Impact, which develops a cloud-based partnership automation platform, has raised $75 million from Providence Strategic Growth (PSG) and Silversmith Capital Partners. Valuation terms were not disclosed.
Impact will use the funding for sales, regional expansion, organic growth and potential acquisitions. The Impact Partnership Cloud automates partnership discovery, recruitment, onboarding, engagement and optimization, the company claims. It supports traditional affiliates and influencers along with strategic B2B partnerships and more, the company adds.
Channel-centric technology companies such as McAfee, Microsoft and Lenovo leverage Impact. But the platform's appeal apparently extends beyond that target market. Additional adopters include Adidas, AirBnB, HSBC, TicketMaster and Uber, just to name a few.
In a prepared statement tied to the funding announcement, Forrester Analyst Jay McBain noted that partner engagements will remain critical -- even in the age of cloud services. McBain asserted:
“We have seen brands double-down on direct sales and marketing investments such as CRM and marketing automation over the past 20 years. With over 75 percent of world trade flowing indirectly, Forrester believes the third stage of enterprise growth will revolve around paving the last mile to the customer through partners and alliances.
Impact, founded in 2008, now has over 400 employees and 10 offices across the United States, Europe and Asia.
