Alta Communications
Encyclopedia
Alta Communications is a Boston
-based private equity
firm specializing in equity investments in media
and telecommunications companies.
Their equity funds are invested in about 100 companies with total market capitalization
approximately $1.5 billion.
Alta Communications is no longer related to Alta Partners
, based in San Francisco.
(BEDCO), an early venture capital
firm that had been founded in 1979.
The firm was founded by Craig Burr
and William P. Egan
who also co-founded Alta’s predecessor firm, Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co.
, in 1979. Alta traces its origins to TA Associates
, where Burr and Egan were formerly partners.
Since its founding in 1996, Alta Communications has raised four venture capital funds focusing on late stage opportunities with nearly $1.5 billion of investor commitments.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
-based private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm specializing in equity investments in media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
and telecommunications companies.
Their equity funds are invested in about 100 companies with total market capitalization
Market capitalization
Market capitalization is a measurement of the value of the ownership interest that shareholders hold in a business enterprise. It is equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding of a publicly traded company...
approximately $1.5 billion.
Alta Communications is no longer related to Alta Partners
Alta Partners
Alta Partners is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, CA. The company was founded in 1996 by Dr. Jean Deleage, Ph.D., who was also a founder of the venture capital firms Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. and Sofinnova, together with Garrett Gruener, a former general partner at BEDCO.The company...
, based in San Francisco.
History
Alta Communications was formed in late 1996 as part of the dissolution of Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co.Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co.
Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. was a venture capital firm which focused on investments in information technology, communications, and healthcare/biotechnology companies....
(BEDCO), an early venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm that had been founded in 1979.
The firm was founded by Craig Burr
Craig Burr
Craig L. Burr is an early venture capital investor, notable for his role in the founding of two venture capital firms, Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. in 1979 and Alta Communications in 1996.-Career:...
and William P. Egan
William P. Egan
William P. Egan is the founder and General Partner at Alta Communications, a venture capital firm, and Marion Equity Partners, a private equity firm, both based in Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Egan also founded Alta's predecessor firm, Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co...
who also co-founded Alta’s predecessor firm, Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co.
Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co.
Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. was a venture capital firm which focused on investments in information technology, communications, and healthcare/biotechnology companies....
, in 1979. Alta traces its origins to TA Associates
TA Associates
TA Associates, founded in 1968, is one of the oldest private equity firms in the United States. The firm employs a hybrid strategy making growth capital investments in developing companies and acquiring mature companies through leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions...
, where Burr and Egan were formerly partners.
Investment strategy and funds
Alta Communications invests primarily in later-stage opportunities in the traditional media and telecommunications sectors and has a portfolio of investments in the following sectors:- BroadcastingBroadcastingBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
(Radio and Television) - Direct marketingDirect marketingDirect marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
services - B2B Media / PublishingBusiness-to-businessBusiness-to-business describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer...
- Content / Screen mediaDigital signageDigital signage is a form of electronic display that shows television programming, menus, information, advertising and other messages. Digital signs can be found in public and private environments, such as retail stores, hotels, restaurants and corporate buildings.Digital signage Displays are most...
- Digital mediaDigital mediaDigital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
- Telecom servicesTelecommunicationTelecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
- Out-of-home advertisingOut-of-home advertisingOut-of-home advertising is made up of more than 100 different formats, totaling $6.99 billion in annual revenues in 2008 in the USA. Outdoor advertising is essentially any type of advertising that reaches the consumer while he or she is outside the home...
- Cable televisionCable televisionCable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
Since its founding in 1996, Alta Communications has raised four venture capital funds focusing on late stage opportunities with nearly $1.5 billion of investor commitments.
- 1996 - $158m - Alta Communications VI
- 1998 - $272m - Alta Communications VII
- 2000 - $486m - Alta Communications VIII
- 2003 - $500m - Alta Communications IX