LOS ANGELES, August 9, 2023 — Marlin Equity Partners (“Marlin”) is pleased to announce that it has completed the take-private acquisition of Meltwater (Oslo Stock Exchange: MWTR), a media intelligence and social listening platform that specializes in solutions for measuring, managing and magnifying corporate reputations. The offer and subsequent post-closing restructuring were originally announced on January 18, 2023 and completed on August 9, 2023. Meltwater shareholders were entitled to receive NOK 18.00 settled in cash, shares in the Offeror, or a combination thereof. Marlin partnered with Altor Equity Partners (“Altor”) in the transaction and will together hold a majority shareholding in the go-forward organization.
“We look forward to partnering with Marlin’s and Altor’s teams to execute on our vision and mission to be the global leader in digital and social media monitoring and intelligence, to help customers monitor, understand and influence the world around you based on data insights from the outside. I am proud of our proven track record of profitable growth, underpinned by product leadership and committed customer base. We believe this transaction will bring new opportunities to Meltwater and we look forward to working with new ownership focusing on our continued success,” said John Box, CEO of Meltwater.
“We believe Meltwater represents a unique opportunity to invest in an industry leader in the media intelligence software space with proven strategic product capabilities. Meltwater’s solutions have a significant market opportunity and are critical to strategic brand decisions across enterprises globally. We are eager to work together to fuel the strong growth trajectory of the company,” said Nathan Pingelton, a managing director at Marlin. “Meltwater has a history of industry disruption and is now strategically poised to further capture a significant market opportunity. We are committed to supporting Meltwater with the strategic and financial resources that will accelerate overall growth, technological innovation and the delivery of a top of the line product offering to its clients,” added Natasha Mann, a principal at Marlin.
As a result of the transaction, Meltwater has been delisted from trading on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
J.P. Morgan Securities plc and DNB Markets, a part of DNB Bank ASA, served as financial advisors to Meltwater. Schjødt, Houthoff and DLA Piper acted as legal advisors to Meltwater.
Carnegie AS acted as financial advisor in connection with the Offer. Advokatfirmaet Thommessen AS, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP,Advokatfirmaet Wiersholm AS, Goodwin Procter LLP and AKD N.V. acted as legal advisors to the buyer.
About Marlin Equity Partners
Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with over $8.9 billion of capital under management. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, shareholders and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple industries where its capital base, industry relationships and extensive network of operational resources significantly strengthen a company’s outlook and enhance value. Since its inception, Marlin, through its group of funds and related companies, has successfully completed over 200 acquisitions. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with an additional office in London. For more information, please visit www.marlinequity.com.
About Meltwater
Meltwater provides social and media intelligence. By analyzing approximately one billion online documents daily, Meltwater enables PR, Communications and Marketing professionals to make informed strategic decisions and influence the world around them. The company was founded in Oslo, Norway in 2001 and now has 50 offices across six continents. Meltwater has 2,300 employees and 27,000 corporate customers, including industry leaders in several sectors. For more information, please visit www.meltwater.com.
Contacts:
Peter Spasov
(310) 364-0100
pspasov@marlinequity.com
Gasthalter & Co.
marlinequity@gasthalter.com