Ottawa-based performance marketing platform MaxBounty has been acquired by Hamburg, Germany-based commerce advertising platform Mrge for an undisclosed amount.
Mrge is a conglomerate of advertising platforms and marketing networks backed by Dutch firm Waterland Private Equity. The company consists of German firms Digidip, Shopping24, and Yieldkit, as well as Montréal-based SourceKnowledge, which was acquired by Mrge last year.
MaxBounty CEO Matt McEvcoy said that being acquired by Mrge enables the company to diversify its offerings while strengthening its position in a consolidating market.
In a statement, Mrge said that the acquisition of MaxBounty “enriches” its product offerings and brings a “highly skilled” team into the fold. Mrge added that the deal strengthens its presence in key regions such as the United States (US), European Union (EU), and Southeast Asia.
“[MaxBounty] introduces a new offering in cost-per-lead marketing and expands our capabilities in the cost-per-action segment,” Mrge CEO Dave Reed said in a statement. “The network brings strong reach in the finance, consumer insights, and e-commerce sectors.”
In an email statement to BetaKit, a Mrge spokesperson said that MaxBounty’s Canadian operations will be integrated into Mrge’s “broader strategic framework,” and that no layoffs are expected to occur as a result of the transition.
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Founded in 2004, MaxBounty provides various campaign structures that see advertisers pay affiliates based on different criteria, including cost-per-action (CPA), cost-per-lead (CPL), and cost-per-install (CPI) with a particular focus on the market research, finance, and e-commerce sectors. MaxBounty also operates its own lead-generation sites, which are dedicated web pages meant to gather information about potential customers. The company claims to currently have more than 30,000 affiliates and 3,000 active campaigns.
Mrge says its companies each bring a strength to its commerce advertising platform, with Digidip focusing on “premium publishers” with high traffic, Shopping24 focusing on product recommendation solutions, and Yieldkit providing “high reach.” Mrge says its other Canadian company, SourceKnowledge, provides a cost-per-click ad network, while MaxBounty will provide a network specializing in direct partnerships.
MaxBounty isn’t the only Canadian adtech company to be nabbed by a European firm. In June, Montréal-headquartered Sharethrough entered a deal to merge with Paris, France-based Equativ.
UPDATE (08/13/2024): This article was updated with information shared by a Mrge spokesperson.
Feature image courtesy Firmbee.com on Unsplash.