Gridley & Company, LLC Hosts The IDEA Conference - Innovation... Disruption... Engagement... Action!

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Gridley & Company LLC (Gridley & Co.), a New York-based boutique investment bank that specializes in the Information Services industry, hosted its 10th annual Information, Marketing, Internet, Financial Technology and Outsourcing Services Conference on January 11th at the Jumeirah Essex House in New York City.

In celebration of the firm's decade-long commitment to providing strategic insights for clients and producing valuable forums for the discussion and exchange of ideas, Gridley & Co. dubbed this year's event "The IDEA Conference - Innovation... Disruption... Engagement... Action!" This theme reflects the four key attributes that are prominent in Gridley & Co.'s targeted industry sectors.

"I would like to thank our participants, attendees, and sponsors for making our 10th annual Gridley event the most successful yet," said Linda Gridley, President and CEO of Gridley & Co. "We kicked off the New Year with high profile speakers who provided deep domain knowledge of their businesses, intelligence on the evolutionary changes in our targeted industry sectors, and key issues to watch out for in 2011. We expect to see a lot of activity in our sectors in 2011 as the IPO market continues to improve, strategic buyers find the courage to use their large cash balances for growth initiatives, and the VC/PE community invests in key growth areas. Our targeted industry sectors should be 'ground zero' for value creation in 2011."

The event also included a VIP kick-off dinner for presenting companies, clients and sponsors on the evening of January 10th. The next morning, Linda Gridley provided the conference's opening remarks on the transaction environment before presentations were heard from 40 of the hottest private emerging growth companies. In addition to these presentations, there were nine lively panel sessions on topics such as Social Marketing, E-Commerce, Content, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Ad and Data Optimization, E-Commerce and Financial Technology.

Additional highlights from the Conference included a midday keynote by Michael Slaby, who served as a technology and new media advisor to the Obama administration. At the end of the day, Business Insider editor-in-chief and CEO, Henry Blodget, moderated a fireside chat on "IDEAs for 2011" with industry thought leaders: George Bell, CEO of Jumptap; Russ Fradin, Chairman and CEO of DynamicSignal; Dave Morgan, CEO of Simulmedia; and Kevin Ryan, Chairman of Gilt Groupe.

Approximately 500 executives representing 315 different companies attended this invitation-only event to discover current trends in the Information Services industry and identify strategic opportunities within the marketplace. The record number of attendees included more than 150 private companies, approximately 50 public companies and about 100 private equity firms with a focus on companies in the Information, Marketing, Internet, Financial Technology and Outsourcing Services industry sectors.

One of the trademarks of the Gridley & Co. conference is that many of the presenting companies have gone on to enjoy highly successful liquidity events. In fact, 60 percent of the private companies that presented at prior Gridley & Co. conferences have completed a successful sale or fundraising transaction since their participation at the Company's annual event.

Mrs. Gridley continued, "The event showcases our strong relationships with powerful buyers, sellers and private equity investors across our sectors. Moreover, our solid track record of successful liquidity events by former and current presenting companies reflects the strategic opportunities which are abound at our conference."

Gridley & Co. appreciates the support of its conference sponsors:

Platinum Sponsor: TARGUSinfo

Silver Sponsors: Zeta Interactive, MDC Partners

"Friends of Gridley" Sponsors: ABRY Partners, Acxiom Corporation, Capital One, CIT Group, Engauge, General Atlantic, JMI Equity, MidOcean Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Protiviti, Silicon Alley Insider, Silver Lake, Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), SourceLink, Spectrum Equity, Susquehanna Growth Equity, TA Associates, Technology Crossover Ventures and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe.

In the coming weeks, Gridley & Co. plans on revealing the findings of two new reports on E-Commerce and Social Media. Both reports identify and analyze the most important issues and opportunities in those sectors, creating an unparalleled level of insight on the unique matters facing decision makers in the Information Services industry today.

About Gridley & Company LLC

Gridley & Company is a New York based boutique investment bank that provides financial advisory services to companies in the Information Services industry with a specific focus on the following sectors: Marketing, Internet, Financial Technology and Outsourcing Services. Industry professionals rely on and look to Gridley for insights on M&A through proprietary annual events and its semi-annual newsletter, The Compass, which is received by over 2,200 industry professionals. Gridley's knowledge-based investment banking approach combined with its specialized expertise in information services results in optimal advice for clients and highly successful transactions. For more information, please visit www.gridleyco.com.

SOURCE Gridley & Company LLC