Success Stories
December 5, 2017
chase_admin
Kleer, LLC
Acquired by Charles Bank Capital Partners 2024
In 2017, as an outgrowth of his experience with LAMS Dental Management, Chase saw the opportunity to create an alternative to dental insurance and expand access to dental care for all uninsured and underinsured Americans. Kleer offered a dental care platform whereby dentists could easily design and implement their own dental care plan, offering it directly to their patients and avoiding the time-consuming and costly (to dentists and patients) insurance market. Kleer partnered with dentists to increase the value of their practices by making dental care accessible and affordable to everyone, growing Kleer to one of the nation’s two largest providers of technology-driven dental membership plans. In 2024, Charles Bank Capital Partners, a private equity firm, acquired and merged Kleer and Membersy, which offers complimentary services, to create a nation-wide footprint serving 20,000 dentists and millions of patients.
LAMS Dental Management, LLC
Exited in 2022
In 2014, LAMS Dental Management was created to support the growth and development of dental practices and address the perceived need for transparent pricing to consumers to enhance their decision-making. As part of that growth and development, LAMS Dental Management provided the non-clinical business support to licensed, independent dentists under the Smile Exchange brand. The commitment to transparency and client service provided by Smile Exchange, with the support from LAMS Dental Management, helped grow the Smile Exchange brand to six locations in the Philadelphia area. In 2022, the Smile Exchange locations were sold to various, professional buyers and continue to provide exceptional service to their customers.
Prime Wellness of Pennsylvania
Acquired by Acreage Holdings in 2018
In 2015, Chase became aware of the potential for medicinal marijuana to help people in need, including children with seizures, veterans with PTSD, patients suffering with cancer and those struggling with opioids. He was a founding principal and investor in Prime Wellness of Pennsylvania, which successfully competed for a license to grow and process medicinal cannabis in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He saw this investment through to the opening of a state of the art facility in Sinking Spring, PA and public launch. Chase’s interest in Prime Wellness was acquired by Acreage Holdings in 2018.
Lenfest Media Group
Exited in 2018
In 2010, leveraging WMCN-TV as an in-house testing platform, Lenfest Media Group (LMG) was launched to develop a long-form Direct Response Television operation initially focused on commercial advertising for legal, financial and insurance products. LMG subsequently expanded into short-form direct response TV commercial advertising, launching numerous successful direct-to-consumer retail brands such as Hover Cover™, Multi-Cut®, Hurriclean™, Clever Cutter®, Press2Paste™, WaxVac®, Roto Clipper®, Get Up And Go Cane™, Furniture Feet™, Kitty Shack™, Wobble Wag Giggle™, Juggle Bubbles®, Luma Smile™, Catch Caddy™, My Fun Fish™, My Spy Birdhouse®, Ruggies®, Cat’s Meow®, Zoomies®, Wraptastic®, GoJo® Handsfree, and more. LMG partnered with Allstar Marketing Group and other distributors to sell over 25 million units, generating in excess of $300M in revenue. In 2018, LMG successfully exited the consumer products business and continues to receive royalties from the license of its popular brands.
WMCN-TV
Auctioned to the FCC in 2017
In 2000, Chase’s media and advertising company, Lenfest Broadcasting, purchased what would become WMCN-TV for $11M and quickly expanded its programming and distribution. In 2002, it became the first television station in history to relinquish its analog television license to the Federal Communications Commission in exchange for much broader distribution to viewers on digital television. That move to digital would lead WMCN-TV to becoming a successful seller in the FCCs spectrum auction for $67M.
Broadway Systems
Acquired by Sintec Media in 2016
Broadway Systems provided software for national cable networks to manage their advertising business. The company had top 20 networks, including BBC, the Food Network, HGTV, CBS Sports and Fox News, relying on its software to manage over $4 billion in television advertising.
“We were the first in the market to see the value of an end-to-end software platform to manage a cable network’s advertising business, which fueled the tremendous growth of the business and ultimately is acquisition by Sintec Media” – Chase Lenfest
Media DVX
Acquired by DG Systems 2005
In the early 2000s, a Lenfest company acquired MediaDVX, a pioneer in the near real-time satellite delivery of advertising content to over 600 Broadcast stations throughout the US. The emerging technology of digital content delivery via satellite helped shift the Broadcast and advertising industries away from the reliance on the more expensive and delayed videotape distribution that had been in place for decades. In 2005, Lenfest sold Media DVX to DG Systems. This transaction was the catalyst that began a consolidation of the electronic ad delivery business, culminating in the acquisition of DG Systems, in 2014 by Extreme Reach for $485M.
StarNet
Acquired by OpenTV in 2005
StarNet provided a broad range of media-management technologies and services to the cable and broadcasting industries. In 2012 the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored StarNet with a technical Emmy for contributions to the local cable advertising industry.
“It was a real surprise when we were told of StarNet’s selection for an Emmy. We were so pleased since it recognized the efforts of several great engineers who worked for us over the years. ” – Chase Lenfest
.
CAM Systems
Acquired by OpenTV in 2005
CAM Systems was a Silicon Valley company, whose software was used to manage nearly 50% of the $5 billion local cable advertising market, including 5 of the top 10 U.S. television markets. Open TV acquired CAM in September 2005.
“The sale of CAM Systems to OpenTV was a real success. It was a positive outcome for owners but equally important it was great for employees and customers who had been with us and believed in us for years.” – Chase Lenfest