Press Releases
Wellington Financial provides $7 million
“Airborne’s monthly revenue has grown over tenfold since our first transaction with the company in April 2004,” said Mark McQueen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wellington Financial LP. “These funds represent another round of true growth capital for Airborne, and we are delighted to close our third deal with their team in as many years.”
Founded in 2000, Airborne is a publisher and developer of mobile entertainment applications and services, including downloadable games, SMS alerts, MMS, ringtones, ringbacktones and wallpaper. Airborne has formed strong bonds with creative, content, brand and technology partners, including household names like Maxim Magazine, Family Guy, Fox Filmed Entertainment, fashion magnate Mark Ecko, the National Hockey League, Wine Spectator, the Food Network and teen stars Dylan and Cole Sprouse. In addition to its brand depth, Airborne has solidified invaluable, long-term relationships with virtually every major North American wireless carrier, including Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS, Cingular, Bell Mobility, Telus, Rogers Wireless, Virgin Mobile, Boost and Amp’d.
“This is our third transaction with Wellington Financial,” said Bessy Ziannis, Chief Financial Officer of Airborne. “Mark and his team have developed a solid understanding of our space, making it very easy to deal with them. They have proven to be flexible in structuring deals to suit our specific needs at each juncture of our evolution.”
Airborne's existing shareholders include CYBIRD Co. Ltd., Insight Venture Partners, Verizon Wireless, Telesystem and Palomino Capital.
Wildeboer Dellelce LLP and Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP provided legal advice for this transaction.
Wellington Financial LP is currently managing a new $400 million investment program via Wellington Financial Fund III. Since inception, Wellington Financial LP has led or participated in approximately $175 million of transactions, making it one of the most active funds of its kind in Canada.
About Airborne Entertainment Inc.Airborne, a subsidiary of CYBIRD Co., Ltd., is a leading provider and publisher of premier mobile entertainment content and applications, including games, images, video, ringtones, ringbacktones and informational content. Airborne's product portfolio consists of original and branded properties including Family Guy™, Maxim ToGo™, marykateandashley™, SPEED TV Mobile™, NHL Mobile™ and Marc Ecko Enterprises™. Airborne's products are available across wireless carriers in North America and Europe and the company provides retailers and branded destinations the ability to reach mobile consumers directly via premium and promotional channels. For more information, visit www.airborne-e.com.
About Wellington Financial LP
Wellington Financial LP is a privately held specialty finance firm providing operating lines of credit from $1 million to $5 million; term and amortizing loans up to $30 million; and venture debt loans up to $10 million. Wellington Financial LP is currently deploying a $400 million investment program via its third fund. The fund’s clients vary in size and business model, but generally have current year revenue in excess of $5 million. Wellington Financial LP is managed by a partnership controlled by fund management and Clairvest Group Inc. (CVG:TSX), who jointly have contributed a large financial stake to Funds II and III. Limited partners include several of Canada’s largest institutional investors, crown corporations, financial institutions and pension funds. Please visit the fund website at www.wellingtonfund.com, or the Wellington Financial team blog at www.wellingtonfund.com/blog.
For more Information, please contact:
Amy Olah
Marketing Manager, Wellington Financial LP
Tel: (416) 682-6002, aolah@wellingtonfund.com
Bessy Ziannis
Chief Financial Officer, Airborne Entertainment Inc.
Tel: (514) 289-9111 x249, bessyz@airborne-e.com
