Wordpress specialist acquires Thrive Themes

Founded in 2011 by Paul McCarthy and Shane Melaugh, Thrive Themes developed an all-in-one conversion-optimised software offered as part of its Thrive Suite, which comprises ten tools. Launched in 2013, the platform allows WordPress bloggers, digital marketers, WordPress content creators and entrepreneurs to build websites and grow their online businesses.

The tools are currently used by over 50,000 businesses worldwide and installed on over 190,000 websites. With Thrive Theme builder alone counting over 85,400 installs, the company has sustained its continued growth across the entire product line since launching. Thrive University, the company’s learning platform, designed to provide online marketing courses, has also grown dramatically, with over 228,950 online entrepreneurs using it to acquire new skills.

As of this year, Thrive Themes is owned by Awesome Motive, the company behind some of the most popular plugins and resources in the WordPress space. Over 21 million sites use its software like OptinMonster, WPForms, MonsterInsights, AIOSEO, and others to build and grow their online presence.  Awesome Motives’ founder Syed Balkhi is also the founder of WPBeginner fame, the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry with over 320k subscribers in 190 countries. The change of ownership allows Thrive Theme to strengthen its position further and enrich its product offering while enabling Awesome Motive's customers to achieve even greater results with its Thrive suite.

“Easy-to-use online marketing tools that deliver results is essential for small business success, especially in today’s economic environment”, said Syed Balkhi, CEO of Awesome Motive. “Thrive is a well-known and respected brand that has a long history of helping businesses improve their online marketing efforts. We are excited to welcome them to the Awesome Motive family, so we can help more of our customers create thriving online businesses”.

Following the acquisition, Thrive Themes’ CEO Shane Melaugh, who led the company for 13 years and grew it to 50 people, has handed over leadership to former Head of Product Bradley Stevens. He will advance the product and realise the 2023 roadmap while continuing to support the team and customers.

(RAN)