MAY 2008: DEAL WATCH
Making a
splash with interactive ads
THEY’RE THE DEMOGRAPHIC that makes advertisers drool: the
13- to 29-year-old online audience. Right now they’re
spending most of their online time on social networking
websites like MySpace or Facebook — not on traditional
websites. Too bad for advertisers, since usual methods like
banner ads aren’t very hot in that environment.
Last year SplashCast launched its solution: socially
interactive ads. So far it’s a hit. Its clients range
from Sony/BMG and National Public Radio to MTV and the Hillary
Clinton campaign.
“We don’t ask audiences to change their habits and
go to a destination site like ESPN. That’s not how they
spend their time anymore,” says company founder and CEO
Michael Berkley.
In March, 14-month-old SplashCast announced it had raised $2.7
million to complete a $4 million funding round led by Mark
Bayliss, an investor and senior executive for one of
Australia’s largest media companies, Fairfax Holdings.
Bayliss now sits on the company board; he was brought in by
board member and former Nike exec Charlie Baker.
Think of SplashCast as an interactive television channel where
viewers also play games or shop or listen to songs, and
advertisers change content when needed. But here’s the
moneymaker: Viewers can send any video to their friends so
they can put them on their own MySpace or Facebook page.
That’s how the advertising is spread, via social
networks. Ads aren’t just watched, they’re played
with. And they’re played with because they come from
friends, says Berkley.
Is it working? The company says those videos are viewed 1.3
million times each day. Every month 8.5 million individual
users interact with the videos.
Berkley has two main goals for the funding, much of which came
from angel investors in the Pacific Northwest: grow the company
from its current eight employees to around 20, and create an
aggressive marketing
plan.
ABRAHAM HYATT
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MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
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ANNOUNCED
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EXP. CLOSE
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BUYER / PARENT (HQ)
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SELLER (HQ) / PARENT
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PRICE (TERMS)
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13-Mar
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Q2 ‘08
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AVI BioPharma (Portland)
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Ercole Biotech (NC)
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$8.9M (stock + assumed debt)
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24-Mar
|
ND
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L-1 Identity Solutions (CT)
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ID Systems business/Digimarc (Beaverton)
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$250M (cash + stock)
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24-Mar
|
Q2 ‘08
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Crisp (UK)
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IMSafer (Beaverton)
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ND
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26-Mar
|
Q1 ‘08
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Rim Semiconductor (Portland)
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Multi-Carrier Communications/ Utek (FL)
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ND
|
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31-Mar
|
Q2 ‘08
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Bullivant Houser Bailey PC (Portland)
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Jacobs & Ferraro (CA)
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ND
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31-Mar
|
Q2 ‘08
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Greenbrier Companies (Lake Oswego)
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American Allied Railway Equipment Company (IL)
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$83M (cash)
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REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS
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ANNOUNCED
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BUYER / PARENT (HQ)
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REAL ESTATE (LOCATION) / SELLER (HQ)
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PRICE
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11-Mar
|
Pacific Northwest College of Art
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Federal Building (Portland) / U.S. Government
|
ND
|
|
11-Mar
|
Urban Renaissance Group; Great Point Investors
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Morgan Building (Portland) / RREEF; LA County
Employees Retirement Association
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$27.55M
|
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19-Mar
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KBS Realty Advisors
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Evergreen Park industrial campus (Hillsboro) / UBS
Realty Investors
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$16.15M
|
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19-Mar
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Maple Properties
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Berry Hill Shopping Center (Oregon City) / R&B
Kiggins
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$8.6M
|
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24-Mar
|
NBS Real Estate Capital (Portland); Su Casa
Properties (CA)
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apartment complex (UT) / ND
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$4.88M
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24-Mar
|
MCGD
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industrial building (Clackamas) / Indal Corporation
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$1.92M
|
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24-Mar
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PM Industries
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industrial property (Beaverton) / Tri County
Warehouse
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$3.2M
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24-Mar
|
Schonert Properties
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industrial land (Clackamas) / Clackamas Commons III
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$1.77M
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26-Mar
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Unico Properties
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Rivercrest Meadows Apts. (Tualatin) / Simpson Housing
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$38.7M
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31-Mar
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JB Matteson (CA)
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Harrison Tower Apartments (Portland) / Portland
Center Investors
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$45M
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31-Mar
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Integrita E Perseveranza
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industrial building (Beaverton) / Tri-County Moving
and Storage
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$3.2M
|
|
31-Mar
|
Commerce Investment
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King Tower Apartments (Portland) / Harsch Investment
Properties
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$26M
|
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31-Mar
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Pringle Construction
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Durham Park Apartments (Tigard) / 6 investment groups
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$24.8M
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CAPITAL RAISING
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ANNOUNCED
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COMPANY (HQ) / LEADERSHIP
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INVESTOR (HQ)
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PRICE (TERMS)
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11-Mar
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Pulse Health (Portland) / Chris Marsh, CEO
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Undisclosed angel investors (CA, WA, OR)
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$2.15M (Series A)
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13-Mar
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Nike (Beaverton) / Mark Parker, president and CEO
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Undisclosed Investor (MO)
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$50M (debt)
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14-Mar
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Davenport Power (Bend & CT) / Hiram A. Bingham,
chairman & CEO
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US Renewables Group; Riverstone Holdings (NY)
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ND
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19-Mar
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Oregon State University (Corvallis) / Dr. Edward Ray,
president
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anonymous donor
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$5M (gift)
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20-Mar
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SplashCast (Portland) / Michael Berkley, CEO and
founder
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Emergent (Portland); Mark Bayliss (Australia)
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$2.7M (Series A)
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20-Mar
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Genesis Financial Solutions (Portland) / Irving
Levin, CEO
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The Edgewater Funds
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ND (equity)
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27-Mar
|
Iovation (Portland) / Greg Pierson, CEO
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SAP Ventures and European Founders Fund
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$5M (Series A)
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List researched by Mark
Druskoff
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