class studio platform for premier content makers across the globe. Studio Babelsberg will continue to operate as an independent brand but benefit from the resources and networks provided by the global platform. Studio Babelsberg has a long history of hosting best-in-class content production, including recent German local language series such as Dark, Babylon Berlin, and 1899, as well as world renowned feature films such as Inglorious Basterds, V for Vendetta, Bridge of Spies, and recently The Matrix Resurrections.

“Across the globe, Studio Babelsberg is known for its quality and as a symbol of Berlin’s and Brandenburg’s creative culture,” said Michael Abel, Partner at TREP. “With Studio Babelsberg, we saw an opportunity to invest behind a leading studio facility that is well positioned to benefit from secular growth trends in media and content consumption. We support the company’s strategy and direction and look forward to growing the business.”

“We are excited to announce a successful completion of the transaction, and to welcome TREP as Studio Babelsberg’s new partner,” said Dr. Woebcken and Mr. Fisser. “The team values our rich history and brings significant insight and business building capabilities to Studio Babelsberg’s next chapter. We look forward to working together to further solidify our position as Europe’s premier studio.”  

“Studio Babelsberg has a strong tradition of film making that has served some of the most iconic films ever made,” said Eoin Egan, COO of Cinespace. “As appetite for high-quality content continues to increase, we look forward to working with the Studio Babelsberg and TREP teams to grow Berlin into a global hub for content production.”

About TPG Real Estate Partners 

TPG Real Estate Partners (“TREP”) is the dedicated real estate equity investment platform of global alternative asset firm TPG. Today, TREP has $5.5 billion of assets under management. Since its inception in 2009, TREP has built a differentiated investment portfolio comprised primarily of real estate-rich platforms and portfolios located in the United States and Europe. TPG was founded in 1992 and now has approximately $109 billion of assets under management with investment and operational teams in 12 offices around the world. For more information, visit www.tpg.com.

Media Contacts

TPG Real Estate Partners 

Deutschland:
Thomas Katzensteiner, Peter Steiner, Tobias Eberle
tpg-cb@charlesbarker.de

Europe: 
Alex Jones, Michael Russell, Daniel Oliver
tpg@greenbrookpr.com

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Mentha Capital invests in international visual content solution provider Bright River

Mentha Capital
21 December 2021
Mentha has entered into a partnership with Bright River, a rapidly growing international visual content solutions provider for many of the world’s leading ecommerce platforms and retailers. Bright River is a Dutch company with a worldwide footprint with offices in Haarlem, New York, Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Chennai (India). Goal of the partnership with Mentha is to accelerate growth and expand activities of the company to new regions and customers worldwide.

In the past year global ecommerce sales jumped to 26.7 trillion and the industry is ramping up for more. This also means there’s a growing need from ecommerce and retail organizations for high quality visual content that provide the best possible shopping experience. With its own technology, 750 employees in offices across three continents and a strong track record, Bright River is perfectly positioned to benefit from this.

Mentha chose to take a stake in Bright River because of the company’s proprietary technology and advanced tech-enabled services model that deliver tangible value for leading ecommerce platforms and retailers like Harrods, Coolblue and Yoox. In a rapidly growing and fragmented market Bright River has the ideal platform to pursue accelerated autonomous and acquisitive growth, both in existing and new industries. As an active shareholder in internationally expanding tech-enabled service companies like previously Destiny and now InSites Consulting and Rapid Circle, Mentha Capital can deploy its extensive knowledge and experience in both operational and strategic areas. Bright River can also count on Mentha’s in-depth expertise in ‘buy-and-build’, which allows the organization to further expand through acquisitions in addition to organic growth.

David Jonkers, CEO of Bright River: “’Having Mentha Capital as a key shareholder is a game changing opportunity for Bright River. They understand and share our vision of the ever growing importance of visual product content in e-commerce, and bring a wealth of experience in the execution of ambitious growth goals. We are thrilled to get started.”

Increase efficiency in visual content production

The right visual product content creates rich, engaging online shopping experiences that help convert customers from browsing to purchasing. Bright River helps clients to drastically increase efficiency in visual content production processes, and decrease the ‘time-to-web’ for products to be published online. Computer Vision-based AI, among other technologies, powers their industry-leading workflow and editing automation, giving their image- and video editing, as well as 3D modeling and CGI rendering services, a decisive edge over their competition.

Edo Pfennings, partner at Mentha: “We are very enthusiastic about this partnership. With its own technology Bright River has built a strong position in a rapidly growing and dynamic market. The management team has big ambitions to scale and accelerate its growth through acquisitions and move into new industries, something that Mentha is well equipped to help with.”

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Storykit raises $10M to fuel global growth

Bonnier Ventures

Storykit, the leading video creator in the Nordics, announced today it has raised $10 million USD in funding, in a growth financing round led by Expedition Growth Capital.

Storykit has almost doubled in 2021, leveraging artificial intelligence to enable companies to create more video than ever before. With the new funding they will accelerate innovation and expansion at an even higher pace.

“We are thrilled to partner with Expedition Growth Capital to realize the enormous potential of Storykit. Video is the number one format for social channels in 2022 and beyond, and with Storykit any marketer or communicator can leverage the power of video. We’ve experienced colossal growth over the past few years, which reflects the increasing demand for organizations to create video with high quality and flexibility, in an ultra-high tempo. We’re really looking forward to fulfilling the strong market demand for our video creator on a global scale,” said Peder Bonnier, CEO and co-founder of Storykit.

Serving predominantly large and medium sized enterprises, Storykit has quickly grown to become the leading video creator in the Nordics, and has recently expanded into several European markets. Key customers include Skandia, Dun & Bradstreet, the City of Stockholm and Lufthansa Systems.

“We have nearly doubled our revenues in the last twelve months, fully on our own cash flow, and are happy to have found yet another partner who is interested in building long lasting, economically viable businesses, without having to compromise on growth. This investment will enable us to further invest in our already market leading product, and expand to more markets and customer segments”, says Peder Bonnier.

Expedition Growth Capital is a $200+ million London-based growth equity fund, focused solely on investing in fast growing and capital efficient B2B software companies in Europe and Israel. This is their first investment in the Nordics.

“Since our first conversations with Storykit in 2020, we have been energised by their commitment to building a company for the long term. This is our first investment in Sweden, and we are delighted to be partnering with such a high quality group of founders and investors”, said Oliver Thomas, Managing Partner of Expedition Growth Capital.

David Olsson, who led the investment and will join Storykit’s board of directors, adds:

“Storykit is addressing an increasingly universal corporate and departmental need – to rapidly produce video content that is highly professional, brand aligned, and cost effective. We see enormous potential for the company in the years ahead and look forward to being a supportive partner for the Storykit team.”

 

Storykit was founded in 2018 by Fredrik Strömberg and Peder Bonnier. By building the complete video creator they aim to enable everyone who can write text to create video. With over 500 customers, and tens of thousands of users all over the world, they are well on their way. For more information, see www.storykit.io

Expedition Growth Capital is a software-specialist growth equity investor, currently investing a $200 million fund. The firm provides growth capital, shareholder liquidity and supportive minority partnership to rapidly growing, capital efficient software companies across Europe and Israel. For more information see www.expedition.capital.

Storykit has almost doubled in 2021, leveraging artificial intelligence to enable companies to create more video than ever before. With the new funding they will accelerate innovation and expansion at an even higher pace.

“We are thrilled to partner with Expedition Growth Capital to realize the enormous potential of Storykit. Video is the number one format for social channels in 2022 and beyond, and with Storykit any marketer or communicator can leverage the power of video. We’ve experienced colossal growth over the past few years, which reflects the increasing demand for organizations to create video with high quality and flexibility, in an ultra-high tempo. We’re really looking forward to fulfilling the strong market demand for our video creator on a global scale,” said Peder Bonnier, CEO and co-founder of Storykit.

Serving predominantly large and medium sized enterprises, Storykit has quickly grown to become the leading video creator in the Nordics, and has recently expanded into several European markets. Key customers include Skandia, Dun & Bradstreet, the City of Stockholm and Lufthansa Systems.

“We have nearly doubled our revenues in the last twelve months, fully on our own cash flow, and are happy to have found yet another partner who is interested in building long lasting, economically viable businesses, without having to compromise on growth. This investment will enable us to further invest in our already market leading product, and expand to more markets and customer segments”, says Peder Bonnier.

Expedition Growth Capital is a $200+ million London-based growth equity fund, focused solely on investing in fast growing and capital efficient B2B software companies in Europe and Israel. This is their first investment in the Nordics.

“Since our first conversations with Storykit in 2020, we have been energised by their commitment to building a company for the long term. This is our first investment in Sweden, and we are delighted to be partnering with such a high quality group of founders and investors”, said Oliver Thomas, Managing Partner of Expedition Growth Capital.

David Olsson, who led the investment and will join Storykit’s board of directors, adds:

“Storykit is addressing an increasingly universal corporate and departmental need – to rapidly produce video content that is highly professional, brand aligned, and cost effective. We see enormous potential for the company in the years ahead and look forward to being a supportive partner for the Storykit team.”

 

Storykit was founded in 2018 by Fredrik Strömberg and Peder Bonnier. By building the complete video creator they aim to enable everyone who can write text to create video. With over 500 customers, and tens of thousands of users all over the world, they are well on their way. For more information, see www.storykit.io

Expedition Growth Capital is a software-specialist growth equity investor, currently investing a $200 million fund. The firm provides growth capital, shareholder liquidity and supportive minority partnership to rapidly growing, capital efficient software companies across Europe and Israel. For more information see www.expedition.capital.

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