Digital Media Co ValueFirst Acquires Way2sms.com and 160by2.com

Becomes the largest digital media company in the country; Strategic acquisition brings in additional 37 million registered profiled internet users. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) May 25, 2012 - New Delhi: ValueFirst, India's leading Digital Media Company, has recently acquired Way2online - a Hyderabad based Consumer Focused Internet Technology Company, which owns and operates Way2sms.com and 160by2.com - in an all cash deal

The transaction is one of the largest acquisitions in the Internet industry in India that makes ValueFirst the largest digital media company in India in terms of revenue as well as the number of users. With this acquisition, ValueFirst will cross 50 million profiled registered users, add 40,000 fresh registrations daily and get to 250 crores of revenue this financial year.
Post-acquisition, ValueFirst becomes the only digital media company that can operate across multiple platforms - Internet, voice, sms and Email.

Commenting on the acquisition, Mr. Vishwadeep Bajaj, MD and group chairman, ValueFirst Group said, "In the context of explosive growth in the digital advertising in the country which embraces both mobile & internet channels, the acquisition of Way2Sms is our inorganic route to grow the internet inventory. We have been traditionally very strong on the mobile media and this acquisition now leapfrogs ValueFirst as a lone provider of multi-modal digital interaction capability across mobile & Internet on a scale, which no other digital media company enjoys in the country. I really admire Raju, the founder of Way2SMS who has done a phenomenal job of building the largest personal messaging platform in the world. This asset and brand can leverage not only the technical capabilities of ValueFirst but also benefit from its large sales infrastructure. In my opinion the true synergy of the two organisations is the aggregated subscriber base which now becomes available to the leading brands and agencies of India for running digital campaigns with true reach"

Raju Vanapala, CEO, Way2Sms Group said, " Over the last year we partnered with ValueFirst on a range of initiatives. Our relationship over a period of time has grown and I am very happy to know that way2sms.com will continue to grow under ValueFirst. The team at ValueFirst has a deep understanding of both the Internet and mobile mediums and I am personally proud that with this strategic sale I have been instrumental in creating the largest digital media company in the country"

About ValueFirst:
• ValueFirst incepted in 2003
• Largest and fastest growing digital media company in India- Straddles both Internet and Mobile
• 7-8 billion digital interactions per month across platforms - Internet, sms, voice, and email
• Owns and operates-multiple internet communities with over 50 million opted in profiled & registered internet users, adding over 40,000 new registrations a day
• Platform agnostic multi-modal digital communication solutions provider- with over 4000 clients
• Targeting revenue of over INR 250 Cr in FY 12-13 and looking to IPO in the next 24 months
• Funded by NEA in 2009, 2011, Headland ventures- 2011 (formerly HSBC private equity)
• Over 500 employees
• Mr. Vishwadeep Bajaj -MD and group chairman
• Mr. Kumar Apoorv - Group CEO
• Mr. Gagan Chadha -Group CFO

About Way2online:
• Way2online incepted in 2006 based out of Hyderabad
• Way2sms and 160by2 under its flagship has over 37 million registered user base over Internet. Access to 37% Internet users in India.
• World largest personal messaging portal with users across 130 countries
• India's largest database with over 500 million mobile contacts
• 500 million page views a month - makes it largest p2p messaging platform In the world
• Using way2sms and 160by2 - 20 million p2p messages sent everyday. 30000 new registrations each day
• 12 billion messages sent till date using way2sms and 160by2
• Way2sms in top 10 most searched keywords in India competing with Facebook, twitter, YouTube (Google's Zeitgeist 2011 For India). (Only Indian company to feature in top ten most searched keywords)
• Way2online targeting turnover of approx. INR 60 crore in
FY 12-13
• Mr Raju Vanapala, CEO and founder
• Team size 50 based out of Hyderabad

For further information, please contact:

Shalini.tewari ( @ ) vfirst dot com
+91 965 057 5324
Joyeeta Mitra
+919899112472

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