STRATEGIC AGREEMENT BETWEEN 4W MARKETPLACE, A COMPANY BORN WITHIN THE INCUBATOR DIGITAL MAGICS, AND DADA, WHICH NOW HOLDS THE 25% OF THE DIGITAL SCALEUP
The DADA Group becomes the second reference shareholder of 4w MarketPlace following the transfer of its business unit ProAdv/Simply
The goal is to create the first Italian ad-network of digital advertising through the integration of innovative technology platforms belonging to 4w MarketPlace and ProAdv/Simply
Milan, April 24, 2015 – 4w MarketPlace – the main Italian AdNetwork operating in online advertising with leading publishers and media agencies – and DADA – an international leader in professional services for online presences (domain registration, hosting, servers, online brand protection) and in several advanced solutions for online advertising – have signed a strategic agreement to aggregate ProAdv/Simply – the business unit of DADA specializing in Programmatic Advertising – with the digital scaleup, born within Digital Magics, the incubator listed on the Italian Stock Exchange: 4w MarketPlace offers innovative advertising solutions on PC, smartphone and tablet.
The operation will be undertaken through a conferral in kind by Register.it – ​​DADA subsidiary – of its business unit ProAdv/Simply in favor of 4w MarketPlace, against a capital stock increase of 25% of the shareholding structure, worth approximately 2.1 million Euros. The DADA Group will become the second largest shareholder of 4w MarketPlace.
4w MarketPlace was founded in 2009. Its shareholdings are currently owned by Digital Magics – the venture incubator listed on the AIM market of Italian Stock Exchange (symbol: DM) – which holds a 43% stake, and Principia SGR (31%) – one of the largest players operating in the Italian venture capital sector – as well as the top management/founders (16%) and other private investors. Following the entry of the capital of DADA, the stake of Digital Magics will be reduced to 32%.
4w MarketPlace is an ad network that aggregates over 500 publishers among the most prestigious in Italy, both websites and mobile, and offers advertisers a complete range of ADV sizes for PC, tablet and smartphone – from contextual ads, videos, to display formats – by using a proprietary suite that integrates the best technologies on the market. It has a reach of 70%, and a number of more than 5 billion impressions per month. Since 2009 4w MarketPlace exclusively manages ADV spaces on the website and the m-site of Consorzio Premium Publisher Network (PPN), founded by RCS Group and Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso.
In 2014 4w MarketPlace reported revenues of 4.4 million Euro. There are approximately 30 people working within the scaleup of Digital Magics, in different locations: Fisciano (SA), research and development centre, Milan and Rome, commercial offices.
ProAdv/Simply is a marketplace for publishers and advertisers based on proprietary technology for the distribution of digital advertising and the monetisation of the display, video and mobile traffic. The network of ProAdV/Simply now has more than 30,000 publishers in Italy, Spain, France and the UK and generates a total of over 2 billion impressions per month.
2.4 million Euro were the revenues of ProAdv/Simply in 2014. The team consists of 8 people in the offices of Florence and Milan.
The goal of integration between 4w MarketPlace and ProAdv/Simply – through the innovative proprietary technological platforms and thanks to significant operating synergies – is to create the first Italian ad-network of digital advertising, based on inventory strengthened and diversified, to offer a portfolio of products able to cover the entire span of offer in the context of online advertising.
It is expected that Gabriele Ronchini, formerly CEO of 4w MarketPlace, will be appointed Executive Chairman, and Roberto Barberis, formerly head of the branch ProAdv/Simply of DADA, will hold the position of CEO of 4w MarketPlace, strengthening the management of 4w MarketPlace comprising Roberto Bassani, founder and CTO, and Carlo Tedeschi-Polmonari, Partner and CFO.
Enrico Gasperini, Founder and Chairman of Digital Magics, said: “We are very proud of the fact that an international company like the Dada Group has decided to believe in the successful business model of 4w MarketPlace, by becoming a partner with us and Principia SGR. The results achieved by our scaleup in the recent years are very important and significant enough to even attract the interest of some European operators”.
Gabriele Ronchini, Founder and CEO of 4w MarketPlace, said: “After the strategic support of Digital Magics and the financial support by Principia SGR, today we will join forces with a high level industrial partner to further accelerate growth, strengthening our leadership in the Italian market. The integration of the products by ProAdv/Simply and the expansion of the network of publishers will enhance the supply of 4w MarketPlace, both in the direct sales and in the automatic planning through our proprietary platforms. With this agreement we are adding our fourth office, in Florence, for the coverage of Central Italy “.
This press release is available on the company website www.digitalmagics.com under Investor Relations –Press Releases.
4w MarketPlace (www.4wmarketplace.com) is the Italian ad-network characterized by reliability, quality of supply and the prestige of the publishers who are part of it; it gives publishers and advertisers advertising solutions to optimize inventory and investments on PC, tablet and smartphone. Founded in 2009 as a startup of the certified incubator Digital Magics, it is now present on the Italian territory with three offices: Fisciano (SA) – where it has a strategic partnership with the University of Salerno – Milan and Rome. Since 2009 it has established itself in contextual advertising production for the websites of the major Italian online newspapers (exclusive for Consorzio PPN, founded by RCS Group and Gruppo Editoriale L’Espresso) and in 2011 it has also entered the mobile market, by expanding its inventory with App and Msite premium. In 2012 it obtained an investment of 2 million euro from Principia SGR for the strengthening of technological development and in 2013 it launched 4w Matic, Private Marketplace for premium programmatic buying and held a strategic partnership with the Dutch company Improve Digital. In 2014 it launched 4w Advisor, a recommendation widget solution for native advertising. In addtion, 4w Marketplace exclusively mandate by Consorzio PPN as regards websites and Msites was renewed for three years.
Digital Magics (www.digitalmagics.com) is a certified venture incubator of innovative digital startups that offer content and services with a high technological value, in addition to scaleups – innovative companies that are experiencing a period of growth and expansion. Digital Magics builds and develops Internet start-ups, working alongside their founders, investing its capital and providing acceleration services. Starting from talents and ideas, it transforms them into successful disruptive businesses in the Italian and international digital economy. The Digital Magics model is unique in Italy and is based on the Digital Magics LAB: the team that identifies, analyses and launches new initiatives, and on the network of private investors, institutional funds and industrial partners who participate with Digital Magics in selection activities, mentorship and investment in ideas presented, and the startups under development. Digital Magics currently has 41 startups in its portfolio. Digital Magics is listed on AIM Italia, the Alternative Capital Market dedicated to small and medium-sized Italian enterprises with high growth potential, organised and managed by the Italian Stock Exchange.
Integrae SIM acts as a Nomad and Specialist under the AIM Italia Issuers Regulations. For communication transmissions, Digital Magics makes use of the SDIR-NIS circuit, operated by BIt Market Services, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group.
For further information:
Digital Magics – Press Release
Giorgio Bocchieri – Mail: giorgio.bocchieri@digitalmagics.com
Tel. 02 52505202 – Mob. 334 6853078
IR Top – Financial and Institutional communication
Floriana Vitale – Mail: f.vitale@irtop.com
Domenico Gentile – Mail: d.gentile@irtop.com
Tel. 02 45473884
Integrae SIM – Nomad
Mail: info@integraesim.it
Tel. 02 78625300
