Minneapolis, MN – Hennepin Partners announced it has successfully advised Basketful, a growing provider of in-context eCommerce optimization tools and data-driven category/channel insights, on its sale to SmartCommerce, a leading provider of data-centric, AI-assisted SaaS solutions for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and adjacent industries. Hennepin Partners served as Basketful’s exclusive financial advisor and Koley Jessen acted as legal counsel.
Based in Minneapolis, Basketful’s mission to “simplify grocery shopping,” allowing consumers to save time and money, has driven the company’s development of smarter digital shelves – largely via contextual commerce from compelling starting points like recipes – that consumers use to quickly turn brand inspiration into reality. The company also helps brands leverage their resulting consumer behavior data to identify and unlock high-growth marketplace opportunities, helping drive incremental growth for some of the world’s largest CPG brands.
“When brands make it easy for consumers to get what they want, Marketing doesn’t have to be a spending treadmill – it can instead build a connected audience that is an annuity for a brand. Basketful brings strong reach and visibility tools that help make Marketing work both harder and longer for CPG and FMCG brands, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring more of those to our clients,” said Jennifer Silverberg, SmartCommerce CEO. Silverberg added “We’re incredibly excited about how Basketful and Myxx technologies extend SmartCommerce capabilities to help our client brands unlock massive short and long-term growth opportunities in this increasingly consumer-centric marketplace,” added Silverberg. “The resulting portfolio is a comprehensive catalyst for client brand growth.”
“Basketful’s mission has always been to make it easier for consumers to find and buy the things they need. Our tools combined with SmartCommerce’s broad reach and deep data capabilities will accelerate fulfillment of that mission,” noted Eugene Burd co-founder of Basketful.
Basketful co-founder Jim Lesch added, “Consumers amplify the messages that matter to them, and filter the ones that don’t – so effective marketing requires getting the right message on the right product to the right consumer at the right time and in the right context – and our tools and insights engine combined with SmartCommerce data and reach will help accelerate that for CPG brands.”
The companies have already begun integrating technologies, and SmartCommerce will begin providing enhanced services to clients in Q4 this year.
Regarding Hennepin Partners, Burd remarked, “Hennepin Partners played an instrumental role in our transaction. Hennepin’s thorough and proactive process-driven approach, knowledge of the buyer landscape, and thoughtful positioning of Basketful in the market helped us find an exciting new home and delivered a fantastic outcome to our company, employees and shareholders.”