Rich Media Ad Firm Eyeblaster Files For A $115 Million IPO
This story was written by Rafat Ali.
Eyeblaster, the New York City-based rich media advertising firm which last year was rumored to be on the block and then decided to raise a big round, has now filed for its IPO on Nasdaq with the symbol "EYEB". The size of the IPO could reach about $115 million, it said. Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank are serving as joint bookrunners and UBS Securities and Pacific Crest Securities are serving as co-managers for the proposed offering.
For the $30 million round that it raised last year, BRM Capital managing director Eli Barkat and Koor Industries chairman Jonathan Kolber led the round. Eyeblaster was founded in Israel in 1999, and prior to today's announced funding, a seed round of $2 million was closed in 2000, followed by an $8 million investment by Insight Venture Partners.
Updated: Details from S-1:
-- Customer base is up from 245 in 2002 to 979 in 2007, representing a compound annual growth rate of 32 percent.
-- It had revenues of $44.7 million in 2007, up from $27.7 million in 2006, an increase of 62 percent.
-- Operating income from $4.4 million to $7.5 million.
-- Top 20 paying customers accounted for 58 percent of its revenues for 2007.
-- Revenues in U.S. grew 14 percent; revenues internationally grew much faster. Revenues from customers outside the U.S. increased 94 percent from $16.5 million in 2006 to $32.0 million 2007.
-- Selling and marketing expenses increased by $9.9 million, or 73 percent, to $23.5 million in 2007 from $13.6 million in 2006.
-- As of December 31, 2007, it had about 221 full-time and 3 part-time employees.
-- Prior to its $30 million fund raise, it did a buyback from its previous investors including Insight Ventures, for a total of $22.9 million.
By Rafat Ali