MARCH 2024
LBO WITH
On March 27th, 2024, Sagard announced it has entered exclusive negotiations with Primelis’ management and Initiative & Finance to invest in Primelis, a leading “Martech” dedicated to optimizing its clients’ digital marketing performance with a holistic approach powered by its suite of tech tools.
Founded in 2012 by Philippe El Khechen and Hillel Brodowicz, Primelis is a digital marketing specialist, which counts c.120 expert consultants and targets to achieve sales of €35m in 2024. Primelis differentiates itself through its 360° Managed Services offer: the group’s ROI-oriented approach aims at designing and implementing cutting-edge digital marketing strategies, by optimizing the combination of Organic performance and Paid acquisition levers, augmented by a suite of proprietary tech tools and data expertise.
Primelis supports brands in reaching the most qualified audience through the mastery of all channels (Search Engines, Social Media, Shopping Marketplaces), while its tech stack (internal tools and SaaS offer) allows to leverage Artificial Intelligence and Data to augment its consultants and quality of service, through better informed decision-making, improved performance tracking / reporting, and ultimately amplification of Organic and Paid performance.
Building on its success in Europe, Primelis has accelerated its growth since 2021 with the launch of its US operations, led by Asher Charbit. Primelis now serves over 350 active clients in Europe and the US (c.30% of group activity). Primelis’ growth is driven by the structural trend of increasing investments in digital media and the increasing complexity of the digital ecosystem (multiplication of channels x platforms x formats, higher reliance on data in a context of increasing regulatory constraints, and the emergence of new AI-related usages) which brands need to master to reach their targeted customers. Additionally, the context of shortage in expertise drives the demand for marketing services from third-party specialized agencies.
Sagard’s investment alongside the founders and management team will allow Primelis to pursue its dynamic development in Europe and North America and further invest in its suite of technological tools, including its SaaS offer which is gaining traction with tech-savvy clients. Sagard will also support the management team in its selective M&A strategy to accelerate the group’s development in new geographies and complement its capabilities and tech tools.
Philippe El Khechen, CEO of Primelis commented: “Thanks to its unique tech and entrepreneurial DNA, combined with a 360° approach of digital marketing levers, Primelis has been able to grow fast over the last few years and to differentiate itself in terms of ROI and digital visibility impact for its clients. We are now delighted to team up with Sagard given their ability and eagerness to support our development in Europe as well as in North America, to back our M&A strategy and to invest in our tech stack.”
Maxime Baudry, Partner and Charlotte Kitabgi, Managing Director at Sagard, added: « We are delighted to partner with Philippe El Khechen, Asher Charbit and the entire Primelis team to support them in its next phase of growth, in particular in North America. Since the creation of the group in 2012, the management team has succeeded in creating a leading digital acquisition specialist with a unique holistic and tech-enabled approach. We are particularly impressed by their growth trajectory historically and particularly proud to have convinced Philippe El Khechen and Asher Charbit on our ability to support them in accelerating their future development.”