Latvian marketing startup Roibox was acquired by Italian Jakala

Latvian marketing data analytics startup Roibox was acquired by marketing technology company Jakala. According to public information, Jakala purchased 53% of the startup. Roibox’s founders saved their stakes.

All the existing investors of Roibox, specifically Milan-based VC BlackSheep Ventures and Latvian business angel Aigars Kesenfelds, exited Roibox. In 2022, BlackSheep Ventures invested €2M in the marketing startup. Another investor, business angel Aigars Kesenfelds, does not disclose the amount of financing. According to Roibox, the total amount of investment it has raised was €3M. 

Aigars Kesenfelds supports the financial technology, real estate, and hospitality sectors. Among his investments are Latvian fintech Eleving Group, Riga-based loan platform Mintos, Latvian financial service provider DelfinGroup, and others.

Founded by Jēkabs Endziņš, Mārcis Grīnis, Mareks Rudovičs, Krišjānis Bērzs, and Edvarts Gaigals, Roibox developed solutions based on geospatial data analysis, which helps brands identify their target audience more precisely and achieve better results from advertising campaigns.

The platform combines customer relationship management data, data from previous advertising campaigns, and publicly available socio-economic data on the population with geospatial data. When it analyses previous campaigns, it breaks them down into smaller geographic units and assesses how the campaign has performed against its objectives in different locations. Socio-economic data is the age structure and income level of the people living in the area. The platform also analyses the competition in the geographical area.

In the end, the platform creates a multi-layered map for campaign management platforms and selects the target audience more precisely. Thus, the client can identify missed opportunities and wasted budgets and apply other optimization tools. 

Founded in 2020 in Milan by Matteo de Brabant, Jakala provides its clients with digital marketing services and solutions, such as communication, marketing, and sales. Jakala has offices in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. In 2021, the French private investment fund Ardian Buyout Group acquired a majority stake in Jakala. 

With this deal, Jakala will expand its geospatial analytics services in advertising campaigns. Jakala's customers will combine Jakala's spatial data and information from digital media giants and various platforms into one solution.

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