California-based cloud software subscription provider Zuora has announced plans to acquire London-based digital subscription management provider Zephr for $44m (£37.1m).
Zuora provides digital monetisation tools to companies, including premium subscription services for news media. Zuora’s customers include Bloomberg, Guardian News & Media, Penske Media, and DAZN.
The US firm is looking to integrate Zephr’s suite of online subscription management services, including identity management, intelligent trials, dynamic paywalls, and entitlements management.
“The winners in the media industry are those continuously innovating around new services, bundles, and offers. And where the media industry goes, other industries will follow,” said Tien Tzuo, CEO and founder of Zuora.
“This is what combining Zuora and Zephr is about. We’re thrilled to welcome our fellow ZEOs into the family.”
Zephr was founded in 2018 by James Henderson and Chris Scott, it serves customers in the media publishing industry, including News Corp, McClatchy, and Bauer.
“Our focus has been on giving our customers the agility they need to deliver the experiences that modern customers expect – it starts from the first digital interaction to conversion, to renewal,” said James Henderson, CEO of Zephr.
“It was a clear decision to join Zuora to accelerate where our platform is headed and empower all of our customers to nurture and monetize their subscriber relationships.”
In December 2020, Zephr raised £6m in a funding round led by BDMI and SVB, bringing the company’s total amount raised at the time to £8m.
