NEW YORK, June 26, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IgnitionOne, the global leader in cloud-based digital marketing technology, today announced $20 million in Series B funding led by new investor SoftBank Capital with participation from existing investors including ABS Capital Partners and Brown Savano.
This additional capital will enable IgnitionOne to extend its lead as the industry's broadest and most well-integrated digital marketing hub through additional strategic acquisitions, accelerated innovation of the company's Digital Marketing Suite technology and expansion of sales and marketing activities on a worldwide basis.
With a global footprint of over 450 employees in 17 offices across 10 countries, IgnitionOne is one of the largest independent marketing technology companies in the world. The company provides a suite of innovative solutions that encompass algorithmic media management across channels such as search, programmatic display and social; advanced data management; and marketing automation including user scoring, lead nurturing and lead optimization.
"We are committed to simplifying the lives of marketers by assimilating the most important marketing and advertising technologies into a single stack and this capital raise will allow us to accelerate that vision," said Will Margiloff, CEO of IgnitionOne. "IgnitionOne is leading the industry with the most integrated and complete digital marketing technology. We will continue to be relentless in our drive to bring far greater simplicity and superior performance to marketers, through the power of an integrated solution."
"We chose to work with SoftBank based on their deep domain knowledge and track record of success in the digital marketing space, their experience in helping high-growth companies expand both domestically and internationally, and their vast networks in media, advertising and mobile markets. We'll leverage their investment to continue to expand our presence among marketers and their agency partners, both in the US and internationally."
This news follows IgnitionOne's announcement last quarter of the acquisition of Knotice, a leading data management platform which is being integrated into IgnitionOne's cloud-based Digital Marketing Suite to enable customers to manage both 1st and 3rd party data.
"We have been long-time investors in the digital marketing space. Based on our own observations and discussions with CMOs and others across the market, it's become clear that today's marketer is facing extraordinary demands to deliver measurable performance across a vast and increasing array of media and ad types. By focusing on the integration of digital marketing technology, IgnitionOne is addressing an enormous pain point in the industry in a way that no one else is approaching," said Matt Krna, Partner at SoftBank Capital. "The innovations they offer put them in the same league as the 'mega-vendors' but with a level of integration, ingenuity, service and clarity that is second to none."
RBC Capital Markets acted as exclusive placement agent for the financing.
About IgnitionOne
IgnitionOne® is the global leader in cloud-based digital marketing technology providing a world-class proprietary platform and expert services to improve digital marketing performance. IgnitionOne's integrated Digital Marketing SuiteSM (DMS) empowers marketers to buy, manage and optimize digital media across Search, Display, Social and Mobile, understand client users through Data Management and Cross Channel Attribution, while helping to optimize conversions on a marketer's website through Marketing Automation. At the core of the DMS is the proprietary User Engagement Score Algorithm which determines the value of a user in order to automate the delivery of the right message, at the right time, at the right cost, to a marketer's users, on and off their website.
IgnitionOne currently scores over 300 million users monthly in 75 countries and powers more than $30 billion in revenue each year for leading brands, including General Motors, CenturyLink, Bridgestone, La Quinta and Fiat, as well as advertising agencies such as 360i, GroupM and iProspect.
For more information, please visit http://www.ignitionone.com, follow the company on Twitter @ignitionone or visit the blog at http://www.digitalmarketingsuite.com.
About SoftBank Capital
SoftBank Capital makes early and growth stage investments in companies that connect people, devices and the world. SoftBank Capital invests in category leaders in consumer and enterprise mobile, online advertising, ecommerce, social media and cloud computing. We have been making investments since 1995, with recent exits including Bluefin Labs, Buddy Media, Hyperpublic, Huffington Post, OMGPOP, Pivot and ZipList. To learn more, visit www.softbank.com.
About ABS Capital
At ABS Capital Partners, we have a simple mission–to invest in the very best late-stage growth companies. Our singular focus has allowed us to cultivate a deep understanding of what it takes to get promising businesses to the next level. Our priority is finding the best growth companies—not completing certain types of transactions or investing specific amounts of dollars. Our flexibility allows us to structure the right deal to support a company's growth trajectory and particular needs. We actively partner with CEOs to tackle the challenges of rapid expansion and create significant long-term value. Our partners are highly experienced at working with growth companies—each having spent between one and three decades in their industry as C-level executives, investment bankers, consultants or investors. For more information, visit abscapital.com.