In the Insights and Data Analytics sector, several blockbuster deals transpired in the third quarter of 2021. Corporate boards regained their confidence, companies delivered strong earnings, and private equity firms capitalized on cheap debt in a rebounding economy. These factors portend an active fourth quarter as entrepreneurs race to get deals across the finish line before the end of the year rather than face an uncertain tax regime heading into 2022.
In the Established Market Research segment, Swedish research firm Cint Group bought rival firm Lucid Holdings for $1.1 billion, making Lucid the first “unicorn” to emerge from New Orleans. Customer service firm Zendesk acquired Momentive in the Self-Service Platform segment, including its survey platform SurveyMonkey, for $4.5 billion in an all-stock deal. Two private equity giants made moves in the Industry Reports and Research segment. Hellman & Friedman bought NPD Group, one of the largest market research firms, and Thoma Bravo took customer employee experience firm Medallia private for $6.5 billion. Finally, Transunion acquired Neustar, a neutral provider of real-time information services, from an investment group led by Golden Gate Capital and GIC, for $3.1 billion in the Digital Data Analytics segment.
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We believe many of the positive M&A trends in the Insights and Data Analytics sector that have surfaced over the past nine months are here to stay. This presents massive opportunities for entrepreneurs in this space to thrive and drives the need for capital and strategic partners. Intrepid provides M&A advisory services to a wide range of marketing communications companies, including agencies, consultancies, experiential firms, public relations, lead generation companies, database/list companies, market, and consumer research companies. Our understanding of these complex market dynamics is based on our experience in the industry. If you are interested in learning more about what is going on in the markets or potential options for your business, please feel free to call us at (310) 478-9000.