Taboola, which started in Israel and is now based in New York, is according to Mr. Singolda Profitable, which said it raised $ 1.2 billion in gross revenue last year – net revenue of $ 379 million, excluding payouts to publishers.
At the end of 2019, Taboola sees a path to even greater growth in a merger with Outbrain, its arch-enemy. In October, in a long-awaited agreement, the two announced plans to combine under the Taboola name.
But within a year, both companies’ financial situation changed. Antitrust regulators in Britain and Israel are still investigating the investigation. The pandemic attracted more viewers online, but also forced websites to re-evaluate their spending and become ‘much slimmer and meaner’, said Mr. Singolda said.
The merger fell apart in September.
But shortly thereafter, Israeli financier Gilad Shany raised nearly $ 259 million for ION Acquisition Corp 1, a space aimed at buying another Israeli company to build a global player.
He and mr. Singolda discussed a combination that would make Taboola famous by actually giving it the ION’s stock market. It is a faster and more secure way to bring companies to the public markets, which has contributed to SPACs being one of the biggest obsessions in the financial sector.
Mr. Singolda said a public exchange would give Taboola greater financial resources, especially the ability to sell shares, which could help make more acquisitions. (In addition to ION fund money, Taboola raised $ 285 million from Fidelity, BlackRock and others.)
“We think it could be five times as big as it is today,” he said. Shany said, who will join Taboola’s council. “You don’t have to think that far to think that big.”