Ascential Invests in Online Data Firm Jumpshot

Online behavioral data firm Jumpshot has announced a strategic partnership with information company Ascential plc, giving the latter a 35 percent equity stake in Jumpshot, valued at $60.8m.

Jumpshot employs a real-time, anonymized global 'panel' of 100 million people in 188 countries, tracking five billion actions a day to deliver insights into online consumer behaviour, including within the Internet's 'walled gardens'. The link with Ascential will allow it to expand its customer base and global footprint, and accelerate product development.

Ascential's global trend forecaster WGSN and Edge by Ascential services will give Jumpshot a mass of new eCommerce-driven retail data, much of it from Europe and Asia Pacific. US-based Jumpshot launched its Insights platform in the UK in February and says it will now expand in Europe 'at a much faster pace' thanks to the partnership.

Duncan Painter (pictured), CEO of Ascential says the partnership is in line with his company's overall strategy and complements its key product development, customer acquisition and marketing focus, adding: 'Jumpshot will amplify our ability to help customers win in the digital economy by unlocking the insights, information and data they need to understand consumer needs and make decisions that help their businesses grow and thrive'.

Deren Baker, CEO of Jumpshot says the two firms share the same vision: 'We've experienced strong growth at Jumpshot, and this new strategic partnership will fuel the next phase of our global expansion through increased access to customers plus more R&D resources to bring the best possible products to market'.

Web sites: www.jumpshot.com and www.ascentialedge.com .