MediaWhiz is a rapidly growing provider of performance-based online marketing services that offers an integrated suite of programs, including affiliate marketing, lead generation, e-mail marketing, and search marketing. Unlike traditional advertising agencies that profit from their clients' overall "spend," the MediaWhiz model is based on generating measurable results for advertisers, using proprietary best-of-breed technologies.

Lake Capital invested in MediaWhiz in August 2005, and has worked aggressively with management to complete strategic acquisitions and position the company for organic growth to establish a leading position in the highly-fragmented online advertising business. The company has used the financial resources and M&A services Lake has provided to make three acquisitions since receiving its initial investment.

April 2006, MediaWhiz merged with Global Resource Systems (GRS), known for its deep expertise in list management and email marketing, which enhanced the company's capabilities in affiliate and search engine marketing. The merger more than doubled the size of the business and created an industry leader with one of the broadest distribution channels available to reach online consumers.

GRS' brands include WhiteDelivery, an email service provider that features proprietary software solutions and services, enabling its clients to have the highest rates of email deliverability in the industry, and Filinet, an affiliate network that is designed to connect advertisers and publishers with real-time campaign tracking, ad serving technology, and a suite of tools and services that enable high volume performance marketing.

In November 2006, MediaWhiz acquired Cincinnati-based Text Link Ads (TLA), adding text link advertisements to MediaWhiz's online marketing services platform. TLA is the leader in the text link advertisement and related services space, providing an automated, comprehensive marketplace for advertisers and publishers.

In December 2006, MediaWhiz acquired Atlanta-based Online Media Promotions, LLC, which is known in the industry as Monetizeit. The acquisition gave the company deep expertise in a number of lead generation vertical markets, including insurance and financial services. Monetizeit is recognized as a "one-stop shop" for internet advertising, handling all aspects of the process, including idea generation, product and offer testing, creative design, marketing, and implementation of an effective long-term customer acquisition strategy for its clients.

Explosive growth in a short time-frame, as well as the acquisitions, has required a substantial investment in infrastructure and resources to support the company's ability to continue to deliver impressive returns on its clients' investments. Lake Capital worked with the MediaWhiz execs to hire an experienced CFO, implement more robust financial systems, integrate back-office systems among the four companies, where appropriate, and worked with management to identify a director of marketing from within the organization and promote her.