Arma Partners acted as exclusive financial adviser to Francisco Partners on its acquisition of a 70% stake in Lumata, a newly formed entity comprised of several B2B assets carved-out of Buongiorno SpA valued at EUR91 million.
Lumata will serve customers globally in the mobile marketing space by providing a seamless link for operators, brands and hardware manufacturers to engage with their customers through the mobile channel. Lumata has a global footprint with 15 offices, more than 500 employees and over EUR50 million in annual revenue. Lumata’s client base includes Tier 1 operators like Orange, T-Mobile, Telecom Italia Mobile, Verizon, Airtel, MTS & Telefonica as well as blue chip brands such as Nestle, P&G, HP and Espresso Group.
Lumata will benefit from the extensive technological experience, multi-geographical approach and strong operator relationships of Buongiorno, as well as from the proven track record of Francisco Partners, a global private equity fund with commitments of approximately USD7 billion and a long history of successful investments in technology and technology-enabled services businesses.
The transaction represents Francisco Partners’ tenth direct investment in Europe and Arma Partners’ ninth deal in 2011. Arma Partners will continue to work closely with Francisco Partners to help Lumata achieve its strategic objectives.
