LeadJen acquired by Illinois-based company

LeadJen LLC, an Indianapolis-based lead-generation company co-founded by two Aprimo Inc. alumni, was acquired by Evanston, Illinois-based Acquirent LLC, the companies announced Friday.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Acquirent, an outsourced-sales and marketing company, said it scooped up LeadJen because the Indianapolis company has experience selling appointment-setting and lead-generation solutions to smaller enterprises. LeadJen will retain its name and its Indianapolis presence, Acquirent said.

Acquirent had 115 employees before the deal and LeadJen had 25. In reference to local headcount plans, an Acquirent spokesman said in an email: “We are in it to grow the business and headcount substantially in Indianapolis.”

"Acquirent is thrilled to acquire LeadJen, as we continue to expand our product and service offering," Acquirent CEO Joe Flanagan, said in written remarks. "This acquisition is part of our five-year plan to invest in opportunities that will deepen or complete our capabilities in specific areas, including sales recruiting, marketing and data building services. Through LeadJen, Acquirent will also be able to offer our outsourced sales capabilities to smaller organizations who may not require the support of our entire solution, therefore expanding and diversifying our client base."

LeadJen was founded in 2004 by Bill Johnson, its CEO, and Jenny Vance, its president. Both served in senior sales roles at marketing software company Aprimo in the early 2000s.

By helping companies build sales and marketing databases, LeadJen grew into a multimillion-dollar operation and was ranked on the Inc. 5000 list. In 2012, it generated $2.7 million in revenue, according to Inc., up 124 percent from 2009.

Vance left the company in August 2015 after rift with Johnson that resulted in lawsuits.

Acquirent said Bill Johnson has stepped down from day-to-day operations and that Acquirent executive vice president Geoff Winthrop will take the leadership helm as president of LeadJen.

Jen Burdess, vice president of finance and operations, will remain in her current role, as well as the rest of LeadJen's senior management team.

"First, we'd like to assure all our customers that there will be no disruption to service or support," Burdess said in written remarks. "Beyond that, we anticipate that becoming an Acquirent company will present our team with excellent growth opportunities and an ability to expand our product offering to our clients."