There is some big news out of Australia today. Credible Labs, based in San Francisco but listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, has reached an agreement with Fox Corporation (yes, that Fox) to sell 67% of the company for $265 million. This values the company at $397 million which is a 31% premium over the stock’s closing price on May 28, the day before receiving the offer from Fox. Fox Corp. will also provide $75 million in growth capital over the next two years.
Founder and CEO Stephen Dash (you can listen to my 2016 interview with him here) is an Australian who moved to San Francisco in 2012 to start Credible. He will remain head of the newly formed Fox subsidiary and will exchange shares equal to 33% of Credible’s outstanding common stock into units of this subsidiary.
I sent Dash a message last night but he did not respond by the time of publication. However, he did say this in the press release:
Fox Corporation’s record of innovation and focus on audience engagement will further enhance Credible’s position as a leading consumer finance marketplace in the United States, creating opportunities for organic growth and the expansion of the Credible platform. Credible’s industry-leading user experience, combined with FOX, will provide greater impact and scale for consumers.
New York-based Fox Corporation is actually a newly created media company controlled by the Murdoch family. It was formed out of the Disney acquisition of 21st Century Fox and it began trading on Nasdaq earlier this year. It includes Fox’s television properties such as Fox News, Fox Business Network and Fox Sports.
Here is what Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said about the acquisition: [Read more…]