Artefact Acquires 8 Matic

Leaf has advised the majority shareholders of 8 Matic on the transfer of shares to Artefact, a leading data and AI-based digital marketing agency listed on the Euronext Growth Paris Stock Exchange.

8 Matic is a leading independent Chinese performance-driven digital marketing agency, whose main operations are in Mainland China and Hong Kong. This alliance with Artefact seeks to reinforce its presence in Asia, and particularly in China.

Leaf assisted the sellers with negotiations and drafting of contractual documentation for the transaction.

Founded in 2010 by Pascal Duriez and Joe Chan Kue, 8 Matic, operating under the brand Netbooster, has a presence in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul serving clients based in Europe, the America and Asia. It also has strong partnerships established with the BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) in terms of inventory, data, tracking and media activation.

Jean-Philippe Engel and Bruno Grangier (Partners), led the Leaf team. They were assisted by Charlotte Mantoux.

“Data and AI are changing the retail landscape. This deal shows the importance and maturity of China’s retail industry, where a lot of opportunities are still up for grabs by those who combine good knowledge of Chinese consumers’ expectations and technological excellence”, said Jean-Philippe Engel, lead negotiator for Leaf.

“The combination of our expertise and the extension of our influence on markets undergoing acceleration opens up considerable potential for development and growth. We are now in working order to go faster and further across all APAC markets”, commented Pascal Duriez, CEO of Artefact APAC, former CEO of 8 Matic.