The deals S4 Capital has done with MediaMonks and MightyHive are in effect mergers not acquisitions, according to founder Sir Martin Sorrell, as MediaMonks and MightyHive's founders have traded their equity for shares in S4, buying into the concept of the firm. S4 is not interested in buying companies from people that want to sell out, said Sorrell. "We don't buy businesses because we think they will go out of business," he said. "The battleground is over data and who controls it, and, as a result, the relationship with the consumer," he said.
The deals S4 Capital has done with MediaMonks and MightyHive are in effect mergers not acquisitions, according to founder Sir Martin Sorrell, as MediaMonks and MightyHive's founders have traded their equity for shares in S4, buying into the concept of the firm. S4 is not interested in buying companies from people that want to sell out, said Sorrell. It is building something from nothing and seeking to deepen existing relationships; that’s where the biggest opportunities are, he added. "The battleground is over data and who controls it, and, as a result, the relationship with the consumer," he said.