Bertelsmann fuels iClick expansion with investment

SSG Capital Partners and Sumitomo Corporation Equity Asia were among the other co-investors in the group.

The investment will primarily be used to support the regional expansion of iClick, as well as its research and development division in China. In addition, two research facilities are in the pipeline for Beijing and Shenzhen to boost the development of iClick’s self-invented ad optimisation technology.

iClick’s proprietary ad optimisation technology known as XMO (cross-marketplace optimiser), is built upon predictive algorithms that take into account a large number of online behaviours and seasonality factors that affect the ad performance.

“We believe iClick will significantly benefit from the strong growth momentum of marketing spend by an increasingly broader range of advertisers including large multinationals and emerging power houses in fast growing sectors like e-commerce,” commented Annabelle Long, managing director of Bertelsmann Asia Investments.

Sammy Hsieh, founder and CEO of iClick, points out that the strategic value of the cooperation with Bertelsmann goes beyond the capital support for the regional expansion plan. It also enables the firm to leverage the extensive reach of Bertelsmann around the globe in bringing iClick more high-value customers, partners and talent.