Investments
29Portfolio Exits
8Funds
1About Evolution Media
Evolution Media is a joint venture between Evolution Media Capital (EMC), TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity investment platform of global investment firm TPG, and Participant Media, the global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll. Evolution will partner with and invest up to $350 million in growth-stage media, sports, and global entertainment companies. EMC is a merchant bank focused on the media and sports industries, formed as a partnership with Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and offering investment advisory, asset management, industry research, and capital-raising services. In the media rights space, EMC provides a wide array of advisory services including strategic analysis, valuation and negotiation of media rights and regional sports network planning and operational strategy.

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Latest Evolution Media News
Feb 2, 2023
Share Thought leaders in streaming automotive advertising set to join forces around the topic “Leave Broadcast Behavior Behind.” Evolution Media Group , a leader in streaming advertising measurement and optimization solutions, announced today it will host its inaugural Streaming Automotive Summit on March 1-3, 2023 in Newport Beach, CA. Backed by founding members Polk Automotive Solutions from S&P Global Mobility, The Trade Desk, Experian and Manite, the Summit will provide insight into the latest tools and strategies for Connected TV (CTV) and Digital Audio Advertising as it is being implemented in 2023 by top automotive marketers. This groundbreaking event is geared towards brands and agencies that manage automotive marketing budgets. Attendees are guaranteed to leave with a wealth of innovative approaches for their digital advertising strategy, along with a clear understanding of the difference between the traditional broadcast environment and the emerging streaming ecosystem. The two-day summit will feature speakers from leading media platforms, attribution technologists, audience data sources, and inventory partners. Attendees will engage in sessions detailing how to best leverage streaming advertising for automotive marketers and network with industry experts at the rooftop cocktail reception and dinner. “We hope to dispel many of the notions and thinking around how to approach streaming, most of which are rooted in broadcast media buying,” says Brett Hall, partner at Evolution Media Group. “After five years of operating in Connected TV and Digital Audio and supporting automotive marketers, we and our founding partners felt this was the right moment to educate our customers, partners, and really anyone managing automotive advertising budgets.” “Automotive marketers require the ability to find and reach audiences that deliver vehicle sales,” says Scott Hedges, head of local media and retail automotive at S&P Global Mobility. “Streaming media, with its targeting, optimization and attribution capabilities delivers this, giving marketers the performance they’ve come to expect from their investment. We are excited to be part of the Streaming Automotive Summit and thank Evolution Media for creating this platform to jumpstart conversation and innovation.” Streaming advertising campaigns powered by Evolution Media are 11x more effective at driving dealership walk-ins. Evolution Media, with the help of its data and technology partners, has powered thousands of campaigns that have generated over 50 million attributed dealership walk-ins. “Experian has worked with Evolution Media for years to uncover and leverage our diverse data sets to help clients find premium auto audiences,” said Laurel Malhotra, director of automotive marketing solutions at Experian. “We look forward to participating in the event, highlighting how companies can leverage new data sources and leading technology to better execute Connected TV and Digital Audio campaigns.” Dan Fairclough, Head of Specialized Demand at Magnite, commented, “As someone who previously was in legacy broadcast media and now at the center of streaming, we immediately aligned with the Summit’s theme of Leave Broadcast Behavior Behind. Magnite is eager to help educate the industry on the differences between the two ecosystems and how to approach streaming properly.” The Streaming Automotive Summit will be held at the Lido House Hotel in Newport Beach, California. Attendees can look forward to a cocktail reception on the rooftop bar, Topside, dinner at the Cannery restaurant on Newport Harbor, discounted hotel stay, and golf at Pelican Hill. PR Newswire, a Cision company, is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms and distribution that marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers leverage to engage key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry over 60 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to- end solutions to produce, optimize and target content -- and then distribute and measure results. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire powers the stories of organizations around the world. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions. Prev Post
Evolution Media Investments
29 Investments
Evolution Media has made 29 investments. Their latest investment was in Tonal as part of their Series D on September 9, 2020.

Evolution Media Investments Activity

Date | Round | Company | Amount | New? | Co-Investors | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
9/17/2020 | Series D | Tonal | $110M | No | 6 | |
8/26/2020 | Series B | Stem | $10M | No | Aspect Ventures, Baron Davis, BBG Ventures, Dimension 6, Evolution Media, Kevin Lee, Ludlow Ventures, Mark Gillespie, Radical Investments, Slow Ventures, Undisclosed Angel Investors, Upfront Ventures, Vayner Capital, and WndrCo | 4 |
5/29/2019 | Series C - II | The Athletic | $50M | No | 3 | |
4/16/2019 | Series B | |||||
4/4/2019 | Series C |
Date | 9/17/2020 | 8/26/2020 | 5/29/2019 | 4/16/2019 | 4/4/2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round | Series D | Series B | Series C - II | Series B | Series C |
Company | Tonal | Stem | The Athletic | ||
Amount | $110M | $10M | $50M | ||
New? | No | No | No | ||
Co-Investors | Aspect Ventures, Baron Davis, BBG Ventures, Dimension 6, Evolution Media, Kevin Lee, Ludlow Ventures, Mark Gillespie, Radical Investments, Slow Ventures, Undisclosed Angel Investors, Upfront Ventures, Vayner Capital, and WndrCo | ||||
Sources | 6 | 4 | 3 |
Evolution Media Portfolio Exits
8 Portfolio Exits
Evolution Media has 8 portfolio exits. Their latest portfolio exit was Swrve on January 12, 2023.
Date | Exit | Companies | Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model. | Acquirer | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1/12/2023 | Acquired | 9 | |||
Date | 1/12/2023 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Exit | Acquired | ||||
Companies | |||||
Valuation | |||||
Acquirer | |||||
Sources | 9 |
Evolution Media Acquisitions
3 Acquisitions
Evolution Media acquired 3 companies. Their latest acquisition was Trace on January 19, 2018.
Date | Investment Stage | Companies | Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model. | Total Funding | Note | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1/19/2018 | Acq - Fin | 2 | ||||
8/30/2017 | ||||||
7/18/2017 |
Date | 1/19/2018 | 8/30/2017 | 7/18/2017 |
---|---|---|---|
Investment Stage | |||
Companies | |||
Valuation | |||
Total Funding | |||
Note | Acq - Fin | ||
Sources | 2 |
Evolution Media Fund History
1 Fund History
Evolution Media has 1 fund, including EMP Scopely Holdings.
Closing Date | Fund | Fund Type | Status | Amount | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11/13/2020 | EMP Scopely Holdings | $121.05M | 1 |
Closing Date | 11/13/2020 |
---|---|
Fund | EMP Scopely Holdings |
Fund Type | |
Status | |
Amount | $121.05M |
Sources | 1 |
Evolution Media Team
2 Team Members
Evolution Media has 2 team members, including current Chief Executive Officer, Rick Hess.
Name | Work History | Title | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Rick Hess | Evolution Media China, and Creative Artists Agency | Chief Executive Officer | Current |
Name | Rick Hess | |
---|---|---|
Work History | Evolution Media China, and Creative Artists Agency | |
Title | Chief Executive Officer | |
Status | Current |
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