Applause Closes $35 Million F Round Led by Credit Suisse and Accenture
Applause, the in-the-wild digital testing leader, announced it has raised $35 Million in a Series F financing round. The largest new investor in this financing round was Credit Suisse, and the round also included an investment by strategic partner, Accenture. The funding will increase the company's investment in its strategy as the go-to source for improving customers' digital experiences. This round brings Applause's total funding-to-date to more than $115 Million.
As the company formally launches its expanded Digital Experience solutions in the coming months, this funding enables Applause to:
"Digital experiences - from web to mobile to IoT to brick and mortar - are the epicenter of competition in many industries, including retail, restaurants, travel, banking, insurance and manufacturing. Late-stage funding from leaders like Credit Suisse and Accenture, enables us to double down on expanding our solutions," said Applause CEO, Doron Reuveni. "Applause is uniquely positioned as the de facto leader in Digital Experience testing, usability feedback and research."
The round had full participation from all of Applause's previous investors, including Goldman Sachs's Merchant Banking Division, QuestMark Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Longworth Venture Partners, Mesco Ltd and MassVentures. The company's most recent funding was a $43 Million Series E round in January, 2014.
Today's funding news comes as brands are recognizing how critical their digital experiences are to their commercial success. And as the experience economy matures, these digital experiences are now the front door to brands, to the companies behind them, and to their top-line results. The ability to research, test, and get user feedback about your digital experience from people who mirror your end user base - and to do it in a rapid, agile manner - is a major competitive advantage for Applause customers like Amazon, Ralph Lauren, HBO, USA Today, BMW and Concur.
"Our alliance with Applause and investment in the company is a powerful step forward in Accenture's liquid workforce agenda," said Paul Daugherty, chief technology officer, Accenture. "Combining our global testing capabilities with Applause's 'in-the-wild' crowdtesting platform will provide clients with a better digital testing solution for websites, mobile apps and IoT products. Together, we bring a unique ability to scale to meet the demands of enterprise clients around the world. That is what led us to forge this alliance relationship and invest in Applause through Accenture Ventures."
With global headquarters near Boston, MA, Applause launched in August of 2008. Company milestones include:
"Our steep growth with customers across all of Europe is clear validation for our crowdtesting approach to quality digital experiences," added Applause EU VP and GM Jan Wolter. "This funding further confirms that our ability to help companies launch great digital experiences in any country, across all operating systems, carriers, devices, currencies and other criteria is valued by companies of all sizes. The future of digital quality is happening right now at Applause."
About Applause
Applause empowers companies to deliver great digital experiences - from web and mobile to wearables, IoT and beyond. By combining in-the-wild testing services, test automation and a global community, Applause helps the world's most recognized brands achieve the digital quality they need across every device, operating system, carrier, location and other criteria that their customers value. Thousands of companies - including Google, FOX, Amazon, Concur and Runkeeper - rely on Applause to ensure great digital experiences for their users. Learn more at http://www.applause.com and follow @applause on Twitter.
Contact
Fabian Zeitler
+49-30-2576-205-275
[email protected]
Nick Lorenzen
[email protected]
