LOS ANGELES, August 28, 2019 – Marlin Equity Partners (“Marlin”) is pleased to announce that it has acquired Influenster, a leading product discovery and reviews platform with nearly six million community members worldwide. The company’s product offering allows brands to generate reviews and social content, license its user-generated content (“UGC”) to their online shopping pages to improve conversion and gain new consumers and receive product insights through in-depth review analysis. Influenster 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 and expanding Bazaarvoice’s product review content coverage.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Influenster team as we continue building Bazaarvoice into the world’s leading provider of the most comprehensive product reviews and UGC platform for brands and retailers,” said Nathan Pingelton, a principal at Marlin. “The acquisition of Influenster enhances Bazaarvoice’s core value proposition and significantly improves the product suite we can offer our customers.”
“The decision to join forces with Influenster underscores Bazaarvoice’s commitment to connecting brands with consumers and consumers with one another through user-generated content,” said Joe Davis, CEO of Bazaarvoice. “Influenster’s product sampling and review generation offerings further strengthen our core product ratings and reviews solutions, and their hyper-targeting and gamification capabilities will allow us to better support customers’ broader marketing initiatives. We’re excited to partner with a company that shares our belief in the power of the everyday consumer.”
“Our mission has always been to empower today’s consumers to be the trusted voice when it comes to product experiences and recommendations. Bazaarvoice shares a similar mission, which makes them an ideal partner,” said Elizabeth Scherle, president and co-founder of Influenster. “Since launching Influenster nine years ago, we’ve innovated to meet the changing needs of shoppers as the retail, e-commerce and social media landscapes evolve. Through this acquisition, we’re excited to continue our growth by developing new capabilities and connecting our highly-motivated community with thousands of brands and more than a billion shoppers in the Bazaarvoice Network.”
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 150 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
Bazaarvoice helps brands and retailers find, reach and ultimately win consumers with the content they trust. On a monthly basis, more than a billion consumers utilize the Bazaarvoice Network to create, view and share authentic user generated-content including reviews, questions and answers, and social photos across more than 6,000 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 make informed purchasing decisions. Founded in 2005, Bazaarvoice is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in North America, Europe 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.