UTV Media plc this week announces the acquisition of Simply Zesty, the market leading social media agency in the Republic of Ireland for an initial consideration of £1.7million up to a deferred final consideration of approximately £5million, depending upon future trading performance.

Simply Zesty was set up in 2009 by Lauren Fisher, who has recently joined The NextWomen as a regular contributor.

Employing 22 staff at its Dublin offices, the company specialises in providing social media marketing services to assist businesses in creating innovative social media campaigns. With a blue chip client base of more than 100 companies, including Sony, Volkswagen Group and ebookers,com, Simply Zesty is also steadily building its international presence, which now represents more than 15% of revenues and is growing strongly.

This is a guest article by Milo Yiannopoulos, a columnist on tech news, who once wrote a review about one of The Next Women's Kitchen Dinners which we are still proud of. Here is his short column:

Myfavourite technology PR firm, Ballou PR, which focuses on high-growth technology and health IT clients, has sold its US operations to MWW Group. Founder Colette Ballou told me that the firm’s focus will now be on Europe, and that expansion into other countries, either organic or by acquisition, is on the cards for 2012. I guess she’ll be using the cash from this sale. Ballou will continue to offer services in the US through its new partner MWW Group.

Sometimes our European holidays get in the way of knowing what is going on; while I was sun bathing, without a Blackberry, no online connection but with long luncheons, lots of wine and a great swimming pool, other people were selling their company. Such as the founders of Netmums. They sold their 11-year old company.

The No. 1 publisher of women's websites worldwide, aufeminin.com, has acquired 100 percent of Netmums.com, the leading British parental website of founders Siobhan Freegard, Cathy Court and Sarah Russell. While aufeminin.com is already present in the UK with sofeminine.co.uk, the acquisition reinforces its position as the leading website for women.

DN Capital, a regular supporter of The NextWomen and member of the investment panel at our January pitching competition, last week announced the completion of the sale of portfolio company Datanomic to Oracle Corporation.

Founded in 2001, Datanomic specialises in developing data profiling and enhancement solutions.  The company is led by a female chairman, Tina Rogers, who has held multiple chairmanships specializing in growth, both organically and by acquisition, with companies varying in turnover from £1m to £150m.