Summit Park Leads Majority Recapitalization of Artifact Uprising

July 07, 2022 at 08:00 AM EDT

Summit Park is pleased to announce that it has led a recapitalization of Artifact Uprising (“A|U” or the “Company”), the leading provider of premium personalized photo books, prints and gifts. The Company has a core focus on quality and design with a mission to empower its customers to tell their stories effortlessly, beautifully, and often.

Founded in 2012 by professional photographers, A|U’s flagship product is its lay flat photo book, personally designed by each customer to commemorate significant life events and ensure that the story lasts for generations. Additional product offerings include cards, frames, photo prints, calendars, and other décor. The Company takes pride in being an authentic brand with a focus on superior quality and personalized luxury.

Brad Kopitz, CEO of A|U, said, “Since 2012, Artifact Uprising has been bringing unparalleled quality to commemorate life’s most important moments. We believe working with Summit Park is the next step in that continuous pursuit. The entire A|U team is excited to join forces with Summit Park, a firm that has significant experience building and investing in rapidly growing direct-to-consumer businesses. We look forward to this next phase for our Company, which will focus on investment in our customer journey across both mobile and desktop, new product development, and a continued commitment to premium products that capture our customer’s most significant life events and bring them into the physical world.”

Andrew Gilbert, Partner at Summit Park, added, “We have followed the Artifact Uprising story for years and are excited to partner with Brad and his talented team at this exciting stage of growth. The A|U brand has best-in-class products and impressive consumer loyalty and preference. We will focus on driving growth by continuing to expand brand awareness and re-invest in the end-to-end consumer experience. We have a shared vision of the future with management and are thrilled to join the team.”

Digital Fuel Capital, who partnered with management to acquire Artifact Uprising in 2017, will continue to be a significant investor in the company. Carson Biederman, President of Digital Fuel Capital, said “We have had a fantastic partnership with Brad and the management team at Artifact Uprising and are excited about the resources that Summit Park will bring to the company in support of the mission of building the pre-eminent premium lifestyle brand in the photo products category.”

The transaction is the ninth investment in Summit Park’s current fund, Summit Park III. Main Street Capital Corporation provided the debt financing for the transaction and K&L Gates LLP acted as legal counsel to Summit Park. Financo | Raymond James acted as financial advisor and Davis, Malm & D'Agostine, P.C. acted as legal counsel to the Company.

About Artifact Uprising

Artifact Uprising empowers customers to create permanence of their most meaningful life events through custom photo books, cards, calendars, printed photo gifts, and more. Founded by professional photographers in 2012 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the Company offers a curated catalog of products with a focus on premium quality and elevated design. Products throughout Artifact Uprising’s product line are made in the USA from recycled papers and reclaimed materials. For more information, visit www.artifactuprising.com.

About Summit Park

Summit Park is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based private investment firm focused exclusively on the lower middle market. The firm invests across a range of industries, including services, consumer, and industrial growth. The firm’s capital can be used to facilitate a change in ownership, to support expansion and growth, to provide partial liquidity to existing owners, or to support an industry consolidation plan. Currently, the firm is investing Summit Park III, a $245 million fund that closed in 2018. For more information, visit www.summitparkllc.com.