Carlyle to acquire international marketing agency Incubeta

Lars Lehne, CEO of Incubeta

Global Investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) has announced that it has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Incubeta, an internationally recognised leader in digital marketing, and one of a select few globally certified Google Marketing Platform (GMP) partners. Terms of the transaction, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, were not disclosed.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in London, UK, Incubeta has experienced significant growth over the past two decades, evolving into a team of more than 800 people across 22 locations worldwide. Developed by Google, GMP is an integrated advertising-technology platform that enables customers to more effectively create and manage high-impact digital marketing campaigns using data analytics and advanced measurement. Backed by a wealth of experience in helping brands grow their digital presence across multiple sectors, Incubeta has capitalised on their expertise, partnering with a highly diversified base of international brands, including Hyundai, Heineken, M&S and L’Oréal.

Experts in the digital space, Incubeta offers a full range of services across creative, technology, media, e-commerce and data – specialising in GMP consulting and measurement capabilities among other bespoke services. The company’s proprietary technology also offers its clients a fully integrated ad-tech platform, within an increasingly data-driven marketing landscape that focuses on clients owning their media and serving customers in a privacy-compliant manner.

The Carlyle Europe Technology Partners (CETP) platform will support Incubeta in accelerating its international growth plan through the development of its existing suite of services and acquisitions, as well as investing in the company’s commercial operations and proprietary technology. CETP has extensive experience in scaling technology and marketing services businesses through its partnerships with leaders in their respective markets, including companies such as DEPT, Work & Co, The Mill, and HSO.

Lars Lehne, CEO of Incubeta, said: “We are very proud of the significant growth that Incubeta has achieved, having completed five acquisitions over the past two years and becoming a key partner in the Google ecosystem. We strongly believe Carlyle is the perfect partner as we take the next step in our growth journey, given its global presence, deep understanding of our sector, and extensive experience in scaling technology and marketing services businesses.”

Andrew Tan, director in the CETP investment advisory team, said: “Incubeta has all the hallmarks we look for in our investments – exposure to a market benefiting from strong tailwinds, partnership with an experienced and driven management team, and multiple levers for growth, including international expansion and service line extension. We look forward to partnering with Incubeta’s management team under the leadership of CEO Lars Lehne to help accelerate the next phase of the company’s growth as it seeks to become the leading global partner of choice in the fast-growing GMP ecosystem.”

About Incubeta

Incubeta is a marketing partner built specifically to help businesses upgrade their growth. An international team of experts in digital marketing, Incubeta are a team of over 800 creators, thinkers, makers and doers.

Present in 22 offices worldwide, Incubeta is a market leading specialist that uses the power of digital to unlock and amplify business growth potential through bespoke, localised digital solutions with global expertise. With 20+ years of experience in the digital space, Incubeta puts the ownership and control of the customer experience back in the hands of the advertiser.

As the largest and longest established Google Marketing Platform (GMP) sales partner in EMEA, Incubeta has proven through working with top-tier brands that they are leading specialists in helping advertisers tackle complex projects such as in-housing, personalisation, data activation and advanced digital media.

About Carlyle

Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) is a global investment firm with deep industry expertise that deploys private capital across three business segments: Global Private Equity, Global Credit and Global Investment Solutions. With $369bn of assets under management as of 30 September 2022, Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, portfolio companies and the communities in which we live and invest. Carlyle employs more than 2,100 people in 29 offices across five continents.

Further information is available at www.carlyle.com. Follow Carlyle on Twitter @OneCarlyle.