DLA Piper advises global technology and gaming group Aonic on the acquisition of Prime Insights
DLA Piper has advised Aonic, a globally active multi-platform technology and gaming group, on its acquisition of Prime Insights, a provider of technology-driven market research. The transaction is valued at over USD 250 million.
This represents Aonic’s most significant acquisition to date and was partly financed through a complex secured bond structure. The combination of the two businesses creates an integrated global platform for data-driven reward apps, reaching more than 50 million users worldwide. The combined company will operate 12 proprietary brands and is expected to generate annual revenues in excess of USD 300 million. The partnership doubles the size of the platform and enhances reach, insights, and user engagement for both mobile game developers and market researchers.
Headquartered in Stockholm, Aonic is a fast-growing global technology and gaming group with more than 600 employees across 12 companies. The group operates platforms such as Exmox and Mega Fortuna and is among the leading providers of gaming-focused user acquisition and loyalty programs.
Prime Insights is a global, technology-based market research company specializing in programmatic sampling. It operates several mobile and web-based platforms that allow users to earn money by completing online surveys.
The secured “Nordic Bonds” issuance had a volume of EUR 55 million. The bonds are listed on the regulated market of Nasdaq Stockholm as well as on the Open Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The issuance was based on an “Annex IX” document (11 pages), which serves as an exemption from the prospectus requirement introduced by the EU Listing Act. This was one of the first transactions in the EU to use such a prospectus-substituting document for a bond issuance.
A cross-border, multidisciplinary DLA Piper team from Germany, Sweden, and the United States advised on the transaction. The team was led by partners Andreas Füchsel (Private Equity/M&A) and Roland Maaß (Capital Markets) (BOTH PICTURED, LEFT AND RIGHT), alongside counsels Tatiana Marzoli (Private Equity/M&A) and Juliane Poss (Capital Markets).
Additional contributors included partners Dr. Nico Brunotte (IPT), Dr. Verena Grentzenberg (Data Protection), Pascal Kremp (Employment), Semin O (Antitrust), and Dr. Konrad Rohde, as well as counsels Sven Bischoff (both Tax), Patrick Reuter (Finance), and Raffaella Rusin (Tax). Senior associates included Ilgin Ayhan (Finance), Annika Heinz (Employment), Aleksandra Lis-Rychlinska and Damian Merks (both Private Equity/M&A), and Janina Tackmann. Associates included Jannik Becker (Tax), Dr. Jan Eisele (Corporate/M&A), Alexander Hofsepjan and Benedikt Mail (both Capital Markets), and Katharina Pauls and Jonas Riesenkampff (both IPT).
Internationally, DLA Piper Sweden advised with teams led by partners Peder Grandinson and Petter Kjöllerström (both Corporate), Erik Björkeson (Tax), and Josephine Tessmar (Finance). DLA Piper USA advised with teams led by partners Oliver Olah and Christina Michelle Houston (both Corporate), Katie S. Lee (IPT), and Nicholas A. Klein and Paolo Morante (both Litigation & Regulatory).
