Deals (M&A, Finance) – Disney Gets In To Social/Mobile Video Games
Disney acquired social and mobile game developer, Playdom, for $563 mm in upfront consideration and the potential for $200 mm in further earn-out based consideration. Disney management notes that the company continues to be on the acquisition war path.
The largest deals in the week involved (wait for it…) the advertising sector, with $15 mm in follow-on financings to eXelate and AdMeld, and $8 mm to BuzzLogic.
Four different social network/media companies received financing in the week, including, Hot Potato (acquired for $10 mm by Facebook), PlacePop ($1.4 mm round), Rapportive ($1 mm seed round), and dating site, Triangulate ($0.75 seed round).
Price Performance - Web 2.0 Valuation Reverse Course and Head Upward
The Web 2.0 public company universe was positive this week with 47% of stocks rising, 46% falling, and 7% flat.
Web 2.0 Weekly - July 27, 2010: "July Financings - Approaching High for 2010"David Shore
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Jive Software received the biggest investment of the week at $30 mm, bringing its total capital raised to date to $57 mm – the company brings social network-like functions to the realm of enterprise collaboration.
Advertising networks continue to receive the most attention among sectors we track – this week, $24.6 mm in financings were announced, including sports-related ad network Sportgenic (acquired by Glam Media for $12 mm), and TurnHere ($12.6mm in Series B funds).
Rumour alert – we continue to hear more frequent buzz concerning the potential acquisition of social gaming developer Playdom by Disney.
Synchronica (AIM:SYNC) intends to acquire iseemedia (TSXV:IEE) for C$8.8 mm in stock – both companies are engaged in mobile communications development, such as email-to-SMS.
Price performance turns positive
The Web 2.0 public company universe was positive this week, with 54% of companies seeing their market cap rise vs. 34% falling and 12% flat.
June financing well ahead of average: Financing in the Web 2.0 universe in June was the third highest month (over the past 12) with total transaction value (excluding M&A) of $459.6 million from 51 transactions, averaging $9.0 million each - led by the $147 million Zynga financing. In comparison, total capital raised in June 2009 was $226.3 million, averaging $4.5 million over 50 deals. Excluding Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is ~$260 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Alloy, a provider of news and commentary concerning New Media, was acquired by ZelnickMedia for $127 mm.
Facebook’s implied valuation rose to $24 bn as Elevation Partners purchased 5 mm shares of the company for $120 mm in the secondary market.
Danish Skype competitor, Vopium, received $16.5 mm in financing from Indian financier, Raghuvinder Kataria.
Social networking software developer based in France, Pearltrees, raised $1.6 mm.
PapayaMobile, mobile application software company based in China, raised $4 mm.
Two Israeli mobile developers received funding this week, including Perfecto Mobile ($4 mm) and Snaptu ($6 mm).
Negative price performance
The Web 2.0 public company universe fell this week, with 68% of companies seeing their market cap fall vs. 25% rising and 7% flat.
Web 2.0 Weekly - Aug. 10, 2010: "Consolidation by Google"David Shore
Deals (M&A, Finance) – Consolidation by Google
Google confirmed or announced two acquisitions during the week, including Jambool
($70 mm) involved in virtual goods monetization processes, and widget market, Slide
($182 mm).
In other acquisition-related news, Forbes sold investment media website Investopedia to ValueClick for $42 mm. Zynga acquired Japanese mobile app and game developer,
Unoh, for an estimated $29 mm. Finally, dubbed “the Spanish Facebook,” social
networking site, Tuenti, was acquired by Telefonica in a $99 mm deal.
The largest financing (aside from the aforementioned M&A activity) involved “the
Chinese Youtube,” Tudou, raising $50 mm in Series E funds.
Price Performance
Distinctly negative price momentum, with 49% of stocks falling over the past week (after 48% of stocks declines last week, and 51% declined the week prior).
Web 2.0 Weekly - July 20, 2010: "DST Cashing Up"David Shore
Large deals drive July financing to near record levels: With another huge financing (DST - see below) July financing is near record monthly levels. Total raised month-to-date is $742.6 million over 29 deals - averaging $25.6 million each. Excluding the Zynga ($100 million) and DST ($388 million) deals, the average deal size is $9.4 million. In comparison, total capital raised in July 2009 was $209.0 million, averaging $5.2 million over 40 deals. The monthly median total is ~$280 million with a median deal size of $8.1 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Naspers, a South African media and print conglomerate, invested $388 mm in Digital Sky Technologies, the Russian digital media holding company with significant stakes in Facebook, Groupon, Mail.ru, and Zynga.
The next biggest raise of the week was Australian enterprise software developer, Atlassian, receiving $60 mm in Series A funds from Accel Partners.
Social Commerce continues to garner attention – this week BlueSwarm ($0.8 mm angel round) and Shopkick ($15 mm Series B round) raised money.
Another $31 mm in venture funds found their way to Advertising-related start-ups, including Israel-based Adsmarket ($17 mm), as well as a pair of India-based companies – Komli Media ($6 mm) and InMobi ($8 mm).
Price performance split
The Web 2.0 public company universe was split this week, with 48% of companies seeing their market cap fall vs. 43% rising and 9% flat.
Web 2.0 Weekly - June 22, 2010: "AOL Sells Bebo for Massive Loss"David Shore
Deals (M&A, Finance)
AOL is reported to have sold Bebo, the UK-based social network it bought just two years ago for $850 mm, to private equity firm Criterion Partners for under $10 mm. Based on our calculations, AOL paid the equivalent of $38 per Unique Visitor (UV) for Bebo, and sold it for under $1 per UV.
Positive price performance
The Web 2.0 public company universe rose again this week, with 60% of companies seeing their market cap rise vs. 33% falling and 7% flat.
Summer financing doldrums: After a very strong June (with total transaction value (excluding M&A) of $542.8 million from 66 transactions, averaging $8.4 million each), July has started very slowly with only one small financing announced. However, we have seen some large M&A transactions (see below). In comparison, total capital raised in July 2009 was $206.2 million, averaging $5.4 million over 38 deals. Excluding Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is ~$270 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Google, acquired ITA Software, search provider for the travel industry for $700 mm.
infoGROUP, provider of business and consumer databases for sales leads, mailing lists, direct marketing, database marketing, e-mail marketing, and marketing research solutions, was taken private for $645 mm by CCMP Capital Advisers.
GroupSpaces, a provider of web-based tools for sports clubs, university societies, organizations, and groups of friends or coworkers, raised $1.3 mm.
Domain based online advertising services provider, OCTANE360, was acquired by Local.com for $10.9 mm.
Negative price performance
The Web 2.0 public company universe fell again this week, with 61% of companies seeing their market cap fall vs. 27% rising and 12% flat.
April 2010 a record month for Web 2.0 Financing: Total transaction value (excluding M&A) in the Web 2.0 universe for April was $808.2 million - the highest monthly total we have recorded. The number of financings was also a record, at 48, averaging $16.8 million each. Note that this includes the $300 million investment in DST by Tencent. Excluding this transaction, the average is $9.6 million. In comparison, total capital raised in March was $168.1 million, averaging $5.4 million over 31 deals.
Deal round-up for April: The large deal highlights for the month include:
Tencent invested $300mm in DST (investor in Facebook, Zynga, Groupon).
Apple acquired Siri, a mobile local search developer for a rumoured $225 mm.
DST acquired ICQ, the instant messaging company, for $187.5 mm.
Warner Bros. acquired gaming company, Turbine, for $160 mm.
DST invested $135mm in social-shopping service Groupon.
Salesforce.com acquired crowd-sourced personal contact service, Jigsaw, for $142 mm.
Ankeena Networks, media infrastructure solution provider was acquired by Juniper for $100mm.
Bearish week: Price performance was largely negative in our Web 2.0 universe, with prices dropping for over 60% of the companies.
Google/Zynga deal drives July financing results: After starting very slowly (just one deal announced in the prior week) July financing increased substantially as a result of the Google/Zynga financing ($100-200 million). Total raised month-to-date is $158.8 million over 12 deals - averaging $13.2 million each. In comparison, total capital raised in July 2009 was $206.5 million, averaging $5.3 million over 39 deals. Excluding Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is ~$280 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Google invested a rumoured $100-$200 mm in social game developer, Zynga, bringing that company’s total funding to almost $500 mm (assuming the lower end of the range).
The Gaming sector remains hot – along with Google’s investment in Zynga, The9 Ltd. (Chinese online game developer and operator) invested $5 mm in Delaware-based Aurora Feint (focused on gaming for the mobile space).
A triad of financings in the Social Commerce space this week, including Beyond the Rack ($12 mm), ThredUP ($1.7 mm), and BuyWithMe ($16 mm in a Series B financing).
Sysomos, Canadian social media monitoring firm, was acquired by MarketWire for between $25 mm and $35 mm.
Price performance turns positive
The Web 2.0 public company universe rose this week, with 58% of companies seeing their market cap rise vs. 32% rising and 10% flat.
Web 2.0 Weekly - July 27, 2010: "July Financings - Approaching High for 2010"David Shore
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Jive Software received the biggest investment of the week at $30 mm, bringing its total capital raised to date to $57 mm – the company brings social network-like functions to the realm of enterprise collaboration.
Advertising networks continue to receive the most attention among sectors we track – this week, $24.6 mm in financings were announced, including sports-related ad network Sportgenic (acquired by Glam Media for $12 mm), and TurnHere ($12.6mm in Series B funds).
Rumour alert – we continue to hear more frequent buzz concerning the potential acquisition of social gaming developer Playdom by Disney.
Synchronica (AIM:SYNC) intends to acquire iseemedia (TSXV:IEE) for C$8.8 mm in stock – both companies are engaged in mobile communications development, such as email-to-SMS.
Price performance turns positive
The Web 2.0 public company universe was positive this week, with 54% of companies seeing their market cap rise vs. 34% falling and 12% flat.
June financing well ahead of average: Financing in the Web 2.0 universe in June was the third highest month (over the past 12) with total transaction value (excluding M&A) of $459.6 million from 51 transactions, averaging $9.0 million each - led by the $147 million Zynga financing. In comparison, total capital raised in June 2009 was $226.3 million, averaging $4.5 million over 50 deals. Excluding Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is ~$260 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Alloy, a provider of news and commentary concerning New Media, was acquired by ZelnickMedia for $127 mm.
Facebook’s implied valuation rose to $24 bn as Elevation Partners purchased 5 mm shares of the company for $120 mm in the secondary market.
Danish Skype competitor, Vopium, received $16.5 mm in financing from Indian financier, Raghuvinder Kataria.
Social networking software developer based in France, Pearltrees, raised $1.6 mm.
PapayaMobile, mobile application software company based in China, raised $4 mm.
Two Israeli mobile developers received funding this week, including Perfecto Mobile ($4 mm) and Snaptu ($6 mm).
Negative price performance
The Web 2.0 public company universe fell this week, with 68% of companies seeing their market cap fall vs. 25% rising and 7% flat.
Web 2.0 Weekly - Aug. 10, 2010: "Consolidation by Google"David Shore
Deals (M&A, Finance) – Consolidation by Google
Google confirmed or announced two acquisitions during the week, including Jambool
($70 mm) involved in virtual goods monetization processes, and widget market, Slide
($182 mm).
In other acquisition-related news, Forbes sold investment media website Investopedia to ValueClick for $42 mm. Zynga acquired Japanese mobile app and game developer,
Unoh, for an estimated $29 mm. Finally, dubbed “the Spanish Facebook,” social
networking site, Tuenti, was acquired by Telefonica in a $99 mm deal.
The largest financing (aside from the aforementioned M&A activity) involved “the
Chinese Youtube,” Tudou, raising $50 mm in Series E funds.
Price Performance
Distinctly negative price momentum, with 49% of stocks falling over the past week (after 48% of stocks declines last week, and 51% declined the week prior).
Web 2.0 Weekly - July 20, 2010: "DST Cashing Up"David Shore
Large deals drive July financing to near record levels: With another huge financing (DST - see below) July financing is near record monthly levels. Total raised month-to-date is $742.6 million over 29 deals - averaging $25.6 million each. Excluding the Zynga ($100 million) and DST ($388 million) deals, the average deal size is $9.4 million. In comparison, total capital raised in July 2009 was $209.0 million, averaging $5.2 million over 40 deals. The monthly median total is ~$280 million with a median deal size of $8.1 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Naspers, a South African media and print conglomerate, invested $388 mm in Digital Sky Technologies, the Russian digital media holding company with significant stakes in Facebook, Groupon, Mail.ru, and Zynga.
The next biggest raise of the week was Australian enterprise software developer, Atlassian, receiving $60 mm in Series A funds from Accel Partners.
Social Commerce continues to garner attention – this week BlueSwarm ($0.8 mm angel round) and Shopkick ($15 mm Series B round) raised money.
Another $31 mm in venture funds found their way to Advertising-related start-ups, including Israel-based Adsmarket ($17 mm), as well as a pair of India-based companies – Komli Media ($6 mm) and InMobi ($8 mm).
Price performance split
The Web 2.0 public company universe was split this week, with 48% of companies seeing their market cap fall vs. 43% rising and 9% flat.
Web 2.0 Weekly - June 22, 2010: "AOL Sells Bebo for Massive Loss"David Shore
Deals (M&A, Finance)
AOL is reported to have sold Bebo, the UK-based social network it bought just two years ago for $850 mm, to private equity firm Criterion Partners for under $10 mm. Based on our calculations, AOL paid the equivalent of $38 per Unique Visitor (UV) for Bebo, and sold it for under $1 per UV.
Positive price performance
The Web 2.0 public company universe rose again this week, with 60% of companies seeing their market cap rise vs. 33% falling and 7% flat.
Summer financing doldrums: After a very strong June (with total transaction value (excluding M&A) of $542.8 million from 66 transactions, averaging $8.4 million each), July has started very slowly with only one small financing announced. However, we have seen some large M&A transactions (see below). In comparison, total capital raised in July 2009 was $206.2 million, averaging $5.4 million over 38 deals. Excluding Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is ~$270 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Google, acquired ITA Software, search provider for the travel industry for $700 mm.
infoGROUP, provider of business and consumer databases for sales leads, mailing lists, direct marketing, database marketing, e-mail marketing, and marketing research solutions, was taken private for $645 mm by CCMP Capital Advisers.
GroupSpaces, a provider of web-based tools for sports clubs, university societies, organizations, and groups of friends or coworkers, raised $1.3 mm.
Domain based online advertising services provider, OCTANE360, was acquired by Local.com for $10.9 mm.
Negative price performance
The Web 2.0 public company universe fell again this week, with 61% of companies seeing their market cap fall vs. 27% rising and 12% flat.
April 2010 a record month for Web 2.0 Financing: Total transaction value (excluding M&A) in the Web 2.0 universe for April was $808.2 million - the highest monthly total we have recorded. The number of financings was also a record, at 48, averaging $16.8 million each. Note that this includes the $300 million investment in DST by Tencent. Excluding this transaction, the average is $9.6 million. In comparison, total capital raised in March was $168.1 million, averaging $5.4 million over 31 deals.
Deal round-up for April: The large deal highlights for the month include:
Tencent invested $300mm in DST (investor in Facebook, Zynga, Groupon).
Apple acquired Siri, a mobile local search developer for a rumoured $225 mm.
DST acquired ICQ, the instant messaging company, for $187.5 mm.
Warner Bros. acquired gaming company, Turbine, for $160 mm.
DST invested $135mm in social-shopping service Groupon.
Salesforce.com acquired crowd-sourced personal contact service, Jigsaw, for $142 mm.
Ankeena Networks, media infrastructure solution provider was acquired by Juniper for $100mm.
Bearish week: Price performance was largely negative in our Web 2.0 universe, with prices dropping for over 60% of the companies.
Google/Zynga deal drives July financing results: After starting very slowly (just one deal announced in the prior week) July financing increased substantially as a result of the Google/Zynga financing ($100-200 million). Total raised month-to-date is $158.8 million over 12 deals - averaging $13.2 million each. In comparison, total capital raised in July 2009 was $206.5 million, averaging $5.3 million over 39 deals. Excluding Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is ~$280 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Google invested a rumoured $100-$200 mm in social game developer, Zynga, bringing that company’s total funding to almost $500 mm (assuming the lower end of the range).
The Gaming sector remains hot – along with Google’s investment in Zynga, The9 Ltd. (Chinese online game developer and operator) invested $5 mm in Delaware-based Aurora Feint (focused on gaming for the mobile space).
A triad of financings in the Social Commerce space this week, including Beyond the Rack ($12 mm), ThredUP ($1.7 mm), and BuyWithMe ($16 mm in a Series B financing).
Sysomos, Canadian social media monitoring firm, was acquired by MarketWire for between $25 mm and $35 mm.
Price performance turns positive
The Web 2.0 public company universe rose this week, with 58% of companies seeing their market cap rise vs. 32% rising and 10% flat.
Web 2.0 Weekly - May 26, 2010: "Market Declines Impact Web 2.0 Universe Valua...David Shore
May tracking to average monthly levels: After a slow start to the month, financing in the Web 2.0 universe has rebounded and is now on track with prior months. Total transaction value (excluding M&A) in the Web 2.0 universe for May (month-to-date) is $189.9 million from 30 transactions, averaging $6.3 million each. In comparison, total capital raised in May 2009 was $375.0 million, averaging $12.5 million over 30 deals. Excluding May 09, Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is $212 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Cyberplex (TSX:CX) announced plans to acquire Tsavo Media for US$75.6 mm, partially funded through a C$30 mm bought deal financing at $0.55.
Online gaming company Gaikai, raised $10.0 mm in Series B financing.
Blip.TV, online TV provider, raised $10.1 mm in Series C financing.
Financial Results/Guidance
Netease.com (NasdaqGS:NTES, online gaming) reported Q1/F10 revenue of RMB 1.2 bn (vs. RMB 781.7 mm in the same period last year).
Snap Interactive (OTCBB:STVI, online dating) reported Q1/F10 revenue growth of 20% to $0.927 mm from $0.768 mm.
Bearish week again: Price performance was largely negative in our Web 2.0 universe. This impacted valuation multiples, which fell for ~80% of the companies in our universe.
April on track to be record month?: Total transaction value in the Web 2.0 universe April-to-date is $726.1 million. The number of financings stands at 40 averaging $18.2 million each. Note that this includes the $300 million investment in DST by Tencent. Even excluding this transaction, the average is $15.2 million. In comparison, total capital raised in March was $168.1 million, averaging $5.4 million over 31 deals. The highest monthly total in our Web 2.0 financing database was April 2008 with a total of $765.5 million raised in 47 transactions.
Deal round-up for April: The large deal highlights for the month include:
§
•Tencent invested $300mm in DST (investor in Facebook, Zynga, Groupon).
DST invested $135mm in social-shopping service Groupon.
Salesforce.com acquired crowd-sourced personal contact service, Jigsaw, for $142 mm.
•Warner Bros. acquired gaming company, Turbine, for $160 mm.
•Ankeena Networks, media infrastructure solution provider was acquired by Juniper for $100mm.
Bullish week for Web 2.0: Sixty-nine percent of the companies in our universe had increased or flat market caps over the past week, sixty-nine percent had increased EV/Revenue multiples, 75% had increased or flat EV/EBITDA multiples and 73% had increased or flat P/E mutliples .
Month-to-date financings in May totalled $106.6 million; led by the $20
million One Net financing. So far, there have been 18 financings in May,
with 10 deals greater than $5 million and only five less than $5 million.
There have been two financings greater than $10 million (Cyberplex and One
Net), with the capital raises by Imeem and EveryZing close behind at $8.8
million and $8.3 million, respectively. The average value thus far in May is
$5.9 million, slightly below the average value for April of $6.5 million on
21 financings. The March average was $6.6 million on 24 financings. Except
for two deals (Kaixin001.com and Collective Media), all were below $20
million for the last three months and a total of four deals were greater
than or equal to $15 million.
*One Net’s $20 million financing is largest deal in May: *One Net announced
a $20 million financing last week, the largest deal so far in May. Ten of
the 18 deals in the month are equal to or greater than $5 million. For
additional details, see Figures 23 and 24 (at end of note). Also note that
the spin-off of StumbleUpon from E-bay on a $29 million valuation occurred
in May. E-bay had bought StumbleUpon for $75 million.
*A strong price performance week: *The companies in our universe had
relatively strong stock price performances over the past week (for stocks
with prices greater than $1) (Figure 6), with 31 companies showing positive
returns on the week. OpenWave Systems (NASDQ:OPWV) led the group with a
49.2% return, while DigitalTown (OTCBB:DGTW) had the worst return, dropping
35.0% in the week.
Several of the largest MMOG companies reported their Q4/08 results over the past week; including Shanda, Netease,
and The9. The MMOG market continued to grow on a sequential basis in Q4.
Slow start in May after record April: Total transaction value (excluding M&A) in the Web 2.0 universe for April was $813.5 million - the highest monthly total we have recorded. The number of financings was also a record, at 49, averaging $16.6 million each. Note that this includes the $300 million investment in DST by Tencent. Excluding this transaction, the average is $10.7 million. May 2010, in contrast, has started slowly, with only $37.4 million in financing announced thus far, averaging just $3.4 million across 11 deals. In comparison, total capital raised in May 2009 was $375.0 million, averaging $12.5 million over 30 deals.
Deal round-up for May: The large deal highlights for the month include:
Fluid Music (TSX:FMN, digital music distributor) will acquire Mood Media (provider of sensorial marketing solutions) for €160 mm.
Lithium is purchasing analytics developer, Scout Labs, for $20 mm.
Fatfoogoo (purveyor of virtual goods) is being acquired by Digital River for $10 mm.
Groupalia, the Spanish answer to online group discount retailers, Groupon and LivingSocial, raised $2.5 mm in a Series A financing – the online group discounters have been raising money quickly (DST invested $135 mm in Groupon in April) with a total of $222 mm in funding coming to just these three players thus far.
Bearish week again: Price performance was largely negative in our Web 2.0 universe, with prices dropping for over 70% of the companies.
Web 2.0 Weekly - May 26, 2010: "Market Declines Impact Web 2.0 Universe Valua...David Shore
May tracking to average monthly levels: After a slow start to the month, financing in the Web 2.0 universe has rebounded and is now on track with prior months. Total transaction value (excluding M&A) in the Web 2.0 universe for May (month-to-date) is $189.9 million from 30 transactions, averaging $6.3 million each. In comparison, total capital raised in May 2009 was $375.0 million, averaging $12.5 million over 30 deals. Excluding May 09, Dec 09 and Apr 10, the average monthly total is $212 million.
Deals (M&A, Finance)
Cyberplex (TSX:CX) announced plans to acquire Tsavo Media for US$75.6 mm, partially funded through a C$30 mm bought deal financing at $0.55.
Online gaming company Gaikai, raised $10.0 mm in Series B financing.
Blip.TV, online TV provider, raised $10.1 mm in Series C financing.
Financial Results/Guidance
Netease.com (NasdaqGS:NTES, online gaming) reported Q1/F10 revenue of RMB 1.2 bn (vs. RMB 781.7 mm in the same period last year).
Snap Interactive (OTCBB:STVI, online dating) reported Q1/F10 revenue growth of 20% to $0.927 mm from $0.768 mm.
Bearish week again: Price performance was largely negative in our Web 2.0 universe. This impacted valuation multiples, which fell for ~80% of the companies in our universe.
April on track to be record month?: Total transaction value in the Web 2.0 universe April-to-date is $726.1 million. The number of financings stands at 40 averaging $18.2 million each. Note that this includes the $300 million investment in DST by Tencent. Even excluding this transaction, the average is $15.2 million. In comparison, total capital raised in March was $168.1 million, averaging $5.4 million over 31 deals. The highest monthly total in our Web 2.0 financing database was April 2008 with a total of $765.5 million raised in 47 transactions.
Deal round-up for April: The large deal highlights for the month include:
§
•Tencent invested $300mm in DST (investor in Facebook, Zynga, Groupon).
DST invested $135mm in social-shopping service Groupon.
Salesforce.com acquired crowd-sourced personal contact service, Jigsaw, for $142 mm.
•Warner Bros. acquired gaming company, Turbine, for $160 mm.
•Ankeena Networks, media infrastructure solution provider was acquired by Juniper for $100mm.
Bullish week for Web 2.0: Sixty-nine percent of the companies in our universe had increased or flat market caps over the past week, sixty-nine percent had increased EV/Revenue multiples, 75% had increased or flat EV/EBITDA multiples and 73% had increased or flat P/E mutliples .
Month-to-date financings in May totalled $106.6 million; led by the $20
million One Net financing. So far, there have been 18 financings in May,
with 10 deals greater than $5 million and only five less than $5 million.
There have been two financings greater than $10 million (Cyberplex and One
Net), with the capital raises by Imeem and EveryZing close behind at $8.8
million and $8.3 million, respectively. The average value thus far in May is
$5.9 million, slightly below the average value for April of $6.5 million on
21 financings. The March average was $6.6 million on 24 financings. Except
for two deals (Kaixin001.com and Collective Media), all were below $20
million for the last three months and a total of four deals were greater
than or equal to $15 million.
*One Net’s $20 million financing is largest deal in May: *One Net announced
a $20 million financing last week, the largest deal so far in May. Ten of
the 18 deals in the month are equal to or greater than $5 million. For
additional details, see Figures 23 and 24 (at end of note). Also note that
the spin-off of StumbleUpon from E-bay on a $29 million valuation occurred
in May. E-bay had bought StumbleUpon for $75 million.
*A strong price performance week: *The companies in our universe had
relatively strong stock price performances over the past week (for stocks
with prices greater than $1) (Figure 6), with 31 companies showing positive
returns on the week. OpenWave Systems (NASDQ:OPWV) led the group with a
49.2% return, while DigitalTown (OTCBB:DGTW) had the worst return, dropping
35.0% in the week.
Several of the largest MMOG companies reported their Q4/08 results over the past week; including Shanda, Netease,
and The9. The MMOG market continued to grow on a sequential basis in Q4.
Slow start in May after record April: Total transaction value (excluding M&A) in the Web 2.0 universe for April was $813.5 million - the highest monthly total we have recorded. The number of financings was also a record, at 49, averaging $16.6 million each. Note that this includes the $300 million investment in DST by Tencent. Excluding this transaction, the average is $10.7 million. May 2010, in contrast, has started slowly, with only $37.4 million in financing announced thus far, averaging just $3.4 million across 11 deals. In comparison, total capital raised in May 2009 was $375.0 million, averaging $12.5 million over 30 deals.
Deal round-up for May: The large deal highlights for the month include:
Fluid Music (TSX:FMN, digital music distributor) will acquire Mood Media (provider of sensorial marketing solutions) for €160 mm.
Lithium is purchasing analytics developer, Scout Labs, for $20 mm.
Fatfoogoo (purveyor of virtual goods) is being acquired by Digital River for $10 mm.
Groupalia, the Spanish answer to online group discount retailers, Groupon and LivingSocial, raised $2.5 mm in a Series A financing – the online group discounters have been raising money quickly (DST invested $135 mm in Groupon in April) with a total of $222 mm in funding coming to just these three players thus far.
Bearish week again: Price performance was largely negative in our Web 2.0 universe, with prices dropping for over 70% of the companies.
Web 2.0 And Business Attraction Canadian Cities Online Marketing IndexE&B DATA
The study measures how well Canadian cities economic development agencies are marketing their regions to potential investors via the web. The uses of various Web 2.0 tools were assessed and the availability of relevant information sources for site selectors on the agency's site were considered as a part of the ranking process.
Mobile / Mobile Apps - Presentation by Ragnar Kruse, Founder & CEO of Smaato at the NOAH 2012 Conference in San Francisco, Four Seasons Hotel on the 26th of June. www.noah-conference.com
Tracxn's Unicorn Report for Dec 2020 is out rebrand.ly/0sfz1! Gain insights into ever increasing number of Startup Unicorns across the globe. Subscribe for free to access our Startup Unicorn reports published every month.
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10 01 05 Web 2.0 Weekly Special EditionDavid Shore
TOP FIVE DEALS OF 2009
The Top Five: Despite over 400 transactions in 2009, it wasn’t hard choosing our Top Five transactions for 2009 (with a little bit of massaging). Our Top Five transactions are: Facebook’s $200 million D round, Twitter’s $100 million E round, the $2.25 billion acquisition of Skype, the almost $1 billion in financing/M&A for Social Gaming companies (including Zynga, Playdom and Playfish), and the incredible per unique visitor value ascribed in the financing for location-based social networking company Gowalla.
• Facebook raises $200 million D round: In May 2009, Facebook announced a new financing round – raising $200 million from Digital Sky Technologies. The transaction gave Digital Sky a 1.96% stake, valuing Facebook at $10 billion. This financing brought the company’s total to $678.2 million. This was also the largest financing we recorded in 2009.
• Twitter raises $100 million E round: The third largest financing round in 2009 belonged to Twitter – a $100 million Series E in September 2009. The financing reportedly valued Twitter at $1 billion – a remarkable valuation for a company that has not yet formalized a revenue model! More recently, it has been reported that Twitter was actually profitable in 2009 due to the $25 million in search deals it signed in October with Google and Microsoft.
• Skype is acquired for $2.025 billion: By far the largest overall transaction in our database in 2009 was the acquisition of a majority position (65%) in Skype from eBay for $2.025 billion – announced in September 2009. The transaction was completed in November 2009. eBay had purchased Skype for $4.0 billion in 2005.
• Social Gaming financing activity reaches ~$1 billion (Zynga, Playfish, Playdom, etc.): Perhaps the hottest sector overall in 2009 was Social Gaming. This segment of the Web 2.0 market had the third highest number of deals (39) and generated almost $1 billion in financing/M&A activity – the second highest total overall (Figure 1). Three transactions in particular stand out in the social gaming space – the $400 million acquisition of Playfish (by Electronic Arts, November 2009), the $180 million financing of Zynga (Series C, December 2009, by Digital Sky), and the $43 million first round of financing for Playdom (New Enterprise lead, November 2009, Series A). There has been much speculation as to how the larger social gaming companies will proceed, with potential IPO or further strategic M&A most likely.
• Hottest new sector? Location-based social networks (Foursquare, Gowalla, etc.). Unique visitor value skyrockets: Financing activity for location-based social networks really heated up late in 2009. While the total financing raised in 2009 was quite small (~$15 million), the hype surrounding location-based SNS companies was substantial. In our opinion, this was highlighted by the $8.4 million December Series B financing for Gowalla. The reported valuation of $28.4 million implies a value of $568 for each of its 50,000 users (Figure 2). That compares to a $40 per user value we estimate for the Foursquare financing in September.
LATTER HALF OF 2009: FORGING FORWARD
DEAL VALUE ON PACE TO MEET NOVEMBER LEVEL
December starts at strong pace: Total transaction value in the Web 2.0 universe for the first week of December is $68.8 million. The number of financings stands at seven, averaging $9.8 million each. In comparison, total capital raised in November was $203.4 million, averaging $11.3 million (18 deals); October was $171.3 million, averaging $6.3 million (27 deals); and September was $232.8 million, averaging $9.0 million (26 deals).
Broad-based sector financing: Video, Gaming, Advertising, Collaboration, and Analytics experienced the most financing activity among our Web 2.0 sector categories in the past three months by number of transactions (six each). Social Networks remain strong with five deals in the past quarter. Infrastructure and Search round out the top three positions at four deals each over the past three months. The $400 million acquisition of Playfish skews the Virtual Worlds segment to the highest total.
Market pull-back abates – universe split between risers and decliners: Twenty-five companies in our universe had positive stock price performances over the past week (for stocks with prices greater than $1), while 22 companies showed negative 1-week returns.
New royalty agreement for webcasting & copyright firms: SoundExchange, a nonprofit royalty collecting organization associated with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) agreed this past week to a new deal regarding royalty rates for webcasting. Under the new agreement, large commercial webcasters will pay up to 25% of their revenue to copyright holders – well below the 70% that could have been imposed under an earlier deal. While the deal was initially agreed to by three smaller Internet radio webcasters, Pandora Media, the third largest radio site (according to Alexa), also indicated it would sign on to the agreement.
Online Media companies lead financing: Two online media companies – Pandora (Internet Radio) and QuickPlay (Mobile Video) have secured the largest financing transactions thus far in July ($35 million and $12 million respectively). Total capital raised so far in July is $66.1 million through eight transactions, averaging $8.3 million per transaction. June closed with $180 million in financing on 36 transactions. The averages for the months of May (excluding the Facebook transaction) and June were $6.4 million and $4.7 million, respectively.
A weak price performance week: The companies in our universe had weak stock price performances over the past week (for stocks with prices greater than $1) (Figure 6), with 30 companies showing negative returns on the week. Gravity (NasdaqGM: GRVY) led the group with a 33% return, while GungHo (3765-OSE) had the worst return, dropping 26.4% in the week.
*Capital Market Activity: *The month of May closed with 20 financings
totalling $327.1 million led by the $200 million investment by Digital Sky
Technologies in Facebook. Excluding the Facebook transaction, May would have
been the lowest month in CY2009. The Facebook transaction aside, four
transactions (One Net Ent., Cyberplex, Peer39 and OpenX), were greater than
or equal to $10 million. The average value in May is $15.6 million (and $6.4
million excluding the Facebook transaction), greater than the average value
for April of $6.2 million on 21 financings. The March average was $6.5
million on 24 financings. If you are aware of any companies that have
recently raised money that are not on our list, please send me an email to
have them added to our database.
*Price Performance: *Most of the companies in our universe had positive
stock price performances over the past week (for stocks with prices greater
than $1) (Figure 12), with 29 companies showing positive returns on the
week. GameOn co. Ltd (3812-TSE) led the group with a 28.2% return, while
eolith Co. Ltd. (A041060-KOSE) had the worst return, dropping 13.7% in the
week.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
Elevating Tactical DDD Patterns Through Object CalisthenicsDorra BARTAGUIZ
After immersing yourself in the blue book and its red counterpart, attending DDD-focused conferences, and applying tactical patterns, you're left with a crucial question: How do I ensure my design is effective? Tactical patterns within Domain-Driven Design (DDD) serve as guiding principles for creating clear and manageable domain models. However, achieving success with these patterns requires additional guidance. Interestingly, we've observed that a set of constraints initially designed for training purposes remarkably aligns with effective pattern implementation, offering a more ‘mechanical’ approach. Let's explore together how Object Calisthenics can elevate the design of your tactical DDD patterns, offering concrete help for those venturing into DDD for the first time!
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
2. Key Developments (past week)
Deals (M&A, Finance) – Disney Gets In To Social/Mobile Video Games
Disney acquired social and mobile game developer, Playdom, for $563 mm in upfront
consideration and the potential for $200 mm in further earn-out based consideration.
Disney management notes that the company continues to be on the acquisition warpath.
The largest deals in the week involved (wait for it…) the advertising sector, with $15 mm
in follow-on financings to eXelate and AdMeld, and $8 mm to BuzzLogic.
Four different social network/media companies received financing in the week, including,
Hot Potato (acquired for $10 mm by Facebook), PlacePop ($1.4 mm round),
Rapportive ($1 mm seed round), and dating site, Triangulate ($0.75 mm seed round).
Financial Results/Guidance/Partnerships/Product
Multiplied Media (TSXV:MMC) announced a partnership with U.S. wireless carrier,
Cricket Communication, to have the company’s geo-location mobile app, Poynt, pre-
installed on several of the smartphones that Cricket currently markets or intends to
launch in the near future. In other MMC news, the latest version of Poynt, now for the
Android OS, was launched last week. Poynt is now available on iPhone, BlackBerry, and
Android.
2 www.mackieresearch.com
4. Aggregate Public Data
Web 2.0 Public Companies Total Median Max Min
# Companies 102 - - -
Market Cap (US$ mm) 86,339.9 49.9 35,575.0 0.0
Revenue (US$ mm) 28,921.6 43.9 6,869.8 0.0
1 Year revenue growth 2.5% 8961.6% -100.0%
EBITDA as % of revenue - 8.8% 63.2% -99.5%
Net cash (US$ mm) 17,182.1 2.9 6,665.5 -670.8
TEV/Revenue - 1.8x 37.6x 0.0x
TEV/EBITDA - 8.4x 39.9x 0.1x
P/E - 16.8x 97.2x 0.0x
Relative to 52 week high -41.6% -0.9% -93.5%
Source: CapitalIQ
4 www.mackieresearch.com
5. 5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Gaming
28
Social Networking
16
10
Media
9
Diversified
6
Mobile
5
Marketing
Source: CapitalIQ
3
Infrastructure
3
SMS/Voice
3
Enterprise
3
Advertising
2
Internet Retail
2
Virtual World
By Sector
2
Dating
2
Music
1
Vertical Communities
1
Search
1
Podcasting
1
Learning
1
Video
1
Collaboration
1
Payment
1
Financial Services
Public Company Distribution
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
United States
Canada
China
South Korea
Japan
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Germany
Poland
Australia
United Kingdom
By Country
Italy
Finland
Sweden
India
Russia
Malaysia
Switzerland
www.mackieresearch.com
10. 10
-
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
# Companies 2
Virtual World
11.6
9
Social Networking
9.0
2
Infrastructure
9.0
1
Learning
8.9
4
Mobile
5.1
2
Music
4.8
6
Diversified
4.2
1
Search 3.6
Gaming
21
3.5
5
Marketing
3.3
1
Vertical Communities
3.2
3
SMS/Voice
2.6
Average EV/Revenue – by Sector
1
Podcasting
2.6
1
Collaboration
2.5
3
Advertising
2.3
9
Media
2.2
2
Internet Retail
2.0
3
Enterprise
1.7
1
Video
1.6
2
Dating
1.2
1
Financial Services
0.5
www.mackieresearch.com
11. Average EV/EBITDA – by Sector
45.0
40.0 38.5
35.0
30.0
25.0
20.0 18.8
17.1
15.0 13.0
12.2 11.7
10.3
9.4 9.2
10.0
7.2 6.9
5.0 4.0
-
Diversified
Advertising
Internet Retail
Search
Mobile
Enterprise
Gaming
Social Networking
Media
Collaboration
Marketing
Dating
# Companies 1 3 2 5 13 2 6 6 1 2 1 1
11 www.mackieresearch.com
12. Average P/E – by Sector
120.0
100.0 96.3
80.0
60.0 54.9
40.2
38.3
40.0
23.8
19.8
20.0
14.3 14.1 13.6
7.7
-
Internet Enterprise Collaboration Diversified Social Marketing Advertising Media Gaming Virtual World
Retail Networking
2 3 1 9 16 5 3 10 28 2
# Companies
12 www.mackieresearch.com
13. 13
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
38
Ac c redited Members H olding C orporation
Source: CapitalIQ
28
S oc ialG O P L C
23
Worlds .c om Inc.
19
T encent H oldings Ltd.
17
S pec trumDNA, Inc.
15
G eoS entric O yj
14
MO K O .mobi L imited
12
P aid Inc.
G ree, Inc.
C hines e G amer International
10 10 10
B ey ond C ommerc e, Inc.
9
Lingo Media C orporation
Mood Media C orporation
8 8
DigitalP os t Interac tiv e, Inc.
7
T rans G aming, Inc.
6
Acc eleriz e New Media, Inc .
H U G H E S T elematics , Inc .
Dena C o. Ltd.
Mix i, Inc.
F rogs ter Interac tiv e P ictures AG
5 5 5 4 4
C hangyou.com L imited
T aleo C orp.
S K C ommunications C o., L td.
K ings oft C orporation L imited
4 4 4 3
WebMediaB rands Inc
Motric ity, Inc.
Wiz z ard S oftware C orporation
3 3 3
O pen T ex t C orp.
EV/Revenue Ranking
eP ro Ltd.
S ohu.c om Inc.
Modern T imes G roup Mtg AB
XING AG
NE O WIZ G ames C orporation
2 2 2 2 2 2
V elti P lc
S hutterfly , Inc .
S c ore Media Inc.
P NI Digital Media Inc .
Myriad G roup AG
U O MO Media, Inc
H anbitS oft, Inc.
V alueC lic k , Inc.
G ungH o O nline E ntertainment, Inc .
P latforma Mediowa P oint G roup S .A.
is eemedia Inc.
NeuL ion Inc orporated
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
H utc his on T elec ommunic ations H ong
S park Network s , Inc.
G amania Digital E ntertainment C o. , L td.
U nilav a C orporation
Webz en Inc.
NetDragon WebS oft, Inc.
Accredited Members has
Y D O nline C orp.
O riented Media G roup B erhad
Y nk K orea Inc.
highest revenue multiple at 38x
S NAP Interac tiv e, Inc.
Internet G roup S A
O AO R B C Information S y s tems
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
AQ Interactiv e, Inc.
P oints International Ltd.
IAC /InterActiveC orp.
T heS treet.c om, Inc.
T he New Y ork T imes C ompany
U nited O nline, Inc.
DADA S pA
Northgate T echnologies L imited
U nis erv e C ommunic ations C orp.
AO L , Inc.
C DC C orp.
G lu Mobile, Inc.
T ree.C om, Inc.
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
G igaMedia Ltd.
O penwave S ys tems Inc.
C y berplex Inc.
Actoz S oft C o., L td.
J umbuc k E ntertainment Limited
R ealNetwork s Inc.
As k net AG
G ameO n C o L td.
Look S mart, Ltd.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ngi G roup Inc.
www.mackieresearch.com