News

WALNUT CREEK, CA, October 15, 2019 — Insignia Capital Group today announced a strategic investment in Netrush, a fast-growing Amazon retailer with a diverse set of digital retail and supply chain capabilities. The company has established itself as a market leader in e-commerce marketplace services. Netrush was founded in 2006 by Brian Gonsalves and Chris Marantette who will continue to serve as CEO and President, respectively.

“Netrush has an outstanding track record of growth and providing excellent customer satisfaction as evidenced by the premium brands they partner with. Brian and Chris are extremely talented entrepreneurs, and we are very excited to partner with them and the rest of the Netrush team as we look to support their continued growth,” said Tony Broglio, Partner at Insignia Capital. “A successful e-commerce strategy is critical for today’s brands to reach customers. Netrush has built a truly unique retail partnership model that supports its brand partners in the constantly changing Amazon marketplace.”

“We look forward to our partnership with the Insignia team in this exciting next phase of the company,” said Chris Marantette. “Insignia brings deep experience in helping technology services companies reach their full potential, as well as significant expertise in consumer products investing,” added Brian Gonsalves. “We expect their strategic and operational expertise to be valuable as we continue to serve our growing portfolio of brand partners and their evolving e-commerce needs.”

Deloitte Corporate Finance served as exclusive financial advisor and Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP served as legal counsel to Netrush. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Insignia.

About Netrush
Netrush is a retailer that offers brands the teams, technology, and infrastructure to thrive on Amazon and other e-commerce marketplaces. With headquarters in Vancouver, Washington, and processing facilities in Kentucky and Canada, Netrush provides best-in-class supply chain and creative capabilities to make brands stand out across the shopping journey. For more information, visit www.netrush.com.

Walnut Creek, CA, February 4, 2019 — Insignia Capital Group today announced its investment in MediaAlpha.  Based in Los Angeles, CA, MediaAlpha is a pioneer in programmatic advertising platforms for native search and metasearch media.

“Insignia Capital brings a deep understanding of the performance advertising sector, and we look forward to their partnership as we pursue new international opportunities, continue to invest in our industry-leading technology, and enter new vertical markets,” said Steve Yi Co-Founder and CEO of MediaAlpha.

“We are extremely excited to partner with the MediaAlpha team, as we look to support their continued rapid growth. MediaAlpha has built a truly unique and transformative business model that is rapidly gaining share with publishers and advertisers in the online advertising industry,” said Tony Broglio, Partner at Insignia Capital.

“We are pleased to join White Mountains as an institutional investor in the company. White Mountains has been a highly-value added partner to MediaAlpha to date, and we look forward to working with them as partners in the next phase of the company’s growth.”

Petsky Prunier Securities LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to MediaAlpha.  Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP acted as legal advisor to selling equity holders and MediaAlpha.  Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Insignia.

About MediaAlpha
MediaAlpha is a marketing technology company. It operates transparent and efficient exchange platforms that facilitate real-time transactions between advertisers and publishers of performance media. MediaAlpha has developed distinctive platform solutions for a range of insurance verticals, including auto, motorcycle, home, renter, health and life, and non-insurance verticals, including travel, education, personal finance and home services. MediaAlpha powers over 200 million transactions annually, representing more than $400 million in aggregate media spend.  For more information, visit www.mediaalpha.com.

About White Mountains
White Mountains is a Bermuda-domiciled financial services holding company traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Bermuda Stock Exchange under the symbol WTM. Additional financial information and other items of interest are available at the Company’s web site located at www.whitemountains.com.

Walnut Creek, CA, October 9, 2018 — Insignia Capital Group today announced an investment in WillowTree Inc., a founder-owned mobile innovation agency that creates mobile apps, websites, and other digital products for premier brands including Fox Entertainment Group, Pepsi, Synchrony Financial, and Anheuser Busch. Founded in 2008, the company is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia with additional offices in Durham, North Carolina and New York City.  Management shareholders re-invested a significant portion of their proceeds and will continue to serve in their existing executive roles.

Petsky Prunier LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as legal counsel to WillowTree.  Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Insignia.

About WillowTree
WillowTree is a mobile strategy, UX design, and app development services company whose focus is to bridge the highest level of consumer user experience with enterprise-grade deployments and security. Founded in 2007, WillowTree is an industry leader in field solutions, media delivery, loyalty programs, payments, and connected devices. We work with brands such as Synchrony Financial, 21st Century Fox, PepsiCo, American Express, Regal Cinemas, and National Geographic, who trust WillowTree to guide and execute their mobile and digital initiatives. For more information, visit https://www.willowtreeapps.com.

Walnut Creek, CA, January 30, 2018 — Insignia Capital Group today announced it has hired Sean Kelly as Vice President of Business Development. In his new position, Kelly will focus on increasing the number of investment opportunities for the firm by further developing Insignia’s relationships with companies and intermediaries.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sean to our growing team,” said David Lowe, CEO and Partner of Insignia. “Sean brings a wealth of experience in deal origination that will help us continue to differentiate Insignia as a preferred partner for management teams and their advisors.  We look forward to his contributions to our firm.”

Most recently, Sean was a Director of Business Development at Serent Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity firm with over $1.1 billion in capital under management. At Serent, Sean was responsible for deal origination and qualification, as well as the development of investment themes and intermediary relationships. Prior to Serent, Sean worked at Bainbridge Capital, a capital advisory firm in San Diego, where he originated and evaluated acquisition opportunities for middle-market private equity firms.  Sean graduated from the University of San Diego with a B.A. in Business Administration and a minor in Finance.

Walnut Creek, CA, May 23, 2017 — Insignia Capital Group today announced the acquisition of Tillamook Country Smoker (TCS), a third-generation, family-owned provider of branded meat snacks based in Bay City, Oregon. Several family shareholders participated in the transaction alongside Insignia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

TCS manufactures and distributes real hardwood-smoked jerky, meat sticks, and other meat snack products primarily through the convenience and grocery retail channels.

“TCS has an outstanding track record of growth and a selection of high-quality, clean-label products. We are very excited to welcome the company into our portfolio,” said David Lowe, CEO of Insignia. “This investment expands Insignia’s footprint in the food sector into the large and growing meat snacks market. We plan to leverage our food investment experience and synergies with our other salty snack investments, Truco Enterprises and Century Snacks, to significantly accelerate growth. We also plan to make significant investments in operations that we expect will drive value for all stakeholders.”

“We are thrilled to partner with the Insignia team in this exciting next phase of the company’s growth. We chose Insignia as our partner based on their demonstrated operational and strategic expertise as well as their shared vision for our brand and our community,” said Dick Crossley, a founder of the company.

Cascadia Capital LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Ater Wynne LLP served as legal counsel to Tillamook Country Smoker. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Insignia.

About Tillamook Country Smoker
Founded in 1975 and based in Bay City, Oregon, Tillamook Country Smoker manufactures and distributes jerky, meat sticks and similar snack products primarily through the convenience and grocery retail channels. For more information, please visit www.tcsjerky.com

Walnut Creek, CA, July 20, 2016 — Insignia Capital Group today announced the simultaneous acquisition and merger of two family-owned food companies: Snak Club and New Century Snacks. Certain founders of the companies participated in the transaction alongside Insignia. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Based in the Los Angeles area, the companies manufacture and distribute nuts, trail mixes and similar snacks. Snak Club sells a large assortment of branded products in airports, travel plazas and convenience stores. New Century Snacks sells its products primarily on a private label basis in grocery, mass and food service channels.

“We have been actively targeting opportunities in the rapidly growing healthy snack sector and are excited to partner with two companies that are extremely well-positioned in this attractive industry,” said David Lowe, CEO of Insignia. “Snak Club and New Century Snacks have experienced tremendous growth over the past decade. Our investment strategy is to integrate these businesses, invest in operations, expand retail distribution and accelerate growth. These opportunities fit squarely within our investment focus.”

“We are excited to be taking this next step forward in partnership with Insignia,” said Hadi Morshed, a founder of both Snak Club and New Century Snacks. “We selected Insignia to be our partner based on their knowledge, experience and great success in the food sector. We expect their strategic and operational expertise to be immensely valuable as we seek to expand the businesses and provide customers with the highest quality snack products.”

Moelis & Company and M&A Capital served as exclusive financial advisors, and Buchalter Nemer served as legal counsel to the Company. Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Insignia.

About Snak Club and New Century Snacks
Based in El Segundo and Commerce, CA, the companies are leading manufacturers and distributors of nuts, trail mixes, dried fruits and similar snacks. The companies’ products are distributed nationwide on a branded and private label basis. For more information please visit www.snakclub.com and www.newcenturysnacks.com.

Sixpoint Partners, a leading global investment bank serving the middle market, today announced the final closing of Insignia Capital Partners, L.P (“the Fund”). The Fund, which is the initial investment vehicle for Insignia Capital Group (“the Company”), closed with capital commitments totaling $358 million. Given strong investor interest, the Fund was oversubscribed and exceeded its target. The Fund received commitments from over 30 investors, including endowments, public pensions, consultants, insurance companies, family offices, fund of funds and others.

The Fund is focused on investing in North American lower middle-market companies in the consumer, healthcare, and business services sectors where there is an opportunity to leverage their collective strategic and operational expertise to proactively and significantly improve operating performance. The Company was founded by David Lowe as Chairman and CEO, formerly co-founder and Vice Chairman of Friedman Fleischer & Lowe (“FFL”); Mel Deane as Partner, formerly an Operating Partner at FFL; and Tony Broglio as Partner, formerly a Principal and member of the Executive Committee at Lake Capital.

“The successful fundraise is the result of several key factors combined with the effective marketing partnership between Insignia and Sixpoint Partners,” said David Lowe, Chairman, CEO and Partner of Insignia. “Insignia greatly appreciates the interest and support from limited partners in our strategy, and we are off to a great start with our first two investments.”

“Insignia put together an impressive team and proven investment strategy that generated strong demand from new investors looking for operationally-focused funds in the market,” said Eric Zoller, Co-Founder & Partner of Sixpoint Partners.

“We believe Insignia is well positioned to generate successful investments in the lower middle market, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with its senior team,” added Larry Smith, Partner of Sixpoint.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP provided legal counsel in connection with the fundraise.

About Sixpoint Partners
Sixpoint Partners is a leading global investment bank focused on a diversified set of services and solutions for the middle-market private equity industry. The firm’s core areas of focus include (i) primary fund placement, (ii) secondaries advisory and (iii) co-investment placement across a wide range of industries, strategies and geographies. Sixpoint Partners is known for its direct, results-driven style and works together to deliver solutions that are not always obvious but, in the long run, prove valuable. Sixpoint is headquartered in New York with additional offices in Chicago and San Francisco as well as Abu Dhabi and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.sixpointpartners.com.

Walnut Creek, CA, April 15, 2015 — Insignia Capital Group today announced the acquisition of MNG Direct from DFW Capital Partners and the original Company founders. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Based in Bensalem, PA, MNG Direct is a provider of technology-enabled multi-channel marketing solutions that allow pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device brands to effectively market their products to healthcare practitioners. The Company was created through the 2013 merger of MetaPharm, a provider of data-driven email and direct mail marketing services, and NexGen, a provider of online video and virtual meeting marketing services.

“We are thrilled about our new partnership with Insignia. We expect their strategic and operational expertise to be immensely valuable as we seek to accelerate our growth,” said Chris Wiltshire, President and CEO of MNG Direct. “We have built a diverse multi-channel marketing solution set to serve our clients’ growing needs. With Insignia’s help, we intend to further develop and integrate our offerings to deliver a true multi-channel solution that provides significant ROI to our clients.”

“We look forward to working with Chris and his team to continue to expand MNG Direct’s capabilities,” said Tony Broglio, a Partner at Insignia. “Reduced access to healthcare practitioners is driving pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies to spend more on multi-channel marketing services. We believe MNG Direct’s full-service offering and technology solutions position the Company at the forefront of the multi-channel marketing sector. We look forward to supporting management to further build upon the Company’s market position with the goal of producing a successful and rewarding outcome for MGN Direct’s clients, employees and shareholders.”

Lazard Middle Market LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Dickstein Shapiro LLP served as legal counsel to the Company. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Insignia.

About MNG Direct
Based in Bensalem, PA, MNG Direct (fka metanexgen) is a provider of technology-enabled multi-channel marketing solutions that allow pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device brands to effectively market their products to healthcare practitioners. Insignia acquired the company in April 2015. www.MNGDirect.com.

Walnut Creek, CA, July 7, 2014 — Insignia Capital Group today announced the acquisition of Truco Enterprises from Arbor Investments and Truco’s co-founders. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1991 and based in Dallas, TX, Truco is a leading developer and marketer of tortilla chips, salsa and queso under the On The Border^® brand. The Company’s products are sold nationally through grocery retailers, club stores and mass merchandisers.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with Truco’s outstanding management team, led by President and CEO Jeff Partridge. The team has driven tremendous and consistent growth over the past decade and has done a terrific job of expanding the Company’s distribution footprint and introducing new products,” said David Lowe, CEO of Insignia. “The acquisition fits squarely within our investment focus, and we look forward to supporting management to generate a successful outcome for all stakeholders.”

“In Insignia we found a partner who shares our values and vision, and who brings unique strategic and operational expertise,” said Jeff Partridge. “We are thrilled to partner with Insignia as we build upon our current momentum.”

Houlihan Lokey served as exclusive advisor and DLAPiper served as legal counsel to Arbor. Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel to Insignia.

About Truco Enterprises
Founded in Dallas, TX in 1991, Truco is a leading developer and marketer of tortilla chips, salsa and queso under the On The Border^® brand.  The Company’s products are sold nationally through grocery retailers, club stores and mass merchandisers. For more information please visit www.trucoenterprises.com.