Founded back in 2012, the LoopMe adtech/martech startup focused on brand-based mobile advertising, using AI to deliver measurable outcomes for its users. At its height, it had raised $25 million equity and $10 million of venture debt (which was fully paid off before signing). But there’s a reason for using the past tense — Mayfair Equity Partners, a tech and consumer growth investor, has now acquired a majority stake in LoopMe for $120 million, that will now value the company at close to $200 million. The $10 million of venture debt was fully paid off prior to this transaction.
Mayfair’s investment will be used to accelerate growth in core markets such as the United States while expanding into new geographies, including Japan. LoopMe’s founders, Stephen Upstone and Marco van de Bergh, are staying on. Upstone remains CEO and van de Bergh remains CTO.
LoopMe says it has estimated gross revenues of nearly $100 million for full-year 2021, having achieved revenue growth of c.50% p.a. over the past three years, with the majority of revenues now coming from the U.S.
The platform optimizes media campaign delivery and is available across mobile, connected TV (CTV), digital audio, digital out-of-home and other emerging digital advertising channels. The company’s clients include brands, major holding companies and publishers such as dentsu, Publicis, WPP, Omnicom, Pepsi, Microsoft, Sony Pictures, Hyundai/Kia and WarnerMedia.
Mayfair has already invested in other digital media properties, including Talon Outdoor (Out-of-Home specialist media agency) and SuperAwesome (a leading kids’ digital media platform). It’s also a shareholder in Epic Games (the developer of Fortnite and the Unreal Engine), OVO Group (a tech-enabled energy solutions provider) and Graphcore (a pioneering developer of AI accelerators).
Stephen Upstone, CEO and founder of LoopMe said: “LoopMe has experienced phenomenal growth over the past ten years, particularly in the US, within the mobile video app ecosystem and now in CTV. As a leading data and privacy-compliant software platform delivering exceptional performance without the need for personal identifying data, LoopMe is poised for continued success given ongoing market developments with regards to data regulation and usage.”
Daniel Sasaki, managing partner at Mayfair Equity Partners said: “Over the last decade the mobile brand-based advertising market has undergone a period of rapid growth, expanding to over $8 billion[1] in size. This is a very dynamic part of the AdTech ecosystem, which is supported by increasing handset penetration and the desire for personalized digital content.”
