MIAMI, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest
Latin American e-commerce and fintech player, MercadoLibre (NASDAQ:
MELI), agrees to join Aleph Group ("Aleph") as a shareholder,
signaling the growth potential in the global digital advertising
industry. Aleph operates in Latin
America through IMS Internet Media Services.
The largest Latam e-commerce and fintech player, MercadoLibre
(MELI), agrees to join Aleph Group as a shareholder.
MercadoLibre has agreed to acquire a $25M stake in Aleph and additionally, will
collaborate with IMS Internet Media Services on monetizing
advertising space on MercadoLibre's digital properties in countries
where MercadoLibre does not have local sales operations. Further,
MercadoLibre and Aleph will partner to explore and collaborate in
new business development opportunities in digital advertising.
This is a period of significant growth and momentum for Aleph
who recently announced that CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII acquired
a minority stake in Aleph for $470M
valuing the company at $2
Billion.
"It is an honor for us to have MercadoLibre as a shareholder.
This is a clear endorsement of the growth opportunity Aleph has
ahead in realizing our global vision: digital media has the power
to unlock economic development and should be experienced equally
everywhere around the globe," said Gastón Taratuta, Aleph Founder
and CEO. "We have known Marcos and his team for more than two
decades and this is a great opportunity to work together."
"We are excited to support Aleph's growth within the global
advertising ecosystem. We know of the enormous potential of online
advertising and I am confident that this strategic investment and
synergy between both companies will continue to enhance the
development of digital advertising in the region," said
Marcos Galperin, CEO and Founder of
MercadoLibre. "I have known Ignacio and Gastón for more than 20
years. I trust their execution and I'm very enthusiastic about
working with them. We look forward to contributing to Aleph's
expansion and exploring new opportunities together."
"We are thrilled to partner with MercadoLibre, a company that we
admire and that is becoming a key player in the digital advertising
space. With this operational agreement we are looking to enhance
IMS Internet Media Services' offering and position in Latin America, reinforcing us as a leader in
the region." said Ignacio Vidaguren, Aleph COO and IMS CEO, who was
formerly a senior executive at MercadoLibre for over 10 years.
The transaction, which is subject to preparation of final
documentation, is expected to close by the end of August.
About Aleph
Aleph is the largest global digital media partner. In over 90
markets worldwide, we are entrusted to connect the biggest players
in digital media with the advertisers that rely on them. Exclusive
partners in different countries include: Twitter, Spotify,
Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, Twitch, Tripadvisor and EA
amongst others.
Aleph helps advertisers maximize the value of their investment
through a complete service ecosystem - comprising innovative
proprietary technology, digital expertise and deeply embedded local
market knowledge. Our teams help brands to master the leading
digital platforms, bringing them closer to their customers. These
services are delivered through our portfolio of digital media
service brands: IMS; Httpool; WISE.BLUE; Social Snack; Ad Dynamo
and Connect Ads (pending regulatory approval).
At the same time, we act as an extension to the leading players
in digital, giving them access to new and under-served markets. Our
global infrastructure and scale mean that we can build any market
into a new success story. As a trusted partner to the whole of the
digital community, we believe that growth generates growth. That's
why we unlock the last mile in digital media.
For more information please visit: www.alephholding.com or
contactus@alephholding.com.
About MercadoLibre
MercadoLibre hosts the largest online commerce and payments
ecosystem in Latin America. Our
efforts are centered on enabling e-commerce and digital and mobile
payments on behalf of our customers by delivering a suite of
technology solutions across the complete value chain of commerce.
We are present in 18 countries including: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru. Based on unique visitors and page views
we are market leaders in each of the major countries where we are
present.
Through our online commerce platform and related services, we
provide our users with robust online commerce and payments tools
that not only contribute to the development of a large and growing
e-commerce community in Latin
America (a region with a population of over 646 million
people and one of the fastest-growing Internet penetration rates in
the world), but also foster entrepreneurship and social mobility.
Our main focus is to deliver compelling technological and
commercial solutions that address the distinctive cultural and
geographic challenges of operating an online commerce and payments
platform in Latin America.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements herein regarding MercadoLibre, Inc. that are not
historical or current facts are forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements convey MercadoLibre, Inc.'s current
expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking
statements regarding MercadoLibre, Inc. involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause MercadoLibre,
Inc.'s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from any future results, performances or achievements
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Certain of
these risks and uncertainties are described in the "Risk Factors,"
"Forward-Looking Statements" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements" sections of MercadoLibre, Inc.'s annual
report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and quarterly reports on Form
10-Q for the quarters ended March 31,
2021 and June 30, 2021, and
any of MercadoLibre, Inc.'s other applicable filings with the SEC.
Unless required by law, MercadoLibre, Inc. undertakes no obligation
to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to
reflect circumstances or events after the date hereof.
Media Contact:
contactus@alephholding.com
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SOURCE Aleph Holding