Issue 9 2019

Acquisition International - Issue 9 2019 5 News : from around the world NetWise Acquires WhoToo NetWise Data LLC, the industry-leading data and information services company that makes data useful for marketers, recently announced the acquisition of WhoToo, the ‘Data-as-a-Service’ company previously owned by Demandbase. The acquisition will allow NetWise to instantly upgrade the core B2B and B2C data assets currently sourced and distributed by WhoToo with the more accurate, complete, and enriched customer data sets engineered by NetWise. This will revitalise the customer data employed by WhoToo’s current roster of large enterprise clients with the customer expertise and custom segmentation only NetWise can provide, while allowing NetWise, a pioneer in the B2B business data space, to form a more direct relationship with new and existing clients consuming their data. “We’ve been the core data engine behind the products from dozens of companies since our inception more than eight years ago,” said Dwight Gorall, CEO of NetWise. “This acquisition is part of a larger strategy to expand our reach, directly interface with our clients, and ensure we’re known as the B2B data pioneers and display advertising experts behind the best programmatic marketing,” he added. “The great thing about this acquisition is that it allows us to reach a new audience of enterprise clients and deliver them instant value. With no change in their process, WhoToo clients will just get better data almost immediately. It’s like a free and instant upgrade to top-shelf spirits at the same bar you already frequent.” The move comes amidst a wave of momentum for NetWise who is expanding its client base, team, and operations as it prepares to more directly engage the market. “We’ve updated our website to more clearly articulate our value proposition, engineered new products packaged specifically to serve the common requests of our customers, made this acquisition, and forged other partnerships we’re excited to announce soon as part of our strategic initiative to help our clients build audiences, identify customer intent, and target their marketing intelligently”, Gorall concluded. NetWise is moving from a white-label model to a direct and branded model in order to better serve clients. Early signals of this transition came in the branded NetWise presence with Adobe and the Trade Desk, but this acquisition adds tools like the SalesForce Audience Studio, Nielsen Marketing Cloud (eXelate), Lotame and Oracle (bluekai) to the roster of solutions leveraging NetWise technology directly. Additional details on partnerships and team expansion are expected soon. Acquisition instantly upgrades customer data for WhoToo enterprise clients. Founder and current CEO, Steve Kirsch, to assume Chief Innovation Officer role. Leading open banking platform provider, Token.io, has recently announced the appointment of Todd Clyde to the position of CEO, effective immediately. Token’s Founder and current CEO, Steve Kirsch, assumes the role of Chief Innovation Officer and retains his position on Token’s Board. Todd assumes the leadership role following three successful years as Token’s COO. The leadership change reflects Token’s successful transition from start-up to scale- up. It will allow serial entrepreneur Steve to dedicate time to the development of Token’s product roadmap, enabling Todd to drive Token’s open banking business globally. Steve and Todd’s new functions have the unanimous support of Token’s Board of Directors. Todd has spent 33 years in the enterprise and financial software industry, encompassing 12 years at Accenture and 21 years bringing ground-breaking technologies to market at four successful start-ups, including a $2bn exit. At Token, Todd has been responsible for all commercial and financial operations and in 2018 relocated from San Francisco to London in support of the business. Todd says: “Open banking is already enabling the next generation of digital financial services. It’s one of the biggest disruptions to hit the payments and banking industries in decades. I’m thrilled to be a part of Token, the established industry leader providing the infrastructure to power these services, at this crucial time.” As Chief Innovation Officer, celebrated industry veteran, Steve Kirsch, will primarily focus on the development of Token’s digital money business. This includes Token X, the only digital currency technology designed for banks. Steve adds: “Token has grown from an idea formed in the basement of Stanford into a commercially viable, leading fintech poised to change financial services forever. Open banking is a huge opportunity for banks and fintechs across the world and Token has delivered a product with solid market fit. “Now is the right time to pass the baton. I have worked closely with Todd for the last three years and his track record in corporate operations and execution, both at Token and other companies, speaks for itself. I cannot imagine anyone better to take us through the next phase of rapid growth. It also enables me to focus on Token’s next generation product offerings, including incubating and launching our bank-friendly digital currency.” For more information about Token.io visit: www.token.io Token Announces New CEO