Search Discovery Joins Collective of Independent Technology and Solutions Providers Powering Brands and Digital Commerce with Data, Insights, and Perpetual Innovation
Fort Worth, TX. September 2, 2021. Momentum, a global innovation leader, is bolstering its portfolio of independent technology and digital solutions providers by making a strategic investment in world-class data and analytics leader Search Discovery Inc., an Atlanta-based consultancy driving data transformation for ambitious brands and Fortune 500 companies.
Momentum invests in incubating and scaling modern, values-driven, people-first companies that power digital commerce throughout the entire customer lifecycle with data, insights, and perpetual innovation. Search Discovery joins a respected collective of companies and ventures that manages over $2 billion in global media spend annually, including PMG, an award-winning global leader delivering omnichannel digital media for Fortune 500 companies; Koddi, a leading advertising technology partner with software and services designed to improve data-driven marketing and empower marketplace monetization for brands and publishers; Momentum Commerce, a technology enabled services company guiding brands on how to navigate digital marketplaces; and Shipyard, a cloud-based workflow technology solution.
“Search Discovery has found incredible success as an independent, agile and technology-obsessed brand partner that is leveraging its deep experience in data, analytics and insights to transform enterprise businesses for the future and drive unparalleled results,” said Momentum Founder & CEO George Popstefanov. “We are investing in supporting its leaders in scaling their remarkable culture and customer success first and foremost, while deepening our commitment to recruiting and developing the best talent and cutting-edge capabilities to deliver the most effective and visionary data-driven solutions for ambitious brands.”
“After 17 years building award-winning technologies such as Adobe DTM and Apollo, I’m excited to see Search Discovery well positioned for the future with the backing of Momentum’s investment,” said Search Discovery Founder and CEO Lee Blankenship, who is departing to pursue new opportunities. “Building SaaS technologies inside of service organizations to be used either internally as accelerators and differentiators or spun off as stand alone SaaS businesses is not only unique but also a shared value that instantly attracted us to this partnership.”
Search Discovery will continue to operate as a separate company led by President Mike Gustafson, who will partner with Momentum to create new advantages for customers in need of a full range of integrated data, ecommerce and digital marketplace strategies. The alignment also expands Momentum’s certifications and expertise across the entire ecosystem of digital platforms and marketplaces, including Google, Amazon, Facebook, Adobe, Salesforce, Domo, The Trade Desk, Azure and more.
With 140 employees and offices in Atlanta and Cleveland, Search Discovery is a data transformation consultancy for leading brands and Fortune 500 companies including Gamestop, Novartis, Salesforce, Comfortkeepers, Chick-fil-A, PBS, American Cancer Society and Walton Enterprises. Named an Inc. 5000 honoree five times and among the Top Workplaces by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Plain Dealer, the innovative technology company provides world class strategy, data engineering, business intelligence, analytics, data science, marketing, and optimization services. The investment includes Apollo, Search Discovery’s proprietary technology and the world’s first Analytics Management System, which empowers organizations to increase their ROI from digital analytics by providing an interconnected and automated system to ensure consistent high-quality data and rapid insights.
GP Bullhound acted as exclusive financial advisor to Search Discovery on the transaction.
“Momentum offered everything we were looking for in a partner – independence, scale, enterprise business partnerships, respected Google and platform relationships, and a proven commitment to taking care of our people,” said Gustafson. “We couldn’t imagine a better alliance to build out how we scale human-centric digital solutions for today’s brands.”
“Joining Momentum gives us both autonomy and greater access to a deep bench of talent and capabilities, allowing us to compete with holding groups many times our size and to punch above our weight,” he added. “In the last year, we have seen digital marketplaces accelerate beyond anything we could have imagined, and we are now better positioned to respond to the fast-evolving needs of our customers.”
About Momentum
Momentum is a global innovation leader building a respected collection of independent technology and solutions providers that power digital commerce through amazing people, data and insights, and perpetual innovation. It invests in scaling and incubating modern, values-driven, people-first companies that partner with Fortune 500 brands throughout the entire customer lifecycle. Managing over $2 billion in global media spend annually, Momentum’s portfolio includes: PMG, Koddi, Momentum Commerce, Shipyard, and Search Discovery. For more information: www.momentum.com