Strata Group Acquired By Ariston Global

A Principal Of 7 Mile Advisors Acted As The Sell-Side Advisor To Strata Group In Their Sale To Ariston Global

---

Spire Capital Partners, L.P., (“Spire”)’s portfolio company Ariston Global Partners, L.L.C. (“Ariston”), made its second acquisition in 2006 with the purchase of The Strata Group (“Strata”). Strata (www.stratagroup.com), based in St. Louis, Missouri, provided software applications for web-based self-care to both service providers and their customers. Strata’s customer self-service (“CSS”) solutions were deployed in traditional and next generation networks serving both commercial and consumer market applications. Strata served a global customer base and distributed its products through a direct sales force as well as through OEM channel partnerships.

Ariston was formed in April 2006 to acquire, develop and operate communications services companies including software, billing, customer care/resource management, provisioning, outsourced services and other tool set companies required by hardware providers and communications carriers. Target clients of such companies include telecommunications carriers, wireless/wireline service providers, cable MSOs, VOIP service providers, communications hardware manufacturers and others.
Ariston Global believed, and saw significant evidence in the marketplace, that opportunity existed for it to aggregate and provide forward-looking tools and services to both traditional and next generation providers. Demand for increased efficiencies in traditional networks along with the rapid transition to IP based networks presented all forms of service providers with the challenge of deploying solutions that balance the needs and advantages of both architectures. “Effective customer care is increasingly critical for service providers today and going forward,” relayed Kevin Dickens, Co-CEO of Ariston, at the time of the acquisition. “Service providers need to capture the economic benefits of automation while customers demand web-based applications as a key component to dynamic and flexible product offerings.”

Ariston was established in the second quarter of 2006 with the acquisition of Telesciences, Inc. Telesciences provided software solutions to communications service providers for mediation and CSS. Telesciences also had a global presence with communications customers in multiple countries in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. “Strata and Telesciences both offer superior software product applications to communications service providers around the world,” commented Steve Dubnik, Co-CEO of Ariston Global.  “The acquisition of Strata continues Ariston’s strategy of acquiring companies that enhance its suite of best of class next generation software applications to communication companies globally.”
About Spire Capital Partners, L.P.

Spire Capital Partners, L.P. is a private equity firm founded in 2000 with more than $350 million of capital under management. Spire partners with exceptional management teams to invest in middle market buyouts, recapitalizations, industry consolidations and growth equity investments in the media, communications, information services and business services industries. Spire typically invests between $15 million and $30 million in companies with enterprise values from $25 million to $250 million. Since its founding, Spire has successfully made investments in approximately 30 portfolio companies. The firm is headquartered in New York. For further information, please visit http://www.spirecapital.com

A Principal of 7 Mile Advisors acted as the sell-side advisor to Strata.