Global private equity firm, CVC Capital Partners’ (CVC) Fund VIII has acquired a majority stake in Aleph, a partner to the world’s biggest digital media players.
The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions precedent, and is expected to occur by August 2021.
Aleph operates in over 90 markets worldwide, reaching two billion consumers. It acts as an enabler of digital advertising sales for the leading digital media platforms – such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitch and TikTok amongst others – giving access to new and under-served markets, while providing a complete suite of services that help advertisers maximise the value of their digital marketing investments.
“We want to equalise digital advertising accessibility globally. Digital media is unlocking economic development and solutions for businesses that were not available in an analogue world,” comments Gastón Taratuta, Founder and CEO of Aleph Holding. “This significant investment by CVC reflects the huge demand for digital media that we are seeing in every market around the world. We see lots of value in working closely with CVC, their expertise + portfolio of companies will generate an interesting network effect for both organisations. Together, we are ready to continue expanding our global partnerships and delivering value to our partners and local advertisers everywhere that we operate.”
“It is a pleasure to team up with a world-class management team that has built an exceptional industry-leading company,” says Steven Buyse, a Managing Partner at CVC. “Aleph operates in an attractive global digital media market, and has an impressive track record of accelerating growth through its exclusive relationships with digital media partners. We strongly believe in the value that Aleph brings to advertisers and media partners globally. Through our CVC network with 24 local offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia, we look forward to supporting the business in its continued expansion.”
The investment follows a period of significant growth and momentum for Aleph. The company is on track to generate USD1 billion in gross advertising sales in 2021, having achieved significant growth and $475M in gross sales during 2020.
Aleph recently appointed Imran Khan as Chairman of the Board, bringing breadth of experience, including leading two of the largest tech IPOs in history – Alibaba and Snap, where Mr. Khan was the Chief Strategy Officer. Aleph has also recently announced an acquisition of Ad Dynamo, which expanded the company’s footprint into Africa. Today, Aleph – through its companies: IMS Internet Media Services, Httpool, AdDynamo and Social Snack – has a broad presence across Europe, America, Asia and Africa and soon we will be announcing expansion into new markets.
Aleph was born from IMS Internet Media Services (IMS), the business founded by CEO Gastón Taratuta in 2005.
