Online ads startup snags $30 million from Temasek, SAP

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Marin Software, a startup that publishes applications used to manage online advertising campaigns, has raised $30 million in a new investment round led by Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings.
Temasek was joined by SAP Ventures, the investment arm of SAP AG, Europe’s largest enterprise software firm, as well as previous investors including Benchmark Capital, Crosslink Capital and DAG Ventures.
The San Francisco-based company also announced on Monday that it has added Frank van Veenendaal, a top global sales executive at Salesforce.com, to its board.
The latest moves are meant to help Marin acquire new customers, especially in Asia, where the company looks to focus its expansion, Chris Lien, Marin’s chief executive officer, said in an interview.
Temasek will help Marin “with potential customer introductions and local market knowledge,” Lien said.
“They’ve been operating in these emerging markets for years and years.”
Marin’s products have been adopted by clients like Hotels.com, Macy’s and the University of Phoenix. The company is still focused on managing ads across search engines like Google and Yahoo, but Lien said his company is beginning to incorporate into its platform tools to manage campaigns on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
(Reporting by Gerry Shih; Editing by Richard Pullin)

http://tourism9.cm/    http://vkins.com/

Marin Software Raises $30 Million Funding

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire -02/13/12)- According to eMarketer, by 2015 advertisers will spend $132.1 billion annually for online advertising. Advertisers are increasing their investment in online advertising across multiple channels to drive greater lead generation, customer acquisition, and revenue. This activity is fueling the expanding adoption of Marin Software’s ad management and optimization platform. During the last year, Marin nearly doubled its customer base to 1,500 as well as the amount of annual spend managed on its platform to $3.5 billion. In the wake of Marin’s success, Asia investment company Temasek led a $30 million round of funding along with SAP Ventures. Joining the new investors in this oversubscribed round were existing Marin venture investors Benchmark Capital, Crosslink Capital, DAG Ventures, and Triangle Peak Partners.
Following Marin Software‘s year of rapid international expansion, customer growth, and product innovation, and the closing of the recent financing, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined Marin Software’s Board of Directors.
Marin Software’s Dramatic Growth:
http://tourism9.cm/    http://vkins.com/

• Since its inception in 2006, Marin Software has grown into the premier provider of advertising management solutions worldwide. Marin currently serves clients in 160 countries with 25 currencies, increasing its international footprint in the last year with the opening of offices in Singapore, France, Australia, and Germany.
• More than 1,500 of the world’s leading advertisers and agencies manage $3.5 billion in annualized online ad spend through Marin Software. Within the last few months, Hotels.com, Brookstone, Coupons Inc., Rosetta, and Reprise Media have selected Marin’s platform to manage their search, display and social advertising campaigns. Longstanding Marin customers include iProspect, Neo@Ogilvy, Razorfish, Macy’s, Experian, and University of Phoenix.
• Spurred by increasing demand for its products worldwide, Marin Software hired more than 100 new employees during 2011.

Marin Software Funding:

• To date, Marin Software has raised more than $80 million in venture funding. Marin plans to invest this new capital to bolster product development, customer support, and service delivery worldwide.
• Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore, with a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as of March 31, 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Through its partnership with Temasek, Marin Software will be able to accelerate its growth across Asia and other emerging markets.
• With the investment from SAP Ventures, which is affiliated with SAP AG, the market leader in enterprise application software, Marin Software will have the opportunity to leverage the experience and resources of SAP and its extensive ecosystem to help further Marin’s business momentum.

Marin Software Board of Directors:

• Attracted by Marin Software’s exceptional growth and industry leadership, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined the Marin Software Board of Directors. Van Veenendaal joined salesforce.com when it had less than $20 million in annual revenue and has since led salesforce.com to its current annual sales run rate of more than $2.3 billion.
• van Veenendaal’s extensive experience will prove invaluable as Marin expands its global sales and services programs.
• Marin Software’s Board of Directors includes Chris Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software; Paul Auvil, CFO at Proofpoint, Inc.; Bruce Dunlevie, General Partner at Benchmark Capital; and Donald Hutchison, advisor and investor.

Quotes:

• “I am pleased to welcome Temasek and SAP Ventures as investors in Marin Software,” said Christopher Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software. “Temasek brings unrivalled experience and capabilities in Asian and emerging markets, which will benefit Marin’s international development. Support from SAP Ventures and relationships with the SAP global ecosystem will further accelerate Marin’s growth around the world.”
• “We are honored to have Frank van Veenendaal join Marin’s Board of Directors, as he has written the global playbook on world-class SaaS sales and services execution during his tenure at salesforce.com,” said Lien. “The entire Marin team looks forward to benefiting from his expertise and counsel as we further develop Marin’s position as the global leader in online advertising management.”
• “Marin Software has built incredible momentum in a short amount of time to become a leading provider of ad management solutions, helping advertisers and agencies wring more ROI out of every ad buy,” said Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com. “The traction Marin has gained in the global marketplace reminds me of the early days of salesforce.com, and I look forward to working hand-in-hand with the executive team as the company cements its leadership worldwide.”

Resources:About Marin Software
About Temasek
About SAP Ventures
About Frank van Veenendaal
Follow Marin Software on Twitter
About Temasek:
Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore. Supported by 12 affiliates and offices in Asia and Latin America, Temasek owns a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as at 31 March 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Temasek’s investment themes centre on Transforming Economies, Growing Middle Income Populations, Deepening Comparative Advantages and Emerging Champions. Its portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries: financial services; transportation & industrials; telecommunications, media & technology; life sciences, consumer & real estate; energy & resources. Total shareholder return for Temasek since its inception in 1974 has been a healthy 17% compounded annually. It has a corporate credit rating of AAA/Aaa from rating agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s respectively. For further information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg.
About SAP Ventures:SAP Ventures is an independent investment firm affiliated with SAP AG (NYSE: SAP – News), the global market leader in enterprise application software, and we leverage our relationships with SAP and its global ecosystem for the benefit of portfolio companies. We make growth equity and later-stage investments in market-leading technology companies across North America, Europe, and key emerging markets. Over the last 15 years, SAP Ventures has supported more than 100 companies across five continents. Past investments include Commerce One, Endeca, Greenplum, MySQL, Red Hat, and WebEx. Current portfolio companies include Alfresco, Alteryx, Control4, LinkedIn, Lithium, OnDeck, OpenX, SAVO, Spring Wireless, Tealeaf, Tremor Media, and Zend. For more information on SAP Ventures, please visit www.sapventures.com.
About Marin Software:Marin Software is a leading provider of online advertising management solutions, offering an integrated platform for managing search, social, display, and mobile marketing. The company provides solutions for advertisers and agencies, enabling them to improve financial performance, save time, and make better decisions. Marin Enterprise, the company’s flagship product, addresses the needs of online marketers spending at least $100,000 per month on biddable media. Marin Professional delivers the same power and ease of use as Marin Enterprise, through an application designed for marketers spending less than $100,000 per month. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices worldwide, Marin’s technology powers marketing campaigns for over 1,500 customers managing more than $3.5 billion of annualized ad spend in more than 160 countries. For more information, please visit: http://www.marinsoftware.com.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1884165

Marin Software Raises $30 Million Funding

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–(Marketwire -02/13/12)- According to eMarketer, by 2015 advertisers will spend $132.1 billion annually for online advertising. Advertisers are increasing their investment in online advertising across multiple channels to drive greater lead generation, customer acquisition, and revenue. This activity is fueling the expanding adoption of Marin Software’s ad management and optimization platform. During the last year, Marin nearly doubled its customer base to 1,500 as well as the amount of annual spend managed on its platform to $3.5 billion. In the wake of Marin’s success, Asia investment company Temasek led a $30 million round of funding along with SAP Ventures. Joining the new investors in this oversubscribed round were existing Marin venture investors Benchmark Capital, Crosslink Capital, DAG Ventures, and Triangle Peak Partners.
Following Marin Software’s year of rapid international expansion, customer growth, and product innovation, and the closing of the recent financing, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined Marin Software’s Board of Directors.
Marin Software’s Dramatic Growth:
http://tourism9.cm/    http://vkins.com/

• Since its inception in 2006, Marin Software has grown into the premier provider of advertising management solutions worldwide. Marin currently serves clients in 160 countries with 25 currencies, increasing its international footprint in the last year with the opening of offices in Singapore, France, Australia, and Germany.
• More than 1,500 of the world’s leading advertisers and agencies manage $3.5 billion in annualized online ad spend through Marin Software. Within the last few months, Hotels.com, Brookstone, Coupons Inc., Rosetta, and Reprise Media have selected Marin’s platform to manage their search, display and social advertising campaigns. Longstanding Marin customers include iProspect, Neo@Ogilvy, Razorfish, Macy’s, Experian, and University of Phoenix.
• Spurred by increasing demand for its products worldwide, Marin Software hired more than 100 new employees during 2011.

Marin Software Funding:

• To date, Marin Software has raised more than $80 million in venture funding. Marin plans to invest this new capital to bolster product development, customer support, and service delivery worldwide.
• Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore, with a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as of March 31, 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Through its partnership with Temasek, Marin Software will be able to accelerate its growth across Asia and other emerging markets.
• With the investment from SAP Ventures, which is affiliated with SAP AG, the market leader in enterprise application software, Marin Software will have the opportunity to leverage the experience and resources of SAP and its extensive ecosystem to help further Marin’s business momentum.

Marin Software Board of Directors:

• Attracted by Marin Software’s exceptional growth and industry leadership, Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com, has joined the Marin Software Board of Directors. Van Veenendaal joined salesforce.com when it had less than $20 million in annual revenue and has since led salesforce.com to its current annual sales run rate of more than $2.3 billion.
• van Veenendaal’s extensive experience will prove invaluable as Marin expands its global sales and services programs.
• Marin Software’s Board of Directors includes Chris Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software; Paul Auvil, CFO at Proofpoint, Inc.; Bruce Dunlevie, General Partner at Benchmark Capital; and Donald Hutchison, advisor and investor.

Quotes:

• “I am pleased to welcome Temasek and SAP Ventures as investors in Marin Software,” said Christopher Lien, Founder and CEO of Marin Software. “Temasek brings unrivalled experience and capabilities in Asian and emerging markets, which will benefit Marin’s international development. Support from SAP Ventures and relationships with the SAP global ecosystem will further accelerate Marin’s growth around the world.”
• “We are honored to have Frank van Veenendaal join Marin’s Board of Directors, as he has written the global playbook on world-class SaaS sales and services execution during his tenure at salesforce.com,” said Lien. “The entire Marin team looks forward to benefiting from his expertise and counsel as we further develop Marin’s position as the global leader in online advertising management.”
• “Marin Software has built incredible momentum in a short amount of time to become a leading provider of ad management solutions, helping advertisers and agencies wring more ROI out of every ad buy,” said Frank van Veenendaal, President of Worldwide Sales and Services at salesforce.com. “The traction Marin has gained in the global marketplace reminds me of the early days of salesforce.com, and I look forward to working hand-in-hand with the executive team as the company cements its leadership worldwide.”

Resources:About Marin Software
About Temasek
About SAP Ventures
About Frank van Veenendaal
Follow Marin Software on Twitter
About Temasek:
Incorporated in 1974, Temasek is an Asia investment company headquartered in Singapore. Supported by 12 affiliates and offices in Asia and Latin America, Temasek owns a diversified S$193 billion portfolio as at 31 March 2011, concentrated principally in Singapore, Asia and growth markets. Temasek’s investment themes centre on Transforming Economies, Growing Middle Income Populations, Deepening Comparative Advantages and Emerging Champions. Its portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries: financial services; transportation & industrials; telecommunications, media & technology; life sciences, consumer & real estate; energy & resources. Total shareholder return for Temasek since its inception in 1974 has been a healthy 17% compounded annually. It has a corporate credit rating of AAA/Aaa from rating agencies Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s respectively. For further information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg.
About SAP Ventures:SAP Ventures is an independent investment firm affiliated with SAP AG (NYSE: SAP – News), the global market leader in enterprise application software, and we leverage our relationships with SAP and its global ecosystem for the benefit of portfolio companies. We make growth equity and later-stage investments in market-leading technology companies across North America, Europe, and key emerging markets. Over the last 15 years, SAP Ventures has supported more than 100 companies across five continents. Past investments include Commerce One, Endeca, Greenplum, MySQL, Red Hat, and WebEx. Current portfolio companies include Alfresco, Alteryx, Control4, LinkedIn, Lithium, OnDeck, OpenX, SAVO, Spring Wireless, Tealeaf, Tremor Media, and Zend. For more information on SAP Ventures, please visit www.sapventures.com.
About Marin Software:Marin Software is a leading provider of online advertising management solutions, offering an integrated platform for managing search, social, display, and mobile marketing. The company provides solutions for advertisers and agencies, enabling them to improve financial performance, save time, and make better decisions. Marin Enterprise, the company’s flagship product, addresses the needs of online marketers spending at least $100,000 per month on biddable media. Marin Professional delivers the same power and ease of use as Marin Enterprise, through an application designed for marketers spending less than $100,000 per month. Headquartered in San Francisco, with offices worldwide, Marin’s technology powers marketing campaigns for over 1,500 customers managing more than $3.5 billion of annualized ad spend in more than 160 countries. For more information, please visit: http://www.marinsoftware.com.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=1884165

BIA Digital Leads $13.5M Investment in Cooking.com

More Topics:
Posted December 6, 2011

Sign in to connect with your friends on Citybizlist

Chantilly, Va – BIA Digital Partners II LP, a private investment firm focusing on growth companies, announced it has led a $13,500,000 growth capital financing for Marina del Ray, Calif.-based Cooking.com, Inc. The financing consisted of subordinated debt and a new round of preferred equity. Azure Capital Partners, the Company’s lead equity investor, provided a significant participation in the financing. Proceeds from the investment will be used to further the growth of the Company’s flagship site www.cooking.com and to accelerate the build-out of the Company’s “Powered By Cooking.com” enterprise-level ecommerce solution. In conjunction with the financing, Damien Dovi, Partner at BIA DP, has joined the Company’s board of directors as an observer.
Tracy Randall, co-founder and CEO of Cooking.com commented, “We have been rigorously focused on leveraging our position as the category-leader in the specialty food and kitchenware segment to bring scalable, low-to-no-risk ecommerce solutions to our channel partners. The investment from BIA Digital Partners allows us to continue to scale and grow our portfolio of partner sites while providing an excellent consumer experience.” Randall further said, “BIA Digital Partners was quick to understand our strategy, and with a deep understanding of the media and enthusiast content segment, was able to offer helpful insights during the due diligence process. Their financing solution was unique and unlike any other option the Company considered.”
Mike Kwatinetz, General Partner at Azure Capital Partners said, “We are very pleased to welcome BIA DP as a new investor. We have already seen their ability to add strategic value as Cooking.com executes on its plan to become a significant player in online commerce, by creating branded stores relevant to buyers of cooking products.”
“Cooking.com merges two of our investment focus areas, quality content and technology-enabled services,” stated BIA DP’s Scott Chappell. “Our investment will support Tracy and her team at Cooking.com to further cement and grow its connections with consumer enthusiasts and enterprise partners.”
“BIA Digital Partners is focused on investing in category leaders. For more than 10 years, Cooking.com has built its reputation on being a content and product-rich ecommerce destination for those seeking high quality kitchenwares and specialty foods. The ‘Powered By Cooking.com’ network is a testament to the Company’s reputation in the marketplace, as they currently power many of the most respected brands in the industry,” said BIA DP’s Dovi. “We are delighted to add Cooking.com, Inc. to our investment portfolio.”
About BIA Digital Partners
BIA Digital Partners is a private investment firm, managing approximately $280 million. Financing is available for acquisitions, organic growth, recapitalizations and leveraged/management buyouts among other purposes. BIA Digital Partners maintains a focus on expansion-stage companies operating in the media, telecommunications, consumer internet and technology-enabled business and consumer services segments. Investments range from $5 to $20 million and larger with co-investors and are typically in the form of subordinated debt with warrants or preferred equity. For more information, visit www.biadp.com.
About Cooking.com
Cooking.com is transforming online shopping in the food and cooking space by going to customers and building innovative, entertaining shopping experiences with trusted brands. Cooking.com operates several uniquely branded websites including: Rachael Ray Store, Paula Deen Store, Calphalon Store, Betty Crocker Store, Pillsbury Store, Steamy Kitchen Store, Good Bite Store, and Marley Coffee. ‘Powered By Cooking.com’ delivers high touch, branded e-commerce solutions and category expertise, enabling partners to attract consumers, drive membership and build new revenue opportunities.
Cooking.com offers its customers access to over 60,000 products for the kitchen as well as recipes, menus, collections and a growing library of member-submitted cooking content. The company is committed to providing its customers with an exceptional experience and is the recipient of numerous awards for customer satisfaction. Cooking.com was founded in 1998 and is based in Marina del Rey, Calif.
About Azure Capital Partners
Azure is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with over $650 million under management. The firm invests in early stage technology companies that are at the forefront of a transformative opportunity for growth. Azure has invested in and served as trusted advisors to some of the most successful and important technology companies created in the last decade including VMWare (NYSE: VMW), Bill Me Later (acquired by eBay), Calix (NYSE: CALX), Top Tier (acquired by SAP) and World Wide Packets (acquired by Ciena). The Azure team is recognized for industry thought leadership, a broad network of powerful industry relationships and a unique professional investment approach to venture investing. For more information, visit www.azurecap.com.

To find out more about the company in this article and to see if you
have business connections, click below:

• BIA Digital Partners II LP

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
blog comments powered by

Sign-in to connect with your friends on Citybizlist

http://tourism9.com/

BIA Digital Partners Makes Growth Capital Investment in Cooking.com, Inc.

CHANTILLY, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–BIA Digital Partners II LP (“BIA DP”), a private investment firm focusing on expansion stage companies, announced it has led a $13,500,000 growth capital financing for Marina del Ray, Calif.-based Cooking.com, Inc. (the “Company”). The financing consisted of subordinated debt and a new round of preferred equity. Azure Capital Partners, the Company’s lead equity investor, provided a significant participation in the financing. Proceeds from the investment will be used to further the growth of the Company’s flagship site www.cooking.com and to accelerate the build-out of the Company’s “Powered By Cooking.com” enterprise-level ecommerce solution. In conjunction with the financing, Damien Dovi, Partner at BIA DP, has joined the Company’s board of directors as an observer.

“Our investment will support Tracy and her team at Cooking.com to further cement and grow its connections with consumer enthusiasts and enterprise partners.”

Tracy Randall, co-founder and CEO of Cooking.com commented, “We have been rigorously focused on leveraging our position as the category-leader in the specialty food and kitchenware segment to bring scalable, low-to-no-risk ecommerce solutions to our channel partners. The investment from BIA Digital Partners allows us to continue to scale and grow our portfolio of partner sites while providing an excellent consumer experience.” Randall further said, “BIA Digital Partners was quick to understand our strategy, and with a deep understanding of the media and enthusiast content segment, was able to offer helpful insights during the due diligence process. Their financing solution was unique and unlike any other option the Company considered.”
Mike Kwatinetz, General Partner at Azure Capital Partners said, “We are very pleased to welcome BIA DP as a new investor. We have already seen their ability to add strategic value as Cooking.com executes on its plan to become a significant player in online commerce, by creating branded stores relevant to buyers of cooking products.”
“Cooking.com merges two of our investment focus areas, quality content and technology-enabled services,” stated BIA DP’s Scott Chappell. “Our investment will support Tracy and her team at Cooking.com to further cement and grow its connections with consumer enthusiasts and enterprise partners.”
“BIA Digital Partners is focused on investing in category leaders. For more than 10 years, Cooking.com has built its reputation on being a content and product-rich ecommerce destination for those seeking high quality kitchenwares and specialty foods. The ‘Powered By Cooking.com’ network is a testament to the Company’s reputation in the marketplace, as they currently power many of the most respected brands in the industry,” said BIA DP’s Dovi. “We are delighted to add Cooking.com, Inc. to our investment portfolio.”
About BIA Digital Partners
BIA Digital Partners is a private investment firm, managing approximately $280 million. Financing is available for acquisitions, organic growth, recapitalizations and leveraged/management buyouts among other purposes. BIA Digital Partners maintains a focus on expansion-stage companies operating in the media, telecommunications, consumer Internet and technology-enabled business and consumer services segments. Investments range from $5 to $18 million and are typically in the form of subordinated debt with warrants or preferred equity. For more information, visit www.biadp.com.
About Cooking.com
Cooking.com is transforming online shopping in the food and cooking space by going to customers and building innovative, entertaining shopping experiences with trusted brands. Cooking.com operates several uniquely branded websites including: Rachael Ray Store, Paula Deen Store, Calphalon Store, Betty Crocker Store, Pillsbury Store, Steamy Kitchen Store, Good Bite Store, and Marley Coffee. ‘Powered By Cooking.com’ delivers high touch, branded e-commerce solutions and category expertise, enabling partners to attract consumers, drive membership and build new revenue opportunities.
Cooking.com offers its customers access to over 60,000 products for the kitchen as well as recipes, menus, collections and a growing library of member-submitted cooking content. The company is committed to providing its customers with an exceptional experience and is the recipient of numerous awards for customer satisfaction. Cooking.com was founded in 1998 and is based in Marina del Rey, Calif.
About Azure Capital Partners
Azure is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with over $650 million under management. The firm invests in early stage technology companies that are at the forefront of a transformative opportunity for growth. Azure has invested in and served as trusted advisors to some of the most successful and important technology companies created in the last decade including VMWare (NYSE: VMW), Bill Me Later (acquired by eBay), Calix (NYSE: CALX), Top Tier (acquired by SAP) and World Wide Packets (acquired by Ciena). The Azure team is recognized for industry thought leadership, a broad network of powerful industry relationships and a unique professional investment approach to venture investing. For more information, visit http://www.azurecap.com/.

http://tourism9.com/