Deal Timeline

Plotted by close date where disclosed, otherwise announcement. Select any marker to jump to the deal entry.

The Acquisition Playbook.

Three patterns run through 1stDibs.com's acquisitions — what it looks for, how it pays, and how it folds in what it buys.

01
Acquisition criteria
Acquire tools for the trade it serves.
1stDibs' one acquisition added interior-design project-management software (Design Manager) aimed at the designers who are its core buyers.
Design Manager (Franklin Potter Associates, Inc.)
02
Capital deployment
A small, mostly-cash deal.
The Design Manager purchase was modest — about $4.2M in cash and stock — consistent with a marketplace that grows organically.
Design Manager (Franklin Potter Associates, Inc.)
03
Integration approach
Bolt on, then reassess.
Design Manager was integrated to serve trade customers and later divested, reflecting a light-touch approach to M&A.
Design Manager (Franklin Potter Associates, Inc.)

The Full Deal Book

1 acquisitions — each with the deal value, financing structure, target revenue, and executive commentary where disclosed.

01 Design Manager (Franklin Potter Associates, Inc.) · United States $4.2M
Announced May 2019 Closed May 2019 Combination

Design Manager, operated by Franklin Potter Associates, Inc., is a subscription software platform that gives interior designers project-management, purchasing, and accounting tools. On May 2, 2019 1stDibs acquired 100% of the equity of Franklin Potter Associates and ran Design Manager as a software-services subsidiary alongside its online marketplace, reporting it as one of the company's two reporting units. 1stDibs subsequently divested Design Manager to private-equity firm Performant Capital in June 2022 to concentrate on its core marketplace, auctions, and international expansion.

On May 2, 2019, the Company acquired 100% of the outstanding equity of Franklin Potter Associates, Inc. and its subsidiary, doing business as Design Manager, a privately-held company that sells subscriptions to a software solution to interior designers to assist with project management, purchasing, and accounting, for a total purchase consideration of $4.2 million, subject to customary purchase price adjustments.1stDibs.com — Inc. FY2021 Form 10-K, Business Combinations note

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