K1 Capital acquires Wellington Financial Fund IV portfolio co. CrownPeak

2015 is ending on a high note for our limited partners, with the acquisition of Los Angeles-based CrownPeak Technology by K1 Capital.

CrownPeak provides cloud-based web content management and optimization solutions via a software-as-a-service platform. Enterprises use CrownPeak to maximize online marketing effectiveness and improve website implementation across multiple sites. The Company was backed by VCs Sigma Venture Partners and Altos Ventures (our neighbour on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park), with participation from global investment management firm AllianceBernstein.

CEO Jim Howard has led CrownPeak since its inception in 2001. Clients include MetLife, Skype, Staples, and even the State of Virginia. Congrats to Jim and his entire team. We had a great run together but, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Over the course of this year, seven of our Fund III and Fund IV portfolio companies have been acquired: Wmode (Calgary), InterAct911 (Chicago), BlueStreak Technology (Montreal), Softgate Systems (NJ-pending), Maxymiser (NYC), Marketlive (Petaluma), and now CrownPeak. I think that’s a single-year record for us, and it demonstrates just how effective our patient venture debt can be in growing your business in a way that ultimately attracts the right kind of attention from the right kind of buyers.

MRM