M-Brain buys Global Intelligence Alliance Group
M-Brain has recently purchased market intelligence and consulting firm Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA) from CapMan Group, a private equity firm that has provided GIA with funding since 2007. Prior to the sale, GIA hired Equiteq, an M&A advisor, to identify value growth levers for the business. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Global Intelligence Alliance Group
Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA) is a strategic market intelligence and consulting firm established in 1995 by a team of market intelligence specialists, management consultants, industry analysts and technology experts. The firm’s services include monitoring, strategic analysis, intelligence software, and intelligence best practices, services that are deployed in over 100 countries by its employees working from its 11 offices spread over 4 continents.
In 2007 the firm received venture capital funding from private equity firm CapMan Group to support its international expansion. Now 7 years later, CapMan Group has decided to sell GIA to M-Brain, a company that specialises in a combination of proprietary big data technology and human intelligence. Its services include media and business intelligence solutions, analytics and consulting services.
By combining M-Brain’s content production and SaaS solutions with GIA’s market intelligence, strategic analysis and related software solutions, M-Brain will become a global Market Intelligence provider. “Now we can offer a complete market intelligence solution ranging from consulting, information systems and intelligence best practices to intelligence services, content creation and software,” says Kim Nyberg Executive Chairman of M-Brain.
Markko Vaarnas, CEO and co-founder of GIA adds: “Together our footprint will be even more global and we get a fast-track opportunity to bring our concept to the M-Brain geographies where we have not yet operated. In the consolidating Market Intelligence industry, we can together become the driving force that shapes the industry and helps the clients to get more impact from their investments in Market Intelligence.” This autumn the two firms will be integrated, and the combined firm will have offices in 12 countries and around 450 employees.
M&A process
Prior to the sale, GIA hired Equiteq, an M&A advisor for consulting firms, to identify ways to grow its value and boost profit growth. “This process started a year ago with a consulting project during which Equiteq helped our management team to identify the value growth levers for our business. This had a major impact on the way we presented the company in discussions with prospective acquirers and ensured we achieved a successful outcome for all shareholders,” comments Vaarnas on Equiteq’s involvement.
