Maple Media, led by Los Angeles-based entrepreneurs Michael Ritter and Clark Landry, has raised USD30 million from Shamrock Capital.
Maple Media is a mobile media, advertising and technology company which acquires, manages and operates mobile applications in the utility, productivity, games and entertainment verticals.
Ritter was a founding employee at Jam City (formerly SGN Games) where he served as the SVP of business and corporate development and helped transform the business into a top global gaming studio. While at Jam City, Ritter spearheaded numerous M&A transactions, negotiated contracts with some of the largest mobile gaming companies in the world, including Netmarble and Netease, and developed the company’s mobile monetisation and advertising strategies.
Landry was an early investor in advertising technology companies Traffic Marketplace (acquired by Vivendi), Adconion Media Group (acquired by SingTel), and TheTradeDesk (NASDAQ: TTD), along with mobile gaming company, Scopely, and over 90 other companies. He was a co-founder of several companies including Shift (acquired by Brand Networks), TagWorld (acquired by Vivendi), and Minds & Machines (AIM: MMX.L).
“We have found that many app developers want to focus on what they are good at and love to do – creating great apps for mobile users. Focusing on the day to day management and monetisation of apps is a different skill set and is a full-time effort,” says Ritter. “We felt that Shamrock Capital was an ideal partner for us in executing on our plan. They shared our vision for this opportunity and have an unparalleled reputation as dynamic, high integrity investors in the media and entertainment industries.”
“Michael and Clark are well known, highly respected managers with the perfect skill sets and backgrounds to address this opportunity,” says Alan Resnikoff, partner at Shamrock Capital. “We could not be more excited to partner with them.”
Maple Media currently manages over 150 apps with several billion monthly mobile ad impressions. The company is building a large mobile user base through acquisitions and partnerships with leading mobile properties.
Maple Media is the most recent investment in Shamrock’s latest fund, Shamrock Capital Growth Fund IV, a USD700 million private equity fund which held a final close in February 2016, focused on providing buyout and growth capital investments in companies within the media, entertainment and communications industries.
