Zeta Global acquires LiveIntent in $250 million deal to bolster first-party data capabilities

Zeta Global announced the acquisition of LiveIntent, a fellow marketing tech company, in a $250 million cash and stock deal. LiveIntent, founded in 2009, focuses on delivering mobile-centric experiences and first-party identity solutions, which enable businesses to accurately identify, engage, and monetize their audiences across multiple channels.

The deal for LiveIntent consists of $77.5 million in cash and $172.5 million in stock, with a provision for a potential earnout tied to certain performance milestones. This earnout is split 50% in cash and 50% in stock, offering LiveIntent additional incentives to meet growth targets in the coming years. The acquisition is expected to be finalized before the end of 2024.

Zeta Global, a New York-based company that went public in 2021 and currently employs about 1,900 people, has built a reputation for helping major brands like Motel 6, Rent-A-Center, and Citizens Financial optimize their customer relationships through the use of artificial intelligence and data-driven insights. The company’s platform allows marketers to analyze customer behaviors and identify new potential customers with similar patterns, enhancing customer acquisition and retention strategies.

By acquiring LiveIntent, Zeta aims to integrate LiveIntent’s extensive database of consumer information into its own platform, enriching its data capabilities. The combination of these two platforms will enable Zeta’s clients to harness even more robust data sets, offering deeper insights into customer behavior and more precise targeting opportunities.

“We are excited to welcome LiveIntent to Team Zeta as we continue to build out our position and sharpen our differentiation in AI-powered marketing,” said David A. Steinberg, Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Zeta Global. “We have gotten to know the LiveIntent team through our work with them over the past five years and have seen firsthand the benefits of their core assets and experienced the impact of their platform. As more brands view first party data as a corporate asset, seek to make AI actionable, and move towards a single platform that powers more efficient and effective marketing across the customer lifecycle, this acquisition accelerates Zeta’s flywheel and positions the combined company to continue to grow faster than the market.”

“We’ve been extremely impressed with Zeta’s exceptional growth and proven ability to deliver real impact to their global customers,” said Matt Keiser, CEO of LiveIntent. “We share a relentless focus on innovation and an aim to make AI-powered marketing actionable. We are excited to work together to provide marketers and publishers with added capabilities to reach their customers through even more channels.”