The Swedish company EPiServer, the world’s fastest growing provider of Web Content Management (WCM) platforms, is acquiring Netstar. The acquisition of Netstar is a strategic investment, enabling EPiServer to offer its clients a Web Content Management solution with an integrated community component. Since its inception in 1996, Netstar has been providing community platforms to some of the most successful European social online communities, such as Tasteline, the Egmont media group and the British media group EMAP.
EPiServer is a leading provider of Web Content Management platforms. In 2007 the company increased its revenues compared to the previous year by 37%. EPiServer, which was founded in 1994, is now undergoing an international expansion and part of the strategy is to acquire companies with products that can strengthen EPiServer’s own offerings. The Netstar acquisition is part of that strategy.
"Netstar’s products complement EPiServer CMS in a terrific way. The current trend is that customers are seeing the business value of social Web sites, for both public Web sites and intranets, and there are great advantages to connecting the community to an organization’s Web sites. Being able to offer custom-designed community functionality as an integrated part of our Web content management application puts us in a unique position in the international market," says EPiServer CEO Peter Larsson.
Netstar’s 13 employees will work for EPiServer. Netstar CEO Gustav Lagercrantz will work with business development for EPiServer. In this position, he will lead EPiServer’s community area going forward and be part of the EPiServer Management Team.
“I’m really excited about this area, and I'll be able to keep working with something that's very important to me – social online communities,” says Gustav Lagercrantz.
“Companies with strong brands that engage the customers, media companies and intranets at global companies with employees in many locations are just two examples of segments that we see will derive great benefits of this combination of Web content management and community functionality. The Netstar acquisition brings an established product that we know works well and has satisfied customers,” EPiServer CEO Peter Larsson continues.
In 2007 Netstar had revenues of SEK 10 million – an increase of 50 percent over the previous year.
About EPiServer AB
EPiServer AB is the world’s fastest growing provider of Web Content Management (WCM) platforms. More than 2,000 customers worldwide use EPiServer CMS to create collaborative and engaging Web sites. The platform EPiServer CMS is the foundation of more than 4,500 Web sites and is used on a daily basis by more than 100,000 Web editors. EPiServer delivers its Web Content Management platform through an extensive network of over 220 competent partner companies in 25 countries. Episerver is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, with an AAA-ranking by Dun & Bradstreet since 2000. The company was founded in 1994 and has offices in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, India and the United Kingdom.
About Netstar
Since its inception in 1996, Netstar has been providing products to some of Scandinavia's most successful digital communities such as Netdoktor, Tasteline and Shortcut. The Web sites were developed using the following products: StarCommunity, a platform for digital communities; StarMail, a mass e-mail distribution tool; StarStats, a statistics package for digital activities; and the DocStar publishing tool. Netstar’s customers include The Swedish public service broadcaster - Sveriges Television (SVT), Tasteline, EMAP, Swedish Radio, Egmont, Danish Broadcasting Corporation Radio and HMW (His Masters Voice).
For more information:
Maria Wasing
VP of Marketing
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