William Blair acted as the exclusive financial advisor to The Advantage Software Company, LLC, a portfolio company of Carousel Capital, in connection with its acquisition by Simpli.fi Holdings, Inc, a portfolio company of GTCR. The transaction signed on December 23, 2020 and closed on January 15, 2021.
Transaction Highlights
- Deep sector expertise and relationships: Advantage and Carousel were attracted to William Blair’s extensive knowledge and experience within advertising technology and the ERP software ecosystem. In addition, William Blair’s strong buyer relationships provided valuable insight into the most likely and aggressive strategic acquirers, especially given the targeted process.
- Trusted guidance: William Blair’s transaction team successfully advised Advantage Software and Carousel Capital through each step of the process in a rapidly shifting market environment, and closely collaborated on developing marketing materials, coordinating due diligence, educating prospective buyers, and navigating constantly-evolving process dynamics.
- Execution and process excellence: The transaction team successfully positioned Advantage Software as the leading ERP software provider serving the agency market with differentiated technology and a unique end-to-end solution.In parallel, the team constructed an accelerated, high-touch process with a targeted and carefully curated group of strategic buyers, ultimately driving a premium outcome.
About the Companies
Advantage is the leading provider of enterprise-level software specifically designed for advertising agencies and marketing companies. Advantage automates all aspects of accounting, billing, project management, digital asset management, creative proofing, and media management with the specific needs of agencies and their clients in mind. Robust and customizable modules are fully integrated to streamline processes, ensure accuracy, and deliver excellent management reporting. Advantage Software is based in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Simpli.fi is the leader in programmatic advertising built for the precision and scale of CTV, addressable, and mobile advertising. Simpli.fi works with the world's largest buyers of advertising, including multi-location brands, agencies, local media groups, networks, and trading desks. With over 130,000 active daily campaigns run by more than 30,000 active advertisers, Simpli.fi's clients are able to deliver performance on high volumes of campaigns and provide deep insights into their dynamic audiences, bringing them one step closer to truly personalized, one-to-one marketing.
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