Simpli.fi, a programmatic advertising and agency management software company, announced that private equity funds managed by Blackstone have completed the previously announced significant equity investment in the company.
Blackstone joins existing investor GTCR, a leading private equity firm, as majority shareholders in the company. The investment, made through Blackstone’s flagship private equity vehicle, values the company at approximately $1.5 billion, the statement said.
“We are thrilled to embark upon this next chapter for Simpli.fi as we welcome Blackstone as a new partner,” said Frost Prioleau, Co-Founder and CEO of Simpli.fi. “Working alongside Blackstone and GTCR, we look forward to driving further product innovation and expansion of our platform, both organically and through our targeted acquisition strategy, in order to better serve the needs of advertising agencies and media buying organizations.”
“As local media spend increasingly moves from linear to digital channels, we are excited to partner with management and GTCR to build upon Simpli.fi’s market leadership in this space,” said Sachin Bavishi, a Managing Director at Blackstone. “We look forward to investing behind Simpli.fi’s rapid growth trajectory as it continues to innovate and serve customers through superior technology and customer service.”
Craig Bondy, a Managing Director at GTCR, and Stephen Master, a Principal at GTCR, added: “Blackstone shares our vision and strong belief in Simpli.fi’s growth potential and, importantly, brings complementary expertise and valuable resources to bear. We look forward to working together to support the company’s continued expansion.”
Evercore, LUMA Partners, and Canaccord Genuity served as financial advisors, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to Simpli.fi and GTCR. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal advisor to Blackstone.
