Fifty-Five – a fast-growing “data agency” that helps brands leverage their data – sells a majority stake to You & Mr Jones, the new venture of former Havas CEO David Jones.
Clipperton acted as sole financial advisor to fifty-five.
Paris – January, 29th 2016 – Clipperton, a leading European corporate finance firm focused on the Technology and Media industries, announced the closing of the sale of a majority stake in leading European data marketing company fifty-five to You & Mr Jones, the world’s first Brandtech group.
fifty-five’s unique technology approach helps brands collect, analyze and activate their data across paid, earned and owned channels to increase their marketing ROI and improve customer acquisition and retention. Founded in 2010 by former Google senior executives Nicolas Beauchesne, Alan Boydell, Mats Carduner, Arnaud Massonnie and Jean Neltner, fifty-five has grown rapidly from startup into a company with 150 employees in Paris, London and Hong Kong, a host of major global brands as customers, and operations in over 20 countries.
Backed by $350m in funding from renowned investors, You & Mr Jones was launched in June 2015 by former Havas Global CEO David Jones as the world’s first Brandtech group with a mission to help businesses build brands better, faster and cheaper using technology. The acquisition of fifty-five is motivated by a shared vision of where marketing is heading and will see the data agency become a key cornerstone of You & Mr Jones. The deal also empowers fifty-five to develop faster and fuel its global ambition, starting with the immediate opening of an office in New York.
Commenting on the transaction, David Jones, founder & CEO of You & Mr Jonessaid:
“Data is probably the most important building block in any technology company so we’re absolutely thrilled that fifty-five will be joining You & Mr Jones. We looked at many different data companies but found fifty-five’s combination of talent and technology a level above everyone else. Their Google pedigree obviously speaks for itself. The world is already obsessed with data, but I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of the impact it is going to have on every business over the next decade. fifty-five will be the data engine for the group and will become one of the leading global players in this space.”
Mats Carduner, co-founder & CEO of fifty-five added:
“Since the launch of fifty-five we have experienced extremely rapid organic growth. The company was born from our conviction that data and technology completely redefine the boundaries of marketing and customer-understanding, a vision we share with You & Mr Jones. It’s really great for us to work with like-minded entrepreneurs within the You & Mr Jones group who have the same ambition and give us the means to accelerate our growth and become part of an exciting global company.”
This acquisition further illustrates Clipperton’s strong cross-border M&A track-record and represents yet another sell-side transaction successfully executed and announced byClipperton over the last few months, following the sale of Leetchi (acquired by Crédit Mutuel Arkea), Radionomy (acquired by Vivendi), and NBS System (acquired byOceanet Technology).
For more information, please contact:
Clipperton
Thibaut Revel, Partner, trevel@clipperton.net
Nicolas von Bülow, Partner, nvonbulow@clipperton.net
Augustin Blanchard, Vice President, ablanchard@clipperton.net
Baptiste Clair, Senior Associate, bclair@clipperton.net
Caroline Landré, Senior Associate, clandre@clipperton.net
About Clipperton
Clipperton is a European independent corporate finance advisory firm exclusively dedicated to the Technology and Healthcare industries, advising innovative companies on M&A transactions, debt financings and equity offerings. With offices in London, Berlin, and Paris and an international reach, Clipperton is a European leader in Technology financial advisory. Over the past 15 years, the team has successfully completed more than 150 high profile transactions globally.
For more information, visit www.clipperton.net