The Knot Worldwide Reaches Agreement to Acquire Rival Wedding Platform Zola
The Knot Worldwide has agreed to acquire rival wedding platform Zola to expand its brand portfolio while keeping the service operating independently.
POLICY WIRE — New York, United States — The Knot Worldwide has agreed to acquire its smaller industry peer Zola, bringing a well-known wedding registry and planning platform into its expansive portfolio, according to sources familiar with the arrangement.
Backed by the private equity investment firm Permira, The Knot assists engaged couples in discovering local wedding vendors and building customized wedding websites.
Zola provides comparable digital offerings, including registry creation, invitation design, and guest-list tracking, and will function as an independent brand beneath The Knot Worldwide umbrella.
Representatives for both companies and Permira declined to provide public comments regarding the transaction, and exact financial terms were not immediately disclosed.
The Knot originally launched during the 1990s, and Permira has maintained an investment stake in the enterprise since 2018.
To navigate rapid technological changes last year, the company brought in former Etsy executive Raina Moskowitz as chief executive officer to reorganize operations and introduce modern artificial intelligence capabilities.
Among those tech rollouts this year, the business introduced an application within ChatGPT that leadership described as a pioneering tool for the wedding sector.
Zola was founded in 2013 and previously secured $100 million in a 2018 Series D funding round at an estimated valuation of roughly $600 million.
Comcast Ventures spearheaded that financing round, with participation from new backers including NBCUniversal and Goldman Sachs Investment Partners.
Following the funding, Zola co-founders Shan-Lyn Ma and Nobu Nakaguchi retained substantial ownership stakes in the platform.
Upon finalization, Zola is set to become the 14th distinct brand housed within The Knot Worldwide corporate portfolio.
Sources noted that the transaction remains dependent on standard closing conditions, which include securing any necessary regulatory approvals.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
