Salt Lake City, Utah — 11 March 2015 TreeHouse Interactive™, the technology leader in SaaS-based partner relationship management (PRM), announced today that Kennet Partners and co-investor Joe Wang have acquired majority ownership of the software company. Wang, who has already made his mark in the Utah high-tech community as president and CEO of local software powerhouse LANDesk Software, will lead the fast-growing PRM market leader as the new chairman and CEO. The company's sole shareholders Craig Flynn and Erich Flynn will remain with the company and collaborate with Wang in leadership positions in development and sales. Craig Flynn will continue to drive product engineering and innovation in his role as executive vice president of engineering. Erich Flynn will expand and lead the company's sales efforts as chief revenue officer.
Utah tech companies have become a hot-bed for venture capital investments over the last few years with several companies including InsideSales.com, Domo, AtTask, Jive and more accepting investment deals to expand. In fact, Utah ranks 7th nationally in venture capital funding for 2014. According to the PwC/NVCA MoneyTree Report, Utah companies raised over $800 million in venture capital funding in 2014. That beats $316.2 million raised in 2013. The recent investment in TreeHouse is largely based on the growth that is anticipated in the PRM technology space.
In the 2014 Gartner Hype Cycle for CRM Sales*, PRM (partner relationship management), along with technologies such as lead management and eCommerce SaaS, is on the slope of enlightenment as an early mainstream maturity level that is expected to reach mainstream adoption from less than two years for lead management and eCommerce SaaS, to somewhere in the next two to five years for PRM. According to the report, PRM continues to gain momentum as companies work to optimize sales and marketing activities across multiple channels, and rely on third parties to expand their market presence.
In January, TreeHouse reported that the company's total overall 2014 revenue grew 49 percent over 2013. The number of partners supported by Reseller View™ PRM surpassed the previous all-time high, reaching more than 160,000 worldwide at the end of 2014. TreeHouse expects the number of partners supported by its robust PRM solution to nearly double in 2015. The company's PRM platform supports global partner networks for industry-leading enterprises including Xerox, Rackspace, Sungard AS, SGI, Magento, National Instruments, CommVault and Quantum. Reseller View was identified as a leader in Forrester Research Inc.'s The Forrester Wave™: Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Platforms report, and cited for more native functionality, superior user interfaces and usability than competing solutions.
Reseller View is the most comprehensive PRM solution available and was built from the ground up by channel experts to provide vendors with a scalable platform to deliver vendor partner sales forces with the feature rich tools needed to successfully sell, service and support their products. Functionality includes, but is not limited to:
- Deal Registration
- Lead Distribution
- Partner Portal Website Branded to Corporate Look and Feel
- Automated MDF/Co-op Management
- Partner Locator
- Automated Training and Certification Program
- Through Partner Marketing Enablement and Automation
- Integrated To Partner Marketing Engine
- Full Service Implementation (No Client Resource Required)
- Automated Partner On-boarding Process
- Automated Contract Management
- Secure Partner Portal Environment
- Out of the Box CRM Integration
- Advanced Multi-Level Document Management
- And much more...
We are seeing more business generated by the channel than ever before, said Darren Bibby, program vice president, Channels and Alliances Research at IDC. PRM technology continues to gain market traction with the growing need for manufacturers to provide partners with holistic technology solutions that automate and enable processes like deal registration, lead distribution and MDF.
Kennet is a leading growth equity investor with $700 million under management and a long track record of success. We focus on bootstrapped companies that have a proven market opportunity, product and growth potential. We were impressed with the growth and success TreeHouse Interactive has achieved in the PRM space. With more financial resources and leadership talent we are confident we can take them to the next level, said Eric Filipek, managing director of Kennet. Our investment demonstrates the confidence we have in TreeHouse's PRM solution, the existing team and in its new CEO Joe Wang, who will bring with him a tremendous track record of success. In addition to Eric Filipek, Kennet managing director Javier Rojas will also join TreeHouse's board of directors.
Mr. Wang's record includes growing businesses and generating tremendous returns during his 25 years in high technology. As CEO at WatchGuard Technologies, he successfully turned around the revenue declining and money-losing business, creating a profitable and growing company with vastly improved technology and market position. Prior to joining WatchGuard, Wang was president and CEO of LANDesk Software, an Intel spin-off, where he grew the company by 150 percent in four years. He sold LANDesk Software in 2007, generating 11x return for investors. Prior to LANDesk, Wang was founder and CEO of 20/20 Software. He successfully grew the company and then sold to Symantec, generating 10x return for his investors.
Utah has developed into a hotbed of SaaS technology, and I'm excited to be back in this dynamic market, said Joe Wang, chairman and CEO of TreeHouse Interactive. My investment in TreeHouse demonstrates my strong belief that Reseller View PRM is by far the best PRM technology available today, backed by a powerful team of people. I look forward to strengthening our technology leadership position in the PRM market and expanding the company worldwide.
Our Founder, Craig, and I vetted several investment firms over many months for possible investment, said Erich Flynn, chief revenue officer of TreeHouse Interactive. Kennet Partners and Joe Wang have a proven track record growing successful businesses. We are looking forward to using this investment and adding resources to accelerate sales, product roadmap, and growth objectives while continuing to deliver the innovative technology and support our existing clients have come to expect.
*Gartner Report: Hype Cycle for CRM Sales, 2014, Robert P. Desisto, July 16, 2014
About Kennet Partners
Kennet is a leading international growth equity firm that invests in companies in Europe and North America. Kennet supports entrepreneurial technology businesses with expansion capital to accelerate growth and build exceptional shareholder value. Kennet is an experienced investor with approximately $700 million in funds under management. For more information: www.kennet.com. Kennet Partners Limited is authorized and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.
About TreeHouse Interactive
TreeHouse Interactive delivers leading SaaS-based partner relationship management (PRM) and marketing automation platform (MAP) solutions to companies that want to get better return on investment from their partner networks and marketing efforts. Reseller View is the most complete PRM in the industry while Marketing View has been innovating marketing automation since 1998. For more information, visit www.treehousei.com or call 801.576.8428.
Washington -- 20 March 2015 /PRNewswire/ Today Blackboard Inc. announced that it has finalized its acquisition of Schoolwires, one of the leading educational website, hosting and content management providers to K-12 schools and districts. With the close of this acquisition, Blackboard continues to demonstrate its commitment to be the leading K-12 provider of school websites and parent notification solutions.
Today's news marks the conclusion of Blackboard's initial agreement to acquire the Pennsylvania-based company with nearly 200 employees. The addition of Schoolwires' industry leading solutions and services represents a major component of Blackboard's renewed K-12 strategy by enhancing its parent and community engagement solutions and expanding its partner ecosystem.
"One of our main goals has been to pick the best products in the markets to meet the evolving and expanding needs of our community," said Mychal Frost, public information officer at Clover School District and vice president of the South Carolina chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (SC/NSPRA). "All of the products we have chosen are now in the Blackboard solution set, including Blackboard's notification tools, the ParentLink mobile app and now Schoolwires' website solution. It is clear that whether they are developing new technology, acquiring other providers or partnering with industry leaders, Blackboard is trying to add value to their portfolio, and we appreciate that."
"To truly make our mission of reimagining education a reality, we have to focus on the full learning lifecycle, which begins in K-12," said Jay Bhatt, CEO of Blackboard. "Schoolwires has created some of the most innovative products, solutions and services that improve K-12 communications and community engagement. Effective communication is the gateway to delivering new learning models that improve teacher effectiveness and student outcomes. By adding Schoolwires to the Blackboard portfolio, we are uniquely positioned to help district leadership transition K-12 schools to these new models with the participation and support of their communities."
"Today's news marks another great milestone for Schoolwires," said Christiane Crawford, president and CEO of Schoolwires. "We are excited to join the Blackboard team, merging two industry-leading organizations to continue our pursuit of helping students be more successful, improving the educational experience in K-12, and helping to shape the future of this industry."
"We couldn't be more delighted with this outcome," said Edward S. Marflak, chairman and founder of Schoolwires. "It's a great situation for our customers, our employees and the entire K-12 marketplace as Blackboard expands its strong portfolio of solutions for teaching, learning and engagement."
Schoolwires provides a suite of technology products and related services to more than 11 million users and 1,700 districts and educational entities in the U.S. and China. Its solutions include an integrated website and content management system, a social learning and networking system, a family of mobile applications and an enterprise technology platform.
For more information about Blackboard, please visit www.blackboard.com or follow @Blackboard on Twitter.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard is the world's leading education technology company. We challenge conventional thinking and advance new models of learning in order to reimagine education and make it more accessible, engaging and relevant to the modern day learner and the institutions that serve them. In partnership with our customers and partners in higher education and K-12 as well as corporations and government agencies around the world, our mission is to help every learner achieve their full potential by inspiring a passion for lifelong learning. For more information about Blackboard, follow us on Twitter @Blackboard.
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release. Actual results may differ materially as a result of various important factors. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit here.
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.
Cambridge, MA and Hollywood, FL – 02 December 2013 Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) and Prolexic Technologies, Inc. announced today that the two companies have signed a definitive agreement for Akamai to acquire Prolexic, a provider of cloud-based security solutions for protecting data centers and enterprise IP applications from distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
Faced with an ever-changing threat landscape, organizations require comprehensive security solutions that address many different protection scenarios. These include securing mission critical Web properties and applications from attack, as well as protecting the full suite of enterprise IP applications – including email, file transfers, and VPN – across a data center.
Akamai provides leading solutions for defending Web sites and Web applications by leveraging the scale and intelligence of its global platform to protect against even the largest and most sophisticated DDoS and application-layer attacks. Prolexic combines DDoS mitigation solutions with security operations expertise for protecting data centers and enterprise IP applications.
By acquiring Prolexic, Akamai intends to provide customers with a comprehensive portfolio of security solutions designed to defend an enterprise’s Web and IP infrastructure against application-layer, network-layer and data center attacks delivered via the Internet.
"Any company doing business on the Internet faces an evolving threat landscape of attacks aimed at disrupting operations, defacing the brand, or attempting to steal sensitive data and information," said Tom Leighton, CEO of Akamai. "By joining forces with Prolexic, we intend to combine Akamai’s leading security and performance platform with Prolexic’s highly-regarded DDoS mitigation solutions for data center and enterprise applications protection. We believe that Prolexic’s solutions and team will help us achieve our goal of making the Internet fast, reliable, and secure."
"Today, business is defined by the availability, security and latency of Internet-facing applications, data and infrastructure," said Scott Hammack, CEO at Prolexic. "Being able to rely on one provider for Internet performance and security greatly simplifies resolution of network availability issues and offers clients clear lines of accountability. We believe that, together, we will be able to deliver an unprecedented level of network visibility and protection."
Under terms of the agreement, Akamai will acquire all of the outstanding equity of Prolexic in exchange for a net cash payment of approximately $370 million, after expected purchase price adjustments, plus the assumption of outstanding unvested options to purchase Prolexic stock. The closing of the transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, is expected to occur in the first half of 2014. Therefore, Akamai’s Q4 2013 existing guidance remains unchanged. The Prolexic acquisition is expected to be slightly dilutive to Akamai’s Non-GAAP net income per share in the first full year post closure in the range of $0.06 to $0.08. Once the acquisition closes, the Company will include Prolexic in its guidance going forward.
Conference call scheduled today, Monday, December 2 at 8:45 a.m. ET
Akamai will host a conference call to discuss the acquisition of Prolexic today, December 2, 2013, at 8:45 a.m. Eastern time. The call may include forward-looking financial guidance from management. The call can be accessed through 1-800-706-7749 (or 1-617-614-3474 for international calls) using conference ID No. 19279933. A live Webcast of the call may be accessed at www.akamai.com in the Investor section. In addition, a replay of the call will be available for two weeks following the conference through the Akamai Website or by calling 1-888-286-8010 (or 1-617-801-6888 for international calls) and using conference ID No. 55460617.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to providing financial measurements based on generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP), Akamai provides additional financial metrics that are not prepared in accordance with GAAP (non-GAAP). Management uses non-GAAP financial measures, in addition to GAAP financial measures, to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for financial and operational decision making, for planning and forecasting purposes and to evaluate Akamai's financial performance. The non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release are Adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP net income per share.
Management believes that the use of non-GAAP financial measures allows for meaningful comparisons and analysis of trends in the business, as they exclude expenses and gains that may be infrequent, unusual in nature and not reflective of Akamai's ongoing operating results. Management also believes that non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating Akamai's operating results and future prospects in the same manner as used by management and in comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies.
The non-GAAP financial measures do not replace the presentation of Akamai's GAAP financial results and should only be used as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, Akamai's financial results presented in accordance with GAAP. Akamai has not provided a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure used in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure because it is not practicable to do so at this time.
Akamai's definitions of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release are outlined below:
Non-GAAP net income – GAAP net income adjusted for the following tax-effected items: amortization of acquired intangible assets; stock-based compensation; amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation; restructuring charges; acquisition related costs; certain gains and losses on investments; gains and other activity related to divestiture of a business; loss on early extinguishment of debt; gains and losses on legal settlements and other non-recurring or unusual items that may arise from time to time.
Non-GAAP net income per share – Non-GAAP net income divided by the basic weighted average or diluted common shares outstanding used in GAAP net income per share calculations.
Adjusted EBITDA – GAAP net income excluding the following items: interest; income taxes; depreciation and amortization of tangible and intangible assets; stock-based compensation; amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation; restructuring charges; acquisition related costs; certain gains and losses on investments; gains, losses and other activity related to divestiture of a business; foreign exchange gains and losses; loss on early extinguishment of debt; gains and losses on legal settlements and other non-recurring or unusual items that may arise from time to time.
Adjusted EBITDA margin – Adjusted EBITDA stated as a percentage of revenue.
The non-GAAP adjustments, and Akamai's basis for excluding them from non-GAAP financial measures, are outlined below:
Amortization of acquired intangible assets – Akamai has incurred amortization of intangible assets, included in its GAAP financial statements, related to various acquisitions the Company has made. The amount of an acquisition's purchase price allocated to intangible assets and term of its related amortization can vary significantly and are unique to each acquisition. Therefore, Akamai excludes amortization of acquired intangible assets to provide investors with a consistent basis for comparing pre- and post-acquisition operating results.
Stock-based compensation and amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation – Although stock-based compensation is an important aspect of the compensation to Akamai’s employees and executives, the expense varies with changes in the stock price and market conditions at the time of grant, varying valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of award types. This makes the comparison of Akamai’s current financial results to previous and future periods difficult to interpret. Therefore, Akamai believes it is useful to exclude stock-based compensation and amortization of capitalized stock-based compensation in order to better understand the performance of Akamai’s core business performance and to be consistent with the way the investors evaluate its performance and comparison of its operating results to peer companies.
Restructuring charges – Akamai has incurred restructuring charges, included in its GAAP financial statements, primarily due to workforce reductions and estimated costs of exiting facility lease commitments. Akamai excludes these items when evaluating its continuing business performance as such items are not consistently recurring, do not reflect expected future operating expense, nor provide meaningful insight into the current and past operations of its business.
Acquisition related costs – Acquisition related costs include transaction fees, due diligence costs and other one-time direct costs associated with strategic activities. In addition, subsequent adjustments to the Company's initial estimated amount of contingent consideration associated with specific acquisitions are included within acquisition related costs. These amounts are impacted by the timing and size of the acquisitions. Akamai excludes acquisition related costs and benefits to provide a useful comparison of the Company's operating results to prior periods and to its peer companies because such amounts vary significantly based on magnitude of its acquisition transactions.
Gain and other activity related to divestiture of a business – Akamai recognized a gain and other activity associated with the divestiture of its Advertising Decision Solutions business. Akamai excludes gains and other activity related to divestiture of a business because sales of this nature occur infrequently and are not considered part of the Company's core business operations.
Income tax-effect of non-GAAP adjustments – The non-GAAP adjustments described above are reported on a pre-tax basis. The income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments is the difference between GAAP and non-GAAP income tax expense. Non-GAAP income tax expense is computed on non-GAAP pre-tax income (GAAP pre-tax income adjusted for non-GAAP adjustments) and excludes certain discrete tax items (such as recording or release of valuation allowances), if any. Akamai believes that applying the non-GAAP adjustments and their related income tax effect allows the Company to more properly reflect the income attributable to its core operations.
About Prolexic
Prolexic is one of the largest, most trusted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation providers in the world. Designed to absorb large and complex attacks, Prolexic aims to restore mission-critical Internet-facing infrastructures for global enterprises and government agencies within minutes. Some of the world’s largest banks and the leading companies in e-Commerce, SaaS, payment processing, travel/hospitality, gaming, energy and other at-risk industries rely on Prolexic to protect their businesses. Founded in 2003 as a leading cloud DDoS mitigation platform, Prolexic is headquartered in Hollywood, Florida, and has scrubbing centers located in the Americas, Europe and Asia. To learn more about Prolexic, please visit www.prolexic.com and @Prolexic on Twitter.
About Akamai
Akamai® is the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications. At the core of the Company’s solutions is the Akamai Intelligent Platform™ providing extensive reach, coupled with unmatched reliability, security, visibility and expertise. Akamai removes the complexities of connecting the increasingly mobile world, supporting 24/7 consumer demand, and enabling enterprises to securely leverage the cloud. To learn more about how Akamai is accelerating the pace of innovation in a hyperconnected world, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.
The release contains information about future expectations, plans and prospects of Akamai's management that constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about expected benefits to Akamai from the acquisition. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including, but not limited to, inability to successfully integrate the technology and personnel of Prolexic, failure to achieve expected post-closing margins or revenue contributions, inability to develop products based on the technology, failure of the parties to secure regulatory approvals of the transaction, and other factors that are discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other documents periodically filed with the SEC.
h3. Leading environmental, health and safety software vendor to accelerate global expansion and target broader reputational risk market
London, UK – 20 June 2013 Kennet Partners, the technology growth investor, and Fidelity Growth Partners Europe (FGPE), the pan-European growth investor today announced the acquisition of Rivo Software, a fast- growing software company based in Warwick, UK.
Rivo Software is a global provider of environmental, health and safety, quality and loss prevention management software. Founded eight years ago, the company helps businesses manage compliance and business risk through its cloud-based software. It gives senior executives clear, accurate and timely information to identify and highlight trends, which in turn enables the protection of people, revenue and ultimately a company’s reputation across the globe. The company’s products are used in 82 countries, in 32 languages by over 140,000 people. Clients include ABB, BP, Chevron, Crossrail, Siemens, Thames Water, Veolia, and many others.
Simultaneous with the acquisition, Kennet Partners and Fidelity Growth Partners Europe are making a significant capital investment into the business, aimed at supporting the company’s global growth and driving awareness of broader business issues around reputation risk. As part of the deal, co-investor Steve Husk will join the business as Executive Chairman. Husk, who was previously CEO of FRSGlobal, a business backed by Kennet Partners and acquired by Wolters Kluwer, brings a wealth of experience in the governance, risk and compliance (GRC) category.
Hillel Zidel, Director at Kennet Partners said, “Rivo is a great example of our growth buyout investment strategy where we pair successful businesses with world class executives. Rivo has built an impressive business addressing a large global market, in a capital efficient manner. Together with management, Steve Husk and FGPE we are excited about building Rivo into a leader in the area of reputational risk management”.
Davor Hebel, Partner at Fidelity Growth Partners Europe said, “Rivo has a world-class product that gives insight into the heart of every business’s two biggest assets – their people and their reputation. The ability to understand reputational and people risk is becoming a top priority for senior executives and boards around the globe, and Rivo is well-placed to address their needs. We look forward to being part of the Rivo success story.”
Ken Baxter, MD at Rivo said, “We are really excited about the acquisition by Kennet and FGPE. They have seen the amazing potential for our business to be a dominant global player and in addition to the capital investment, they also bring a wealth of expertise and a wide network. Their support will help us to extend our high levels of service to new clients around the world. It’s a great opportunity for the business and for our clients.”
h2. About Rivo Software
Rivo Software serves a global client base from offices in the UK and USA. With clients in 82 countries, Rivo helps clients manage business risk and compliance. The company provides an enterprise level software solution, Safeguard, to manage business risk and compliance. Since being named on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA – highlighting the company as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe, The Middle East and Africa – Rivo has continued its global growth across numerous markets.
h2. About Kennet Partners
Kennet is a leading international growth equity firm that invests in companies in Europe and North America. Kennet supports entrepreneurial technology businesses with expansion capital to accelerate growth and build exceptional shareholder value. Kennet is an experienced investor with approximately $600 million in funds under management. For more information: www.kennet.com. Kennet Partners Limited is authorized and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.
h2. Fidelity Growth Partners Europe
Fidelity Growth Partners Europe is a venture and growth capital investor that backs technology entrepreneurs with aspiration to greatness. By combining a collaborative approach with a global network and a 40-year history of venture investing, FGPE helps companies accelerate their growth and become true leaders in their field. A strong track record in Europe includes investments in market leaders such as Curam (IBM), Newbay (RIM), Seatwave, InnoGames, Wahanda and Notonthehighstreet. FGPE is investing a £100 million fund dedicated to backing fast-growing European technology companies. www.fidelitygrowthpartners.eu
For further information please contact:
Rivo Software:
Ken Baxter
+44 (0)1926 622 320
ken.baxter@rivosoftware.com
Kennet Partners:
Deepa Patel
+44 (0)20 3004 3259
dpatel@kennet.com
Fidelity Growth Partners Europe:
Neil Thomas/ Jennifer Janson
+44 (0)118 900 0860
Jennifer.janson@sixdegreespr.com
h3. Former NexTag President Brings Customer-Centric Internet Expertise to the AVA Artificial Intelligence Lead Management Platform
SAN FRANCISCO, CA; May 1, 2013 - Kennet Partners, a leading international growth equity firm that invests in companies across North America and Europe, today announced it has made a $16 Million investment in AVA.ai LLC, the fast-growing Internet Technology company behind AVA, the Artificial Intelligence lead management platform. As part of the investment, Kennet has appointed Internet industry veteran Mark A. Bradley as CEO of AVA.ai.
"Kennet reviewed many bootstrapped, founder-led companies over the past year and were very impressed with what AVA's Founder, Ben Brigham, and his team have accomplished," said Eric Filipek, Managing Director of Kennet, Silicon Valley. “Our significant investment demonstrates our confidence in how machine learning is changing lead management. Further, the addition of Mark A. Bradley, a seasoned executive with whom we’ve had a long association, as CEO adds significant strength and depth to this management team."
Bradley brings extensive executive leadership and high-growth, customer-focused Internet business expertise to AVA.ai. He sits on the Executive Advisory Board at Kennet Partners and, prior to joining AVA.ai, was part of the founding team at NexTag – the world’s largest comparison shopping engine. During his tenure Bradley was responsible for launching the US Business and expanding it worldwide; entering new verticals; and the overall strategic direction of the company. He developed a strong technological, analytical and entrepreneurial focus on capital efficiency. Bradley played several key roles in the company’s development including President and led several acquisitions. Prior to NexTag, Bradley worked within the Technology sector for more than 10 years, where he held executive positions at public companies in Marketing, Product Management and Business Development. Bradley currently holds board positions with NextPerformance and AcademixDirect, and an executive advisory role with Trademob – all Kennet Portfolio companies; and is an executive advisor to Insidevault.
“Kennet Partners is a dynamic and fastpaced environment. After analyzing many leading edge companies for possible investment, AVA.ai and the team that Ben has built are clearly years ahead of the competition,” stated Bradley. “AVA.ai has the right components for significant expansion and market leadership – by leveraging its cutting-edge AVA Artificial Intelligence technology. I look forward to guiding the company to achieve its potential.”
The AVA (Automated Virtual Assistant) platform engages, nurtures and connects customer leads consistently and persistently, cultivating relationships at each step of the life cycle. Unlike auto-response programs, AVA uses artificial intelligence to interpret responses and take action based upon customer replies, giving each contact context, thereby increasing engagement and results. AVA is like having hundreds of sales people working around the clock, doing the leg work before turning readied and reignited leads over to the sales team.
Having launched in the Automotive industry, AVA.ai is now rapidly expanding into other high-growth customer-centric sectors worldwide. There are currently more than 4,000 sales professionals using AVA to manage and maximize leads within a number of industry-leading companies across multiple verticals.
h2. About AVA.ai
AVA.ai is a fast-growing Internet Technology company, founded in 2007 with offices in Bellingham, WA and San Francisco, CA. With an international presence and more than 4,000 sales professionals in several industries using AVA, the company’s growth has been tremendous and success well-documented. AVA partners with leading industry companies across many verticals who value better lead management. For more information, please visit www.AVA.ai. To schedule a demonstration of AVA, please call 888.633.7738, sign up on the website or email Sales@AVA.ai. For additional press information, email PR@AVA.ai.
h2. About Kennet Partners
Kennet is a leading international growth equity firm that invests in companies in Europe and North America. Kennet supports entrepreneurial technology businesses with expansion capital to accelerate growth and build exceptional shareholder value. Kennet is an experienced investor with approximately $600 million in funds under management. For more information, please visit www.kennet.com. Kennet Partners Limited is authorized and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority.
###
Media Contact:
US media inquiries: Javier Rojas, Kennet Partners - Tel: +1 650 573 8700
European media inquiries: Janina Jablonski, Kennet Partners - Tel: +44 20 7839 8020
h3. Neil brings significant private equity experience, having worked in multiple areas of the industry
London - 14 November 2012 Kennet Partners, the technology growth equity investor, has announced that it has appointed Neil Cooper as Finance Director.
Neil joined Kennet from Robert W. Baird Group, where he was Financial Controller, a role he previously held at Advent Venture Partners. Neil began his career at KPMG, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Warwick.
Michael Elias, Managing Director, said “We are delighted that Neil has joined the Kennet team. Neil brings significant private equity experience, having worked in multiple areas of the industry in his career to date.”
Neil is responsible for finance, administration, and investor relations.
h2. About Kennet Partners
Kennet is a leading international growth equity firm that invests in companies in Europe and North America. Kennet supports entrepreneurial technology businesses with expansion capital to accelerate growth and build exceptional shareholder value. Kennet is an experienced investor with approximately $600 million in funds under management. For more information: www.kennet.com. Kennet Partners Limited is authorized and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority.