LOS ANGELES, July 8, 2020 – Marlin Equity Partners (“Marlin”) is pleased to announce that it has acquired Curalate, a leading provider of user-generated content (“UGC”), influencer marketing, social commerce and social media management solutions. The company’s product offering empowers more than 1,100 brands and retailers with the ability to source, tag, manage and distribute enriched social content across the full e-commerce landscape, improving their customers’ shopping experience across any social channel. Curalate will be merged with Bazaarvoice, a Marlin portfolio company, further strengthening Bazaarvoice’s market position as the leading provider of product reviews and UGC solutions that are redefining how brands and consumers connect, create and innovate.
“The acquisition of Curalate is another significant step forward for Bazaarvoice as it continues to build the world’s leading and most comprehensive UGC and product reviews platform for e-commerce,” said Nathan Pingelton, a managing director at Marlin. “Curalate vastly expands the depth and breadth of content that Bazaarvoice can deliver to its customers and further enhances the value of its network to brands and retailers through a unique combination of software, content, data and insights that create a better shopping experience for consumers.”
Keith Nealon, CEO, at Bazaarvoice, stated, “Consumers are increasingly relying on images and videos within product reviews to shop and buy online with confidence. As shoppers turn to e-commerce in unprecedented numbers due to the COVID-19 outbreak, providing them with access to this type of UGC content has become more important than ever. With this acquisition, brands and retailers can take advantage of the huge consumer appetite for visual content and social shopping and benefit from the most engaging and effective ratings and reviews, expertly delivered in partnership with the world’s major social platforms.”
“Joining Bazaarvoice unlocks the true potential of Curalate’s technology and enables us to scale into new markets globally, while benefiting from their UGC expertise,” said Apu Gupta, CEO and Co-Founder of Curalate. As a combined company, we can offer a unique proposition to brands and retailers at a time when people are increasingly shopping online and turning to influencers to inform their purchases.”
About Marlin Equity Partners
Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with over $6.7 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 160 acquisitions. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional office in London. For more information, please visit www.marlinequity.com.
About Bazaarvoice
Each month in the Bazaarvoice Network, more than a billion consumers create, view, and share authentic user-generated content including reviews, questions and answers, and social photos across more than 6,200 global brand and retailer websites. From search and discovery to purchase and advocacy, Bazaarvoice’s solutions help brands and retailers reach in-market shoppers, personalize their experiences, and give them the confidence to buy. Founded in 2005, Bazaarvoice is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit www.bazaarvoice.com.
For additional information, please contact Peter Spasov at (310) 364-0100 or via e-mail at pspasov@marlinequity.com.