SSI Announces Acquisition of Instantly

SHELTON, Conn., Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- SSI has announced today its acquisition of Instantly, Inc., a provider of online and mobile audiences and insights technology tools.  With this acquisition, SSI strengthens its leadership position as a global data solutions and technology company by significantly expanding its scale in online and mobile panels. SSI's ownership of Instantly is effective immediately.

"Clients will greatly benefit from SSI's acquisition of Instantly and its integration into SSI's operations and technology portfolio," said SSI President and CEO Chris Fanning.  "We continue to be focused on building large, robust panels globally, and leading-edge technology solutions that enable faster access to respondents, with particular focus on mobile.  Combining Instantly with SSI will create attractive scale economies and accelerate our industry-leading product development roadmap with respect to online and mobile-driven solutions," concluded Fanning.

Founded in 2008, and previously known as uSamp, Instantly is a leading online and mobile sample audience and insights solutions provider based in Los Angeles, California with over 200 employees in the United States, Europe and Asia. Over the past few years, Instantly has expanded its portfolio to include innovative capabilities in product concept testing and mobile-based solutions, among others. The acquisition will add to SSI's existing best-in-class people, panel, and technology in both online and mobile.

 "SSI is a large, fast-growing, forward-thinking, global data and market research technology company that places a premium on delivering high quality solutions and service to clients," said Alan Gould, CEO of Instantly.  "Instantly is a great fit with SSI because both companies emphasize technology and great customer service," commented Gould. 

The majority owner of SSI is HGGC, a leading middle market private equity firm. JEGI served as advisor to Instantly.

About SSI

SSI is the premier global provider of data solutions and technology for consumer and business-to-business survey research, reaching respondents in 100+ countries via Internet, telephone, mobile/wireless and mixed-access offerings.  SSI staff operates from 30 offices in 21 countries, offering sample, data collection, CATI, questionnaire design consultation, programming and hosting, online custom reporting and data processing.  SSI's 3,600 employees serve more than 2,500 clients worldwide.  Visit SSI at www.surveysampling.com.

About HGGC

HGGC is a leading middle-market private equity firm with over $2.4 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., HGGC is distinguished by its "Advantaged Investing" model that enables the firm to source and acquire scalable businesses at attractive multiples through partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. Over its history, HGGC has completed nearly 50 transactions, including global platform investments, strategic add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations, and liquidity events with an aggregate value of over $10 billion. More information is available at www.hggc.com

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SOURCE SSI (Survey Sampling International)