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WILink to be Acquired by SV Investment Partners

Transaction to Provide WILink with Financing to Capitalize on Opportunities for Leadership in the Investor Relations and Webcasting Markets

RICHMOND, VA – April 26, 2006WILink plc (LSE:WLK.L), a worldwide provider of online investor relations services and web-based communication solutions, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by private equity firm SV Investment Partners (SV) for 300 pence per share, or a total enterprise value of £26.6 million.

 

In early 2005, WILink initiated a process to determine how to finance the Company’s future development. The agreement with SV reflects the culmination of that process.

 

“We chose SV based on their strong track record of assisting companies in taking advantage of growth opportunities and creating the proper capital structure to enable them to execute their strategic vision,” said J. Patrick Galleher, chief executive officer of WILink, plc. “The WILink team is excited and eager to move forward in delivering the quality services and client experience that has fueled WILink’s success for over 15 years while accelerating our expansion into the growing investor relations and webcasting markets.”

 

Nicholas E. Somers, a partner at SV, said, “We are delighted to be partnering with WILink’s highly experienced management team to capitalize on the value and potential of the services that WILink provides to over 3,500 clients in 13 countries.  Due to regulatory changes and technological advancements, we believe there is great opportunity in the investor relations and webcasting industries, and WILink, as a well-capitalized, private company, will be in a strong position to take advantage of its competitive strengths and quickly attain the leadership position in the markets it serves.”

 

WILink competes in the investor relations market with the PrecisionIR™ brand, a comprehensive suite of communication services aimed at helping companies attract and inform prospective investors and current shareholders. The suite includes such well known services as the Annual Reports Service and Informed Investors Forums.

 

In the webcasting industry, WILink has grown their Vcall® brand aggressively with three acquisitions since 2001. Vcall specializes in producing web events for large global audiences, and is designed for use in investor relations, marketing and sales, training, human resources, and member communications. It is used by hundreds of companies, associations, non-profits, and government agencies for effective communication.

 

About WILink

WILink plc (www.wilink.com) provides web-based communication solutions and online investor relations services. Since 1989, WILink has helped clients such as Merck, Deutsche Telecom and BP improve the effectiveness of their investor communications. WILink’s services include Vcall (www.vcall.com) innovative webcasting and webconferencing technology and professional service that enable organizations to create influential web events and PrecisionIR™ (www.precisionir.com) an investor relations program that enables publicly traded companies to deliver compelling communications to attract and inform a targeted audience of investors.

 

About SV Investment Partners

SV Investment Partners (www.svip.com), formerly known as Schroder Ventures US, is a New York-based private equity investment firm. The firm specializes in providing financing for buyouts and buildups of business services companies in the U.S. middle market in partnership with management.