BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Dot-com veteran takes a look at NexTag deal]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/11/dot-com-veteran-takes-a-look-at-nextag-deal/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/11/dot-com-veteran-takes-a-look-at-nextag-deal/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/11/dot-com-veteran-takes-a-look-at-nextag-deal/#commentsFiled under:

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), private equity firm Providence Equity Partners agreed to buy a majority position in NexTag for roughly $830 million. NexTag is a top-notch comparison shopping site.

I had a chance to talk to Michael Yang, the CEO and founder of Become.com (a comparison shopping engine). He is also the founder of mySimon, a shopping comparison site that he sold to CNET Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: CNET) for $700 million in February 2000.

How are things with Become.com?

Things are going very well. We have grown at over 400% from last year Q1 to this year Q1 in terms of traffic and revenue. Our joint venture in Japan (Become Japan KK) is also going very well with similar growth in that market. We are now gearing up to launch major new features for the holiday shopping season.

There have been several waves of consolidation in the comparison-shopping space. Might we see another one? If so, why?

As consumers and companies find great value in comparison shopping services, I do expect there to be continued mergers and acquisitions in this space. Comparison shopping services provide a compelling user experience to consumers and high revenue and profit growth opportunities for companies and investors.

What's your take from the interest of private equity in the space? Is this part of a general trend of PE firms moving into tech?

I think it is a very good thing for the comparison shopping industry. There is a lot of opportunity for growth. And I think we'll see more M&A in this space in the coming years as private equity firms discover this space.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

Dot-com veteran takes a look at NexTag deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Comparison shoppingComparisonShoppingMichael YangMichaelYangNexTagPrivate equityPrivateEquityMon, 11 Jun 2007 17:15:00 EST