NEW YORK, July 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeta Interactive
(Zeta), a big data and analytics company, which helps brands
acquire, grow and retain customers, today announced that it has
closed a $125 million round of
financing from FS Investment Corporation (NYSE: FSIC), FS
Investment Corporation II (FSIC II) and FS Investment Corporation
III (FSIC III), business development companies (BDCs) advised by
affiliates of Franklin Square Capital Partners (Franklin Square) and sub-advised by an
affiliate of GSO Capital Partners LP (GSO), the credit platform of
Blackstone (NYSE: BX). Under the
terms of the investment, these BDCs will provide up to $125 million in a mix of debt and equity.
"Data, analytics and technology are transforming the marketing
ecosystem," said David A. Steinberg,
Zeta's Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO. "Zeta is uniquely positioned
to capitalize on this major shift in how the world's leading
marketers acquire new customers and make the ones they already have
more valuable. We are delighted to add GSO and Franklin Square as partners and to our
shareholder base. We look forward to working closely with their
team as we embark on our next phase of growth."
Adds John Sculley, Zeta's
Co-Founder and former CEO of Apple Computer and Pepsi Cola, "This
investment will help us attract and retain world-class talent,
enhance our award-winning technology platform and sharpen our
offerings for our Fortune 500 and middle-market clients. This
funding is a testament to the great job David and his team have
done to date, as well as an indication that even bigger things are
still to come."
Zeta will use the financing to enhance and expand its Gartner
Magic-Quadrant-rated platform; grow its market penetration in the
US and UK markets; and accelerate the company's strategic
acquisition strategy. Zeta has been an active acquirer in the Data,
Analytics and SaaS-based technology sectors. In the past two years,
the company has acquired the marketing automation platform pioneer,
ClickSquared, and the Actions division of Adchemy Inc., along with
its patented machine learning platform.
"Zeta is one of the most successful and fastest-growing
companies focused on the big data and analytics space," said
Brad Colman, a GSO Capital Partners
Principal. "This is a sector that we've watched closely and we are
very excited about. We are committed to helping Zeta grow their
business organically and through acquisition."
"We invest in high quality middle market companies like Zeta,"
said Michael C. Forman, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of FSIC, FSIC II and FSIC III. "We look
forward to working with Zeta's first class management team and
progressing the company's already impressive growth track."
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements
regarding our anticipated strategic relationship with GSO and the
Franklin Square funds, our
expectations regarding expansion of our middle market lending and
asset management activities, our ability to implement our
accelerated growth strategy, access new origination channels and
provide a broader set of financing options to our clients. All
statements other than statements of historical fact included in
this release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements give our current expectations and projections relating
to our financial condition, results of operations, strategic plans,
objectives, future performance, financing plans and business. As
such, they are subject to material risks and uncertainties,
including our ability to successfully execute on our growth
strategy; the general state of the economy; our ability to compete
effectively in a highly competitive industry; and the impact of
federal, state and local laws and regulations that govern
non-depository commercial lenders and businesses generally.
About Zeta Interactive:
Zeta Interactive is a leader
in the data-driven marketing sector. The company uses Big Data,
Analytics and Machine Learning to help brands acquire, grow and
retain customers. Founded by David A.
Steinberg and John Sculley
(former CEO of Apple Computer and Pepsi-Cola) in 2007, Zeta
Interactive's set of Data, Email, Social, Display, Search and
Mobile solutions are used globally by hundreds of Middle Market and
Fortune 500 brands. With over 600 employees worldwide, the company
is headquartered in New York City,
with Centers of Excellence in Silicon Valley, London, and Hyderabad, India, and additional offices in
Boston, MA; Boulder, CO; Detroit, MI; Scottsdale, AZ; Tampa, FL; Washington, D.C.; Middlesbrough and Bristol, UK. For more information, please
visit: www.zetainteractive.com
About Blackstone and
GSO:
Blackstone is one of
the world's leading investment firms. We seek to create positive
economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the
companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do
this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help
companies solve problems. Our asset management businesses, with
over $300 billion in assets under
management, include investment vehicles focused on private equity,
real estate, public debt and equity, non-investment grade credit,
real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis.
Blackstone also provides various
financial advisory services, including financial and strategic
advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and fund
placement services. Further information is available at
www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.
GSO Capital Partners LP is the global credit and distressed
investment platform of Blackstone.
With approximately $75 billion of
assets under management (as of March 31,
2015), GSO is one of the largest alternative managers in the
world focused on the leveraged-finance, or non-investment grade
related, marketplace. GSO seeks to generate attractive
risk-adjusted returns in its business by investing in a broad array
of strategies including mezzanine debt, distressed investing,
leveraged loans and other special-situation strategies. Its funds
are major providers of credit for small and middle-market companies
and they also advance rescue financing to help distressed
companies.
About Franklin
Square:
Franklin Square is a leading
manager of alternative investment funds designed to enhance
investors' portfolios by providing access to asset classes,
strategies and asset managers that typically have been available to
only the largest institutional investors. The firm's funds offer
"endowment-style" investment strategies that help construct
diversified portfolios and manage risk. Franklin Square strives not only to maximize
investment returns but also to set the industry standard for best
practices by focusing on transparency, investor protection and
education for investment professionals and their clients.
Founded in Philadelphia in
2007, Franklin Square quickly
established itself as a leader in the world of alternative
investments by introducing innovative credit-based income funds,
including the industry's first non-traded BDC. As of March 31, 2015, the firm managed approximately
$15.7 billion in total assets,
including $14.5 billion in BDC
assets, making it the largest manager of BDCs. For more
information, please visit www.franklinsquare.com.
About FSIC
FSIC is a publicly traded BDC focused on
providing customized credit solutions to private middle market U.S.
companies. FSIC seeks to invest primarily in the senior secured
debt and, to a lesser extent, the subordinated debt of private
middle market companies to achieve the best risk-adjusted returns
for its investors. In connection with its debt investments, FSIC
may receive equity interests such as warrants or options.
FSIC is advised by FB Income Advisor, LLC, an affiliate of
Franklin Square, and is
sub-advised by GSO / Blackstone Debt Funds Management LLC (GDFM),
an affiliate of GSO. For more information, please visit
www.fsinvestmentcorp.com.
About FSIC II and FSIC III
FSIC II and FSIC III are
publicly registered, non-traded BDCs sponsored by Franklin Square. FSIC II and FSIC III focus
primarily on investing in the debt securities of private companies
throughout the United States, with
the investment objectives of generating current income and, to a
lesser extent, long-term capital appreciation for their investors.
FSIC II and FSIC III are advised by affiliates of Franklin Square and are sub-advised by GDFM.
For more information, please visit
www.franklinsquare.com.