Black Pearl Group has signed a conditional agreement to acquire all shares in B2B Rocket, a United States-based company focused on artificial intelligence for sales automation.
B2B Rocket develops AI-driven outbound sales agents that generate, qualify and engage leads for small and medium-sized enterprises without requiring human involvement. According to information provided by Black Pearl Group, the platform has achieved more than USD $2.1 million in annual recurring revenue and is expanding its presence across the US.
Details of the acquisition
The acquisition deal includes an upfront cash payment and an equity component in Black Pearl Group. In addition, the arrangement contains a performance-based earn-out structure over five years, which combines cash and equity elements and is contingent on B2B Rocket reaching specified revenue milestones. The aim is to reward sustained growth and customer acquisition momentum, with a maximum payout designed to coincide with substantial annual recurring revenue expansion.
Black Pearl Group Chief Executive Officer Nick Lissette connected the two companies' cultures and ambitions.
"Relentless ambition is the common thread. B2B Rocket is cut from the same cloth as us - founder-led, customer-obsessed and unapologetically focused on delivering results. Their AI-powered outbound engine is the perfect complement to what we offer with Pearl Diver," says Blackpearl CEO Nick Lissette.
Black Pearl's Pearl Diver product and B2B Rocket have already been integrated in certain customer environments, providing increased automation and cross-sell potential for sales teams. Lissette explained that bringing the two companies together is expected to provide material benefits for customers looking to increase their sales pipeline with fewer manual processes.
"This is far more than just a bolt-on," says Nick. "It's an investment in category leadership where humans and AI work together to power customer acquisition at scale. This acquisition and our ASX ambitions reinforce our trajectory. Our platform, our people and our playbook are all geared toward sustained, scalable growth," adds Nick.
Broader growth plans
In parallel with the transaction, Black Pearl Group confirmed it is preparing to file an application to list its shares on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), signalling the company's intention to expand its capital market presence beyond New Zealand, where it is already listed.
Nick commented on Black Pearl Group's outlook following the deal, stating, "With B2B Rocket on board and ASX listing in motion, we aren't just expanding; we're accelerating. Relentless ambition isn't just a tagline...it's the model," concludes Nick.
B2B Rocket was described as a partner well aligned to Black Pearl Group's own focus areas, namely, technology for improving sales and marketing efficiency among small to mid-sized businesses. The combined operation will seek to serve an expanded client base through increased use of AI sales automation technologies and integration between the companies' respective platforms.
The five-year revenue-based earn-out forms a significant component of the deal structure, providing incentives for B2B Rocket to achieve continued growth after the initial acquisition is completed.
The integration of B2B Rocket's AI outbound sales technology into Black Pearl Group's platform is intended to unlock new opportunities for a range of business customers operating in the sales and marketing sectors.
