News

Apis Capital Management has proposed to acquire Veritone Inc for $10.26 per share in cash. Shift4 Capital is serving as financial adviser to Apis while Duane Morris LLP is acting as legal counsel. Costa Mesa, California-based Veritone Inc is a software company.

PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Apis Capital Management announced today that its private equity fund, Apis Ventures, has submitted an all-cash offer to the Board of Directors of Veritone, Inc. (NASDAQ: VERI) to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Veritone for $10.26 per share. As a result of careful consideration of the opportunity, Apis has increased its initial offer and has communicated this offer in the Letter to the Board attached below. This offer represents a 93% premium over the closing price of Veritone Common Stock on December 4, 2018, the date of Apis’s initial private written proposal to Veritone, and an 82% premium over the closing price on December 7, 2018, the last trading day prior to this announcement, with a total equity value of approximately $198 million.

“We have determined it is necessary to take our offer directly to Veritone stockholders in order to deliver significant value to them as expeditiously as possible,” said Managing Partner of Apis Capital Management, Dr. Edgar Radjabli. “This compelling transaction would deliver immediate liquidity to Veritone stockholders, at a premium to Veritone’s prospects as a stand alone company. Veritone shareholders have seen the management of the company unable to deliver value since its IPO, nor has management been able to provide a compelling vision for a turnaround in the company’s business, and we believe our proposal represents the best possible outcome.” Dr. Radjabli concluded, “We are committed to completing this transaction and remain willing to work cooperatively with Veritone. Our vision for the company involves significant synergy with our growing portfolio of AI and machine learnings investments, opening up new opportunities for Veritone’s technology.”

Apis Capital Management believes that there are no regulatory impediments to the proposed transaction and that it will receive all necessary approvals and be completed by March 2019.

Apis Capital Management has engaged in an initial productive discussion with Veritone to explore the merits and potential terms of a transaction, yet Veritone has stalled in moving forward with substantive discussions. Apis looks forward to continuing to work with Veritone to complete this transaction in an expeditious manner, for the benefit of the shareholders. The proposal is subject to confirmatory due diligence and negotiation of definitive documentation.

Shift4 Capital, a New York and Florida based investment bank, is acting as financial advisor to Apis, and Duane Morris LLP is acting as legal counsel.