Bellini Capital has made a $9.2 million series A investment in TechGrid, a platform for MSPs to use to orchestrate the delivery of IT solutions.
The company is addressing the issue of tool sprawl for MSPs.
“Customers want simple solutions and consumption models that work more like a utility. The problem is the business infrastructure for the Tech Service Providers is fragmented,” said Philip Wegner, CEO, TechGrid, in a statement.
“The typical MSP or VAR has more than 40 applications, many of which don’t connect, making it difficult to sell online or deliver solutions as a service. By connecting those systems with modern workflow software, we can provide business customers with the seamless experiences they enjoy from platforms like Amazon and Azure.”
Bellini Capital: Arnie Bellini Takes Off the Gloves
TechGrid is the most recent investment by Bellini Capital, the investment firm founded by ConnectWise co-founder and MSP pioneer Arnie Bellini. Bellini sold ConnectWise to Thoma Bravo just over 5 years ago, and his non-complete clause just expired. He told ChannelE2E in November 2023 that he’s ready to come out of retirement and innovate in the managed services market.
The announcement of the TechGrid investment comes just over a month after that non-compete expired. Bellini Capital has also invested in a handful of other companies that are innovating in the managed service provider market including ConnectSecure, Compliance Scorecard, and NineMinds.
Bellini told ChannelE2E that this technology doesn’t necessarily replace any platforms MSPs already have in their stacks today.
“I would consider it a layer on top of it,” he said. “TechGrid is optimizing the front-end quoting and procurement. They're connecting to the 40-plus applications that you need to deliver your service in the center. And then they're billing it at the end. That's the mission.”
TechGrid Origin Story
TechGrid was previously named SecurEdge Networks, but changed its name to fit the concept that “technology is like power for businesses,” according to Wegner.
SecurEdge Networks was founded in 2016 as a network as a service platform to enable businesses to consume enterprise-grade networking as a utility, according to Wegner’s LinkedIn profile. The name change to TechGrid came in September 2021.
On LinkedIn TechGrid describes itself as a tech services platform connecting businesses with an ecosystem of certified technology service providers and partners to orchestrate the delivery of IT solutions. The company has 28 employees listed on LinkedIn.
TechGrid’s Business Automation Platform
The TechGrid platform is comprised of three elements to help MSPs sell, fulfill, manage and finance technology solutions, the company said. Those elements are the following:
- Marketplace – Partners are directly integrated into the process of the service provider. Like the Shopify App store, resellers can customize the solutions they offer, manage deliver, and turn on new services and applications to sell.
- Workflow Software– TechGrid has a Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) engine with embedded finance, making it easy to combine hardware and licensing, services, applications and internet access into a subscription model.
- Commerce– The commerce platform centers around a digital catalog that stores products, services, apps and internet access for the service provider to build solutions and sell via traditional channels (quotes) or through online stores.
