DURHAM – Windsor Circle, one of the best-known emerging entrepreneurial companies in Durham with a focus on predictive marketing analytics,  has a new owner: OSG Billing Services.

Matt Williamson, Windsor Circle’s CEO, cofounder and chief evangelist, talks with WRAL TechWire about why he decided to sell the company, which will remain in Durham and will be led by Williamson, operating as a subsidiary of Illinois-based OSG.”

“The combination of Windsor Circle’s predictive marketing platform with OSG’s other marketing communications’ acquisitions, including WhatCounts, DoublePositive, ClickSpark and Garfield Group, solidifies OSG’s marketing engine and aligns with our growth strategy,” said OSG chair and CEO Scott Bernstein.
“Windsor Circle is also expected to provide immediate benefits to WhatCounts, OSG’s industry-leading email marketing company.”
The deal was announced Monday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Our Q&A:

  • Why did you decide to sell?

From day one, Windsor Circle has been committed to unlocking the power of data and predictive marketing for marketers across the industry.  This acquisition provides the opportunity to scale our innovations in many directions, both across platforms and verticals.

  • What led to talk about an acquisition?
OSG is a leader in cross-channel lifecycle communications, and was seeking to deepen its capabilities in the area of analytics, business intelligence and data science, areas where Windsor Circle excels.  
  • Were you looking to raise additional funding and a sale turned out to be a better alternative?

We weren’t looking for additional funding.  This is a case of a strategic acquirer seeking to bring additional capabilities to market.

OSG

  •  What will your role be with WC as a subsidiary? And how does the mission of WC change as part of a larger company?

I will continue as President of Windsor Circle, a wholly owned subsidiary of OSG.  Our mission doesn’t change.

Windsor Circle makes data-driven life-cycle automation simple, actionable and measurable for all marketers.  This just gives us a larger platform upon which to drive our vision forward.

  • Will there be any layoffs as a result of the sale?

No, we expect our team to keep executing with the same passion and vigor as we have been!

  • Are any members of your executive team departing since in any such deal there will be overlap in responsibilities?

No.

  • How did the changes made within your venture in 2017 play in your sale decision?

In early 2017, we pivoted upmarket to focus on enterprise clients, and in doing dramatically improved our business economics.  If anything, the much better health of the business on the new strategy allowed the strategic process to unfold more naturally.

  •  What are the terms of the sale?

I’m bound by confidentiality, so I can’t share the details.

  • What did you tell your investors about the deal? Is this the best ROI on their investment that they can get?

Windsor Circle has always adhered to a strong set of core values, one of the most important of which is openness and transparency.  We communicated closely with our investors throughout the strategic process, continually seeking advice and feedback as a team.

All board members have a fiduciary responsibility to do what’s in the best interest of all shareholders, and we’re confident that we’ve achieved that objective.

  •  Were you under any pressure from your investors who were looking to cash out?

Entrepreneurs often hear horror stories of investors who apply undue pressure to do things for short term, unbalanced gains.

We never experienced that.  Our investors, many of which are local to the Raleigh-Durham ecosystem, were professional, supportive and patient.