Creating Shareholder Value

Blis

Transaction: Realised Investment

Sector: Technology

Initial Investment: 2009

Investment Realised: 2022

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Meridian’s investee company, Blis, the audience-first platform that doesn’t rely on personal data, have announced that LDC, a leading private equity firm, has entered an agreement to make a significant investment in the company. 

Blis is an integrated planning and buying platform that delivers scaled, relevant and high-performing audiences, helping the world’s largest brands and media agencies achieve their goals.

Established in 2004, with Meridian Growth Capital investing in 2009. Blis has spent 18 years shaping the role of location in the evolving programmatic landscape. With help from funders such as Meridian, it has invested heavily in its privacy-first technology for many years, expanding its solutions beyond location and launching its planning tool, Audience Explorer, in 2021. This future proofed approach enables Blis to deliver integrated planning and buying solutions via the Blis Platform to deliver highly accurate, targeted campaigns for some of the world’s biggest brands through personalised and scalable targeting without reliance on personal data. 

Blis now operates in more than 40 countries across five continents, working with the world’s largest most customer driven companies across all verticals including Unilever, Samsung, McDonalds, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot, as well as every major media agency.

The investment from LDC will back the exiting management team to further grow and expand the global business, enabling Blis to double its headcount in the next few years.

Greg Isbister, CEO of Blis commented, “This has been an incredible journey to date. Huge thank you to Meridian, who invested in our early stages. Darren has been an incredible business partner and has helped throughout our journey with great advice, that’s always pragmatic and considered, not to mention being available at any time and any place, no matter where he was in the world and always willing to help! The investment from LDC marks a hugely exciting moment for Blis and we are looking forward to accelerating our growth plans in partnership with them.”

Darren Thompson, Partner of Meridian Growth Capital commented, “Having made the original investment when there were just 15 people in the company and one office, I am delighted to have played a very small part behind the scenes in the success of Blis and under Greg’s fantastic leadership. The global expansion of the business and the services that Blis now provide are unparalleled in their market and it is great to see LDC making this investment to take the company to the next level.”

LDC’s John Green and David Andrews will join the board alongside Blis CEO Greg Isbister, CFO Parm Dharmi, and John Farrell, former president and CEO of specialised agencies and marketing services arm of Publicis Group, who joins Blis as Non-Executive Chair.
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