Datamars, a leading Swiss global supplier of high-performance identification and data-based management solutions for the companion animal, livestock and textile markets, has acquired Kippy S.r.l., the successful GPS tracker and activity monitoring solution for pets, as a natural expansion of its existing offering to pet owners globally.
The transaction has been coordinated by Growth Capital, leading advisor specialized in corporate finance transactions for startups and scaleups, acting as Kippy’s sole financial advisor.
With this partnership, Datamars strengthens its market-leading identification and reunification solution that has identified over 50 million pets and connected thousands of lost animals back with their owners.
“As pet ownership continues to grow across all major markets globally, so too does the demand for products and services to keep these beloved members of the family happy, healthy and safe. I’m excited to be partnering together with Kippy to bring the best of our technologies to more pet owners around the world,” says Datamars CEO Daniele Della Libera.
Kippy’s wearable collar device with GPS tracks animal activity and location and communicates to pet owners via a smartphone app. As well as providing the ability to locate your animal in real time, owners can easily tell if their pet is getting the right amount of physical activity. Kippy is also one of the few solutions on the market that combines GPS/activity tracking with communication and engagement features, such as customised messaging and an in-app social network.
Based in Italy, Kippy was founded in 2013 by co-CEOs Marco Brunetti and Simone Sangiorgi, who are joining Datamars along with all members of the Kippy team to continue to advance the pet tracking business.
“We’ve had great success in Europe and have developed a strong and happy customer base of pet owners. By joining with Datamars, we’re now able to take the next step to grow Kippy further and expand into other markets. Datamars’ strong presence in North America, Latin America and Australasia as well as Europe, combined with their global production and supply footprint and product development resource, means we’re able to continue to invest in and evolve the Kippy offering and bring these great products to more pets and their owners around the world,” says Sangiorgi.
Kippy will be an important part of Datamars’ companion animal ecosystem, which spans from identification to activity and health monitoring to reunification solutions – enabled and supported by a digital customer environment and support services.
“We’ve always taken the view that collaboration and partnership is the best way to deliver great solutions in a way that’s seamless for customers. Both Kippy and Datamars aspire to the same vision, and we are both passionate about combining our capabilities and strengths to continue to develop and deliver genuinely valuable solutions to pet owners,” says Della Libera.
Growth Capital acted as sole financial advisor to Kippy in the transaction. Datamars was supported by CMS as legal advisor and EY as tax advisor. Kippy also had support from Almasta and Studio Corti & Fumagalli as legal advisor.
About Datamars: Datamars, formed in 1988 and based in Switzerland, is a leading global supplier of high-performance identification and data-based management solutions for the companion animal, livestock and textile markets. Its goal is to enhance sustainable productivity and quality of life across its sectors through the delivery of data-based insight solutions. As a global company, Datamars has three R&D hubs, six major production hubs, and market-based commercial operations in over 21 locations globally and employs approximately 2,000 people worldwide. Our expertise, track record of technological innovation and deep understanding of customers’ needs have earned Datamars a reputation for unsurpassed quality and performance. Read more at Datamars.com.
Contact Information
Teresa Steele-Rika
Head of Corporate Affairs, Datamars
teresa.steele-rika@datamars.com
(64) 21 370 957
