gen.video Buys Bounty // RockWater Advises on Sale
RockWater Roundup
RockWater analysis to make you a better investor and operator. Today we congratulate our client Bounty on their sale to gen.video. We served as exclusive sell-side advisor to Bounty and founder / CEO Abe Wolke, so we won’t be able to share many deal details beyond the official press release.
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🫡Some deal team kudos…
Today we congratulate our client Bounty on their sale to gen.video. Our RockWater team served as exclusive sell-side advisor to Bounty and founder / CEO Abe Wolke.
Kudos to Abe on the exit. A savvy product builder and entrepreneur. Excited to see what he does next.
I met Jessica Thorpe and Bill Hildebolt of gen.video in 2023 through our newsletter and LinkedIn content. Deal talks with them then started earlier in 2024 — great to see them acquire a strategic asset to keep building out their IM platform. They moved quickly and efficiently to get a deal done.
Shoutout to Bounty counsel Eric Perlmutter and the Greenberg Glusker team. Awesome to have completed two creator economy deals with them over the last month.
Thank you to our RockWater deal team, particularly Michael Booth who first met the Bounty team and speerheaded the M&A process.
I wish the launch of the partnrUP platform great success in their mission to help brands build, scale, and optimize their work with creators!
🤝On the deal specifics…
The official press release for the deal is below. I won’t do my normal deal breakdown and valuation analysis since I’m under NDA about all deal details.
Last week I wrote about general market themes driving M&A activity in the influencer space – you can read that in our announcement about Long Haul’s sale to Wasserman. These themes are also extensively covered on our deal blog.
▶️Alright, now to the official press release…
gen.video Expands Creator Commerce Solutions with Launch of Content Collaboration Platform partnrUP, and Acquisition of Bounty, a UGC Marketplace
New Platform and Acquisition Introduces the Most Robust Set of Tools and Influencer Marketing Services for Global Brands and DTC Businesses
BOSTON, Sept. 9, 2024 — gen.video, an award-winning influencer marketing company, is excited to announce the launch of its new platform, partnrUP, alongside the acquisition of Bounty, an app that automates the collection of UGC for ecommerce brands on Shopify. This announcement marks a significant expansion of gen.video’s mission to help brands build, scale, and optimize their work with creators.
partnrUP is a first of its kind collaboration platform designed to make it easier, faster, and more enjoyable for everyone involved in the process of making and approving content.
The acquisition of Bounty immediately gives clients access to a vast network of UGC creators and introduces new performance-based incentives tied to viewership on TikTok and Instagram, pairing seamlessly with gen.video’s commission-based solutions to scale affiliate and ambassador programs.
“Creator content is at the heart of many brands’ marketing strategies, and partnrUP makes it more accessible with mobile-friendly feedback and approval tools, deeper commerce integrations, and AI-driven search technology,” said Jessica Thorpe, CEO of gen.video. “With Bounty, we’ll be able to provide access to more creators and expand the ways brands incentivize and compensate them for the content they make.”
“At Bounty, we’ve built a strong network and flywheel to recruit micro and nano creators and have been focused on helping brands tap into authentic customer voices to drive growth. We’re excited to bring Bounty’s strengths together with gen.video’s industry-leading influencer management and content-to-commerce expertise,” said Abraham Wolke, Founder and CEO of Bounty.
For nearly a decade, gen.video has delivered tailored creator marketing solutions to clients including P&G, HP, Bayer, and Nike. Its influencer expertise and commerce analytics have driven substantial sales growth for these brands across key retail channels.
“I’ve always believed gen.video was one of the most effective and efficient influencer marketing companies. Their ability to provide branded video content at scale for global companies like Kimberly-Clark, where I first engaged them, and through the Bounty acquisition they can now support Weathertech and our DTC Shopify store. They listen to our needs and integrate seamlessly into our broader marketing strategy,” said David Parker, International Territory Owner – Weathertech Switzerland.
Today marks the next chapter for gen.video as it recognizes the different needs of companies—some seeking tools for internal creator practices, others requiring agency expertise. By combining capabilities from both companies, gen.video can help marketers in more ways through:
- Mobile-Friendly Collaboration Tools: approvals by allowing anyone to upload content on behalf of creators with an interactive media player that enables time-stamped, pin-dropped comments for precise feedback.
- Expanded Creator Network: Access a broader range of diverse UGC creators and global influencers to produce content and reach new audiences.
- More Commerce Connections: New widgets that connect Amazon and Shopify stores speed up and automate campaign setup, sharing affiliate links with influencers, activating customers, and unlocking new measurement capabilities.
- Betty, Our AI Agent: Analyzes every piece of content inside and out to help stakeholders across social, paid, and ecommerce teams quickly find and use content with the appropriate rights.
With this launch and the acquisition of Bounty, gen.video offers brands of all sizes an unparalleled suite of social commerce tools to help inspire shopping through the power of creator content. These developments underscore gen.video’s commitment to empowering brands to connect with their audiences in meaningful ways, driving business impact and growth.
About gen.video
gen.video is a leading influencer marketing company connecting creativity and commerce worldwide. The company specializes in bespoke agency services powered by partnrUP—a toolkit for marketers to collaborate on content, incentivize creators, and provide full-funnel measurement of influencer marketing efforts. This combination of creativity and consumer insights produces award-winning work for brands.
About Bounty
Bounty is a Shopify app that turns creators into video marketing machines. The technology provides a platform for creators to earn cash back for engagement, while brands license the videos for paid media. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, the company was founded in November 2021 by Abe Wolke, backed by M13, Sugar Capital, and Interlace Ventures.
RockWater Industries served as exclusive financial advisor to Bounty, Greenberg Glusker as legal advisor to Bounty, and Frankfurt Kurnit as legal advisor to gen.video.
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I’m the founder of RockWater Industries. We do financial and strategy advisory for media, agencies, and creator economy. From M&A and fundraising to consumer research and go-to-market planning.
DM me on LinkedIn or email me chris @ wearerockwater dot com
