Ms. Amy Olah reports

CIBC INNOVATION BANKING PROVIDES SAMPLER WITH $1 MILLION OF GROWTH CAPITAL FINANCING

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce's Innovation Banking has provided a $1-million growth capital financing for Sampler. The debt capital follows a recent Series A equity raise and is structured to support Sampler's growth plans across North America and Europe.

With headquarters in Toronto and offices in New York and Chicago, Sampler is a leading direct-to-consumer product sampling platform which manages product sampling programs for consumer packaged goods companies. It is used by over 300 brands in more than 24 countries and its most notable clients include CPG industry giants Unilever, Henkel and Kimberly Clark.

"Sampler's end-to-end digital platform gets product samples into the hands of the target audience both quickly and effectively," said Amy Olah, executive director at CIBC Innovation Banking. "Leading CPG's no doubt appreciate a direct ROI on their campaigns versus a random freebie that traditionally is difficult to value."

"I think it's important for start-ups to realize that there are other financing options than equity financing," said Marie Chevrier, chief executive officer at Sampler. "With CIBC, Sampler has been able to leverage our revenue in a way that will allow us to accelerate our growth and expand into new markets."