CIP Capital invests in Affinitiv

CIP Capital said Sept 8 that it invested in Affinitiv Inc. Financial terms weren’t announced. Chicago-based Affinitive, which provides marketing and technology services to automotive manufacturers and dealerships, was formed through the merger of four companies: DPS, Peak Performance, OneCommand and TimeHighway.com.

PRESS RELEASE

September 8, 2016 – CIP Capital has completed a strategic investment in Affinitiv, Inc.
(“Affinitiv” or the “Company”), a leading provider of marketing and technology services to
automotive manufacturers (“OEMs”) and dealerships. Affinitiv is a newly formed entity
exclusively focused on the automotive market through the merger of four market leading
companies: DPS, Peak Performance, OneCommand and TimeHighway.com. This strategic
combination provides both OEMs and dealers with an end-to-end marketing solution that
leverages multi-channel communications, technology, and analytics to create connected
customers for life. With a focus on driving retention and loyalty throughout all phases of the
automotive customer lifecycle, Affinitiv provides a consistent customer experience across all
channels.
Affinitiv is built on long-term relationships with leading OEMs, dealership groups, and
individual dealers with a commitment to customer service and technology innovation. Affinitiv
serves over 5,500 dealerships through the largest sales and customer service team in the
automotive marketing technology space. Affinitiv will significantly invest in its existing
technology platform to extend its advanced analytics capabilities with a focus on connected
car and mobile solutions that will enhance and personalize the customer experience. Affinitiv
has market leading solutions across online and offline channels, with enhanced digital, social,
and telematics solutions that connect automotive OEMs and dealers to their customers to
drive brand loyalty and revenue across the dealership. In addition, Affinitiv is the only solution
in the market with an integrated service marketing and appointment scheduling capability.
All four CEOs of the combined companies have joined the newly formed Company in executive
roles and are investors in the transaction. In addition, CIP Capital has partnered with several
senior executives from the automotive market to form the leadership team of Affinitiv. Mike
Doobay, a long-term industry veteran in the automotive market, has been named CEO of
Affinitiv. “Affinitiv will combine the best of each company with the sole focus of serving our
OEM and dealer partners with a market leading solution that effectively manages all aspects
of the customer lifecycle,” said Mr. Doobay. “The scale and reach of Affinitiv will allow us to
invest in the best people, technology platform, and analytics capabilities to meet the changing
needs of our customers.” Jeff Hart, former President and CEO of OneCommand, joins Affinitiv
as COO. Mr. Hart added, “Affinitiv is committed to providing a whole new approach to creating
connected customers for life. This is a highly exciting combination for our customers,
employees, and shareholders.”
Affinitiv represents the third investment for CIP Capital in 2016 and will be a buy and build
platform with an exclusive focus on the automotive marketing technology space. “We are
thrilled to launch Affinitiv through the strategic combination of four market leading companies
that all believe in our plan to invest aggressively in new digital, telematics, and analytics
capabilities,” said Justin Lipton, Managing Partner of CIP Capital. He adds, “We see a unique
opportunity to build the leading independent player in the automotive marketing technology
space with a highly differentiated value proposition.”
Affinitiv is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with seven offices across North America. Affinitiv
generates over $100 million in annual revenue and employs over 500 team members.
About Affinitiv:
Affinitiv is a leading marketing technology company exclusively serving automotive
manufacturers (OEMs), dealership groups, and individual dealers. Affinitiv enables its
customers to produce, manage, measure, and optimize multi-channel communications to
drive brand loyalty and increase revenue across the dealership. Affinitiv’s digital and analytic
capabilities offer an end-to-end solution that supports a consistent experience across the
entire consumer lifecycle. Affinitiv was formed through the strategic combination of DPS, Peak
Performance, OneCommand, and TimeHighway.com. Affinitiv is headquartered in Chicago, IL.
For more information, please visit: www.affinitiv.com .
About CIP Capital:
CIP Capital is a New York based private equity firm focused on investing in growth-oriented,
middle-market companies across the Business Information and Tech-Enabled Services
markets in North America. The fund seeks to invest in proven, profitable businesses that
provide their customer bases with critical information, proprietary content, and value-added
outsourced services. Targeted sectors for investment include business services, marketing
services, and knowledge services. For more information, please visit: www.cip-capital.com .