Words, data and capital: these are keys to Datawords’ success.

6 musketeers found the company, which specialises in international digital production for luxury brands.

More than a market, Datawords invented a new professional field in 2000: e-multiculturalism. The challenge of e-multiculturalism is to exploit the best digital technologies to differentiate each brand culture more effectively by adapting it to the cultural specificities of each country.

Translating, interpreting and understanding the digital ecosystem of brands, synchronising digital campaigns in more than 50 countries, moderating social networks in more than 15 countries: this is Datawords’ ambition.

But 6 is not a good number for musketeers. Two decide to sell their shares. Cathay becomes a shareholder through a minority LBO in 2009.

Who better than Cathay and its Sino-American-French culture to recognize the full strategic value of Datawords’ e-multiculturalism, and of its diverse team of 45 nationalities?

Who better than Cathay and its teams in New York and Shanghai to open up the American and Hong Kong markets?

Who better than Cathay to extend the scope of Datawords’ brand and expertise to industries other than luxury goods and watches?

In 4 years the company’s EBITDA increased by 80%. In 2015, we enter Datawords’ capital a second time: 33% for 30 million.

In line with the first operation in 2009, which acculturated the founders to the Cathay ecosystem, the company focused on development: external growth with the acquisition of Vanksen, a digital communication and web marketing agency based in Luxembourg, 87 Seconds, a video production company, Content Square to better analyse the behaviour and expectations of brands around the world through behavioural analytics, and Wezen, a tech start-up bringing together writers, translators and content producers to improve the semantic field of clients. Finally, to guarantee the high quality of digital services for all new clients, the opening of two new production units in Manila and Cebu in the Philippines.

Cathay is at the heart of the world’s top 3 economies: by opening up our American, Chinese and European ecosystem to the founders, we have broadened their customer base to include brands such as Procter & Gamble, Mac Cosmetics, Coach, and opened their business to industries other than luxury and watchmaking with Total, Seb, Pernod Ricard, …

Cathay’s and entrepreneurs’ minds meet in believing in the power of their ideas: the founders of Datawords invented e-multiculturalism, and we are now helping them find the levers and relays to transform their invention into a global reference brand.

Cathay is at the crossroads of global trends transforming markets: the ideas that change the world are not made in China, made in France or made in the USA, they are made in Brains.

We are here to connect them to each other and to the markets, through the capital we invest and through our cross-border culture and ecosystem spanning 4 continents.

Cathay Capital