Captify Primes For Next Phase Of Explosive Growth, With A Majority Investment From Private Equity Firm SFW Capital Partners

Captify, the Search Intelligence Platform for the open web, today announced that SFW Capital Partners, a leading US-based private equity firm focused on information and data-centric software businesses, has entered into a definitive agreement to take the majority investment in the company.

As it marks 10 years in business since its foundation in London, Captify has spent the last decade transforming the future of search across the open web and challenging the ways in which walled gardens do business. Built on the foundation of direct integrations with the world’s leading publishers and e-commerce data providers, Captify holds the only privacy-centric, first-party, onsite search data ecosystem—without reliance on third-party cookies.

Today, brands such as Disney, Unilever, eBay, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Nestle, GSK, Uber, Mars, P&G, Sony and Toyota use Captify’s dynamic audiences and real-time insights across pioneering applications such as search-powered CTV and video, Programmatic Search Intelligence (PSI)—the only solution that couples data and media together in a single PMP —and Sense, the self-serve, search intent platform hailed as ‘Google trends on steroids’. Far ahead of impending industry changes, Captify is not only delivering privacy-based targeting today, it is also solving the lack of intent data available when the third-party cookie goes. The company’s recent innovation includes Search-Powered Contextual, the industry’s most advanced contextual solution, as well as Addressable and Browser-based audience targeting powered by search.

Since entry into the U.S. market five years ago, Captify has experienced significant growth through expansion into 8 regions across North America—as well as expansion across Europe and APAC—while remaining dedicated to driving award-winning innovation and achieving and maintaining profitability. Despite the 2020/21 pandemic, Captify delivered record revenue as the world’s biggest advertisers and agencies placed greater investment in the company’s fresh and recent data to drive their own revenue recovery. Over the past three years, that growth was driven by the hiring of some major industry heavyweights, including former TiVo CEO, Founder of CNBC and MSNBC, media titan Tom Rogers as Chairman, former Comcast TV executive Brendan Condon as Global Chief Revenue Officer and former CBS executive Fiona Davis as Global Chief Operating Officer.

“This marks a hugely exciting moment for us. We’ve been so incredibly dedicated and passionate about the growth of not only the company but also of every single brand that uses our platform. Over the past decade, we’ve been laser focused on taking the handcuffs off of search in order to realize its full potential beyond the restrictions of Google and beyond its traditional place at the bottom of the funnel on a marketing plan,” said Dominic Joseph, co-founder and CEO, Captify. ‘‘SFW shares our vision to be the Search Intelligence Platform for the open web and their experience in scaling data and software companies is the expertise and backing that excites us as we continue to accelerate globally. Undoubtedly, SFW will bring their extensive growth experience to add to our board, unlocking the next chapter of growth and continued product innovation.”

“There are not many advertising technology businesses like Captify with unique, differentiated data offerings that are valuable enough to truly solve advertisers’ needs right now,” said Omair Sarwar, Partner at SFW Capital. “We believe that Captify is a truly differentiated business, operating at the intersection of the most explosive areas of digital advertising—cookieless, CTV and programmatic. With its own first-party dataset, unique proprietary technologies and advanced platform, it was an easy decision for SFW to back the company—given the significant market opportunity, particularly in the U.S. Captify has a talented leadership team in place and we’re excited to partner with them and accelerate the company’s growth.”

Existing investors, including management, will be reinvesting into the company. Further terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. The current management team, led by co-founder and CEO Dominic Joseph, will continue to drive the company forward in its next phase of growth.

About Captify

Captify is the leading Search Intelligence Platform for the open web and the largest independent holder of first-party search data outside of Google, connecting the real-time searches from over 2 billion devices globally. Its Search Intelligence technology powers omnichannel programmatic advertising and real-time insights for the world’s biggest brands, such as Disney, Unilever, eBay, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Nestle, GSK, Uber, Mars, P&G, Sony and Toyota—without reliance on third-party cookies. Captify brings brands more customers, publishers greater yield and consumers the most relevant digital experiences. 

About SFW Capital Partners, LP

SFW Capital Partners is a specialized private equity firm that invests in leading Information, Software, Industrial and Healthcare Technology companies. These companies, which include providers of information, software, instrumentation, laboratory products, and related solutions, provide a high return on investment to their customers and can serve a wide variety of end-markets. Our principals’ 25+ years of investing in and experience with relevant business models, technologies, competitive dynamics and service requirements gives us confidence in our ability to support management teams in growing their companies and building value. For more information, visit www.sfwcap.com