QuinStreet

QuinStreet, Inc.
Public
Traded as NASDAQ: QNST
Industry Performance marketing, media online
Founded 1999
Headquarters Foster City, California, USA
Key people
 Doug Valenti, Founder & CEO
Revenue $336.8 million
Website www.quinstreet.com

QuinStreet, Inc. is a publicly traded digital and performance marketing company based in Foster City, California. QuinStreet employs a performance-based advertising model with search engine marketing strategies to promote clients on Web sites in a number of markets, including: education, home services, financial services, business-to-business, medical/health, brand advertising, and career services.

History

QuinStreet, Inc. was formed in 1999 by Doug Valenti (chairman and CEO). Bronwyn Syiek, another founding team member, is president and COO. The company was first profitable in 2002 with revenues of $13 million; by April 2009, QuinStreet reported $300 million in annual revenues and more than 450 employees.[1][2]

In February 2006, Nielsen NetRatings named QuinStreet the eighth top advertiser, spending $9.4 million on 1.9 billion ads viewed.[3]

In the beginning of August 2009, QuinStreet Inc. used some of its cash reserves to acquire the Internet.com division of Nasdaq-listed WebMediaBrands Inc. for $18 million.[4][5]

In September 2009, QuinStreet purchased Insure.com for $16 million.[6] The company's other financial-services properties include MoneyRates.com, Get Rich Slowly, ConsumerismCommentary.com and HSH.com.[7] QuinStreet's board of directors included a representative of Sutter Hill Ventures, and former-US Senator Bill Bradley of Allen & Company. An initial public offering on February 11, 2010, raised $150 million, with the shares listed on Nasdaq under the symbol QNST.[8]

In February 2012, the company acquired the media assets of Ziff Davis "Enterprise", which included the internet properties "eWeek.com, CIOInsight.com, Baseline.com, ChannelInsider.com and WebBuyersGuide.com, among others".[9]

QuinStreet is now serving Indian students and colleges through IndiaEducation.net (India’s largest online education portal), IndiaEduNews.net, and ExamResults.net (India's largest exam results portal)[10] which it acquired in 2011, by incorporating QuinStreet India Marketing And Media Private Limited (QSIMM.)[11][12]

For its second quarter of fiscal 2013, the Company reported total revenue of $71.8 million. Adjusted EBITDA was $11.2 million, or 16% of revenue.[13]

2012 investigation and settlement

In June 2012, the company was under investigation by the Attorneys General's offices of 15 separate US states, led by the Attorney General of Kentucky, Jack Conway.[14] The company was accused of targeting military veterans with deceptive recruiting practices for its for-profit school clients.[15] QuinStreet denied wrongdoing and no determination of guilt was made.[15] The company cooperated with the attorneys general and entered into a voluntary agreement to update its websites to ensure clarity around schools advertising. In addition, the company agreed to pay $2.5 million to the states involved as part of a consumer protection settlement with what had expanded to 20 state Attorneys General, and turn over the website GIBill.com to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to settle the civil investigation.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Geron, Tomio (2009-08-18). "QuinStreet Publicly Boasts About Its Earnings". WSJ Blogs (Wall Street Journal). Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  2. ↑ "QuinStreet, Inc.". Company profile from Hoover's. Hoover's. 2011. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  3. ↑ "QuinStreet Marketing Strategy Presentation Burns Bright at DMA06 Conference". QuinStreet. 2006-11-06. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  4. ↑ Ali, Rafat (2009-08-09). "Meckler Selling Internet.com Business to QuinStreet For $18M; Exiting Tech Trade". paidContent. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  5. ↑ "WebMediaBrands Sells Internet.com to QuinStreet". InternetNews.com (internet.com). 2009-08-10. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  6. ↑ "QuinStreet buys Insure.com". San Francisco Business Times. 2009-10-12.
  7. ↑ "QuinStreet Announces Acquisition of ConsumerismCommentary.com". QuinStreet. 2011-11-28.
  8. ↑ "QuinStreet, Inc (QNST)". IPO record. NASDAQ. February 11, 2010. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
  9. ↑ "QuinStreet Acquires Ziff Davis Enterprise Media Assets". QuinStreet. 2012-02-06.
  10. ↑ "IndiaEducation.com Launches Free e-Book Series for College Students and New Graduates". The Telegraph. 19 June 2012.
  11. ↑ "About Quinstreet India Marketing And Media Private Limited". Zauba. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
  12. ↑ "QuinStreet is now bringing colleges and students together online in India". QuinStreet.
  13. ↑ "QuinStreet Reports Financial Results for Its Second Quarter of Fiscal 2013". GlobeNewswire. 2013-01-29.
  14. ↑ "Fifteen State Attorneys General To Investigate Company Marketing For-Profit Colleges To Veterans". ThinkProgress. 2012-06-06.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "QuinStreet settles complaints it misled veterans". San Francisco Chronicle. 2012-06-28.
  16. ↑ "Attorney General Conway Announces Win for Veterans against Predatory Practices". Attorney General of Kentucky. 2012-06-27.

External links