MW Investment B.V. completes take-private acquisition of Meltwater

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Meltwater, a global leader in media, social and consumer intelligence, today announces that it has completed the acquisition by MW Investment B.V (“the Offeror”), an entity jointly controlled by Marlin Equity Partners (“Marlin”) and Altor. 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. As a result of the transaction, Meltwater has been delisted from trading on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

“We look forward to partnering with Marlin and Altor to execute on our vision and mission to be the global leader in media, social and consumer intelligence, and continuing to transform data into vital insights for our customers. I am proud of our proven track record of profitable growth, underpinned by product leadership and a committed customer base. We believe this transaction will bring new opportunities to Meltwater, and we look forward to working with new ownership to drive our continued success and deliver more value than ever for our customers,” 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 in partnership with Altor and management 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 customers,” added Natasha Mann, a principal at Marlin.

“Altor and Marlin are aligned with Meltwater’s strategy, and taking Meltwater private will enable a greater ability to execute on this strategy by investing in product, sales, and strategic M&A, as Meltwater has successfully pursued historically. Our longstanding investment in Meltwater is based on our confidence in its leadership position, strong culture, and team, and we remain very confident in the company’s future potential. We are also happy to see the support from the current shareholders and many of them believing in Meltwater’s strategy and therefore continuing as shareholders of the company,” said Mattias Holmström, Partner at Altor.

J.P. Morgan Securities PLC and DNB Markets, a part of DNB Bank ASA, served as financial advisors to Meltwater. Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS, 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 Meltwater
Meltwater empowers companies with a suite of solutions that spans media, social, consumer and sales intelligence. By analyzing ~1 billion pieces of content each day and transforming them into vital insights, Meltwater unlocks the competitive edge to drive results. With 27,000 global customers, 50 offices across six continents and 2,300 employees, Meltwater is the industry partner of choice for global brands making an impact. Learn more at meltwater.com.

About Altor
Since inception, the family of Altor funds has raised more than EUR 10 billion in total commitments. The funds have invested in just south of 100 companies. The investments have been made in medium sized predominantly Nordic companies with the aim to create value through growth initiatives and operational improvements. Among current and past investments are H2 Green Steel, Silo AI, ARC, Rillion and QNTM. For more information visit www.altor.com.

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.

For more information contact:

Kelly Costello
Corporate Communications Director
pr@meltwater.com