NEW YORK — Clarion Capital Partners, LLC (“Clarion”) announced today that it has completed a strategic investment in Ad.net, Inc (”Ad.net”), a leading provider of digital performance advertising through intent-driven marketing for leading brands and agencies. Jon Waterman, Ad.net’s CEO and founder, will maintain a significant ownership stake in the Company and will continue as CEO. The terms of the transaction, which closed on May 7th, were not disclosed.
“We are proud to partner with an incredible entrepreneur, Jon Waterman, and the rest of the management team to further enhance the company’s ability to drive high-value digital advertising campaigns.”
With Clarion’s partnership, Ad.net will accelerate its product innovation, drive new customer acquisition strategies, and augment its supply of high performing online publishers to meet the growing demand of its customer base. In addition to organic growth initiatives, Ad.net and Clarion will seek M&A opportunities to expand the company’s capabilities and reach.
“We’ve spent the last several years building a company that is leading the charge in driving innovative campaign strategies and customer acquisition solutions for the fast growing digital marketing sector and we are thrilled to partner with Clarion to accelerate this momentum,” said Jon Waterman. “With Clarion’s experience and vast resources, this deal allows us to invest in new solutions and technologies to better serve our growing customer base, which includes many of the largest and most well-known brands and agencies. Clarion’s deep industry knowledge and long-term approach made them the right partner for Ad.net, and we are eager to join forces to bring even greater value and ROI to our customers,” added Jon Waterman.
David Ragins, Managing Director at Clarion, added, “The leadership team at Ad.net have built an outstanding company and we are excited to work together over the next several years to continue expanding the company’s presence and market leadership.” Brandon Katz, Principal at Clarion, added, “We are proud to partner with an incredible entrepreneur, Jon Waterman, and the rest of the management team to further enhance the company’s ability to drive high-value digital advertising campaigns.”
On the purchase of Ad.net, Clarion received legal advice from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP and Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. Financing for the transaction was provided by funds managed by PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC, Stellus Capital Management, and Five Points Capital.
Moelis & Company served as exclusive financial advisor to Ad.net. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP and Pearlman & Tishbi LLP served as legal counsel to Ad.net.
About Clarion Capital Partners, LLC
Clarion Capital Partners is a New York based private equity firm that focuses on making equity investments in lower middle market growth companies. Clarion’s industry focus includes Business & Healthcare Services, Specialty Financial Services, Media, Entertainment & Technology, and Consumer & Retail. Additional information on Clarion can be found at www.clarion-capital.com.
About Ad.net
Ad.net extends the campaigns of advertisers from traditional search engines and leverages a proprietary technology stack to help brands acquire new customers in an efficient and scalable manner. Ad.net is committed to developing additional solutions and ensuring exceptional service to be at the forefront of the digital advertising needs of advertisers ranging from Fortune 100 brands to SMBs. Ad.net is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Additional information on Ad.net can be found at https://www.ad.net/.
