West Palm Beach, Fla. – Comvest Partners (“Comvest”), an operationally-focused private investment firm, is pleased to announce a strategic investment in Gen3 Marketing, LLC (“Gen3”), a multinational digital marketing services firm and an industry leader in affiliate marketing. Gen3 becomes a new platform in Comvest’s private equity portfolio. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2007 by co-Chief Executive Officers Andy Cantos and Mike Tabasso, Gen3 is one of the largest agencies in the $8 billion U.S. affiliate marketing industry. Gen3 manages the affiliate and digital marketing programs of leading online retailers spanning diverse end markets, including financial services, health and wellness, apparel and accessories, and home and garden. Headquartered in Blue Bell, Penn., Gen3 also maintains operations in Santa Barbara, Calif., Canada and the United Kingdom, providing clients throughout North America and Europe with a complete affiliate marketing solution as well as broader digital marketing services, including paid search, Amazon advertising, and SEO, to drive e-commerce.
“We are excited to partner with Gen3 and support an impressive team of pioneers in digital affiliate marketing,” said Maneesh Chawla, Senior Partner at Comvest Partners. “With consumers spending more time online, digital strategies represent a steadily growing share of advertisers’ overall marketing spend. Affiliate marketing has become an increasingly popular and important channel allowing advertisers to cost-effectively convert sales through targeted content. We look forward to supporting Gen3 in accelerating the strong growth of the business.”
“Gen3 is a highly regarded strategic partner to its large roster of blue-chip clients,” Mr. Chawla added. “With its deep sector expertise, expansive publisher network, seasoned account teams and proprietary analytical tools, Gen3 skillfully executes proven strategies that drive strong e-commerce results for its customers.”
Affiliate marketing is a form of digital advertising in which e-commerce publishers of digital content – which include news and entertainment sites, review sites, blogs, and coupon and loyalty sites – are compensated to promote a company’s products and services.
“We believe Gen3 is a very well-positioned leader in a market with favorable industry trends,” said Mr. Cantos. “Comvest, with its collaborative, team-based approach and long track record of success scaling founder-led business services companies like ours, is the perfect partner to help us maximize this exciting next phase of growth.”
“We are thrilled to have the support and resources of Comvest in helping us further invest in our company, capabilities and team, and generate meaningful results for our clients in the rapidly expanding digital marketing landscape,” said Mr. Tabasso.
Lincoln International acted as financial advisor to Gen3 in connection with the transaction. Duff and Phelps, A Kroll Business, served as financial advisor and Akerman LLP served as legal advisor to Comvest. Financing for the transaction was provided by Stellus Capital Management and PennantPark Investment Advisers, LLC.
About Gen3 Marketing:
Gen3 Marketing is an industry-leading, full-service digital marketing services provider specializing in affiliate marketing. For more information, please visit https://gen3marketing.com
About Comvest Partners:
Comvest Partners is a private investment firm providing equity and debt capital to middle-market companies across the U.S. Since its founding in 2000, Comvest Partners has invested over $6.7 billion. Today, Comvest Partners has approximately $5.4 billion of assets under management. Through its extensive capital resources and broad network of industry relationships, Comvest Partners offers companies financial sponsorship, critical strategic and operational support, and business development assistance. For more information, please visit https://comvest.com