• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
TechData Sheet

Zeta Interactive, a marketing startup that traces path to sales, raises $125 million

By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Heather Clancy
Heather Clancy
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 15, 2015, 7:00 AM ET

Marketing analytics startup Zeta Interactive’s latest financing round disclosed Wednesday isn’t notable just for its size—a substantial $125 million from the GSO Capital Partners and Franklin Square subsidiaries of Blackstone Group. It’s how quickly it happened.

The deal, a combination of debt refinancing and cash, was negotiated and signed in a speedy three weeks. That was after Zeta considered an impressive 26 term sheets as part of a fundraising process managed by investment banker William Blair, according to the company’s co-founder and top executive.

“We didn’t expect to close this deal as quickly as we did,” admitted Zeta Chairman and CEO David Steinberg, who spoke to Fortune from his vacation in Greece.

Actually, it’s easy to see why Zeta is generating so much interest. Founded in 2007 by Steinberg along with ex-Apple and Pepsi-Cola CEO John Sculley, the New York-based company’s technology helps businesses identify which advertising and marketing touchpoints are actually influencing sales. In short, it’s really good at determining attribution. Then, it helps businesses use that knowledge to approach other prospects.

“Google is a great engine, it has such good attribution … We bring attribution everywhere else. We know where someone clicks and then buys,” Steinberg said. “For example, say a wireless customer pauses on a Facebook ad. Later, they buy the product from Walmart. We can match that up, and know right away.”

Last year, Zeta topped $168 million in revenue from approximately 720 customers, including accounts like Coldwell Banker, Quaker Oats, T-Mobile, Travelers, and US Airways. For 2015, it’s forecasting $200 million, Steinberg said. The company has been profitable for the past three years, he added.

Competition is pretty stiff. Zeta offers prospects a $50,000 test run accompanied by a money-back guarantee if its platform can’t reduce customer acquisition costs by 25%. “We’ve never had to pay it back,” Steinberg said, although he notes that one drawback is some organizations don’t have a good enough grasp of those expenses to take his team up on the offer.

“Zeta is one of the most successful and fastest-growing companies focused on the big data and analytics space,” said Brad Colman, principal with GSO Capital Partners. “This is a sector that we’ve watched closely and we are very excited about. We are committed to helping Zeta grow their business organically and through acquisition.”

In the past two years alone, Zeta bought marketing automation company ClickSquared and the machine-learning division of Adchemy. It’s seeking other deals that can expand its analytics capabilities and email capacity, Steinberg said. Another priority is international expansion. A portion of the new round, $50 million to be exact, will go toward paying down debt.

Zeta isn’t commenting on the valuation used for the round. Sources familiar with the terms, however, said the deal elevates the company into the unicorn club of private companies valued at more than $1 billion. Zeta previously raised about $28 million.

Sign up for Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

About the Author
By Heather Clancy
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Meet the Fortune Crypto 100: A ranking of the very best companies in blockchain
CryptoCryptocurrency
Meet the Fortune Crypto 100: A ranking of the very best companies in blockchain
By Jeff John RobertsJune 11, 2026
2 hours ago
Fortune Crypto Innovators
CryptoFortune Crypto
Meet the Fortune Crypto Innovators
By FortuneJune 11, 2026
2 hours ago
South Korea fines Coupang record $409 million for data breach
AsiaCoupang
South Korea fines Coupang record $409 million for data breach
By Jaehyun Eom, Shinhye Kang and BloombergJune 11, 2026
3 hours ago
SpaceX’s record IPO has Wall Street torn between a Musk ‘holy grail’ and a $72-per-share leap of faith
Startups & VentureSpaceX
SpaceX’s record IPO has Wall Street torn between a Musk ‘holy grail’ and a $72-per-share leap of faith
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 11, 2026
3 hours ago
Bridgit Mendler speaks on stage at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado.
Startups & VentureBrainstorm Tech
The space economy’s next frontier is in ground infrastructure, Northwood Space CEO says
By Sebastian HerreraJune 10, 2026
9 hours ago
Digital sovereignty isn’t the same thing as digital isolation. Asia’s governments should be careful
Commentarydata sovereignty
Digital sovereignty isn’t the same thing as digital isolation. Asia’s governments should be careful
By Leonard LimJune 10, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
16 hours ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
3 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 10, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 10, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 10, 2026
21 hours ago
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
Innovation
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
By Amanda GerutJune 9, 2026
1 day ago
A ‘MAGA Warrior’ Texas ag chief is publicly blasting the USDA over a flesh-eating pest threatening America's beef supply
North America
A ‘MAGA Warrior’ Texas ag chief is publicly blasting the USDA over a flesh-eating pest threatening America's beef supply
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 10, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.