Bertram Capital Announces Investment in Digital Content Services Holding Company
Deal Represents Second Closed Platform in 2015
SAN MATEO, Calif., March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bertram Capital ("Bertram") today announced that it has formed a holding company to invest in businesses that create and manage digital content for ecommerce applications. Bertram launched this platform today with the closing of two acquisitions: Sandbox Studio, LLC ("Sandbox") and KSC Studio, LLC d/b/a OneKreate ("OneKreate"), two of the leading providers of ecommerce product photography and creative content services.
"We have strong conviction that the demand for digital content will continue to expand as brands strive to enrich the consumer experience across ecommerce, mobile and social," said Jared Ruger, Partner at Bertram Capital. "Sandbox and OneKreate have demonstrated their ability to reliably and consistently deliver high-quality content in significant volume to serve this demonstrated market need. I would like to thank David Burns of Cross Keys Capital for his vision and diligence in bringing together this complicated transaction."
Headquartered in New York and San Francisco, Sandbox focuses on delivering ecommerce product photography services to fashion apparel, accessories and domestics customers. Noteworthy clients include Calvin Klein, Coach, Diane von Furstenberg, Hudson's Bay Co., Michael Kors, Restoration Hardware, The North Face, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, and Vans. OneKreate is headquartered in Hollywood, FL, and delivers product photography and creative content services to the fashion, retail and home goods markets, serving major brands such as Chico's FAS, Express, Jarden Consumer Solutions, Lane Bryant, The Limited, Newell Rubbermaid, and Petco. Continuing Bertram Capital's approach of partnering with business owners, the founders and existing shareholders of both Sandbox and OneKreate will be retaining nearly 50% of their ownership in the overall company.
"We met with several private equity firms in this process, and Bertram quickly distinguished themselves from the crowd," said Brad Tuckman, CEO of OneKreate. "Their ability to quickly grasp the nuances of our business model, demonstrate a shared vision in terms of the industry's future and provide their very unique Bertram Labs software development resources clearly made them the right partner for us." Joe Barrett, CEO of Sandbox added, "Bertram is far more than simply a capital provider – I've already been impressed with their eagerness to dig in and help us tackle the challenges of a rapidly expanding business."
Sandbox and OneKreate represent the foundation for this investment, and Bertram intends to continue to add to the platform through future acquisitions in the digital content services market. The firm will focus on adding companies that bring distinct capabilities or new customer relationships and uniting the platform through expanded internal and customer-facing software systems.
Jeff Drazan, Managing Partner of Bertram Capital, noted, "This is a prototype Bertram investment: we are partnering with two market leaders in a fragmented industry that is experiencing strong growth, and we have an opportunity to unlock significant future potential through the development of additional software and technology assets. The combination of these two market leaders will drive a new paradigm in eCommerce where eContent is personalized and on demand."
About Sandbox
Founded in 1992, Sandbox Studio is a leading-edge commercial photography and creative services group with studios in Manhattan, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Portland (OR), Los Angeles and Memphis. The company offers a wide range of creative, studio, production, and digital services to over 400 brand-passionate companies including, Calvin Klein, Coach, Diane von Furstenberg, Hudson's Bay Co., Michael Kors, Restoration Hardware, The North Face, Tommy Hilfiger, Tory Burch, and Vans. www.sandboxstudio.com
About OneKreate
OneKreate was founded in 2001 as a photography studio for retail, fashion and manufacturing companies. The company has expanded significantly to become a unique creative services organization with the mantra of "create once, share everywhere". Headquartered in Hollywood, FL, OneKreate employs 200+ people and operates studios in Atlanta, Baltimore, Bentonville, San Diego, and Columbus, OH. www.onekreate.com
About Bertram Capital
With over $850 million in capital under management, Bertram Capital is a private equity firm targeting investments in lower middle market companies. By supplying flexible investment capital and committing a wealth of operational and strategic resources to each investment, we make it our core objective to move companies, management teams, and employees toward unlocking their full potential. Visit www.bcap.com for more information.
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SOURCE Bertram Capital
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