Stockholm-based
EPiServer and
USbased Ektron have announced that the two
companies have merged with the backing of
technology-focused private equity investment firm Accel-KKR.
The combined
company, which will operate under the EPiServer name and continue to use the
Ektron and EPiServer brands, has a community of more than 8,800 customers
in some 30 countries backed by a network of more than 880 partners. It
provides marketers, digital and online teams with the power, insight and agility
to act on a business moment, and the confidence to realize their aspirations
with a technology foundation that supports more than 30,000 websites worldwide.
The merger
will benefit and protect the investments customers and partners have made in
both product sets; provide more options to extend the value of those
investments; and converge the best of both offerings into a next-generation
Digital Experience Cloud that offers advanced web content management,
multi-channel marketing, extensive connectivity, and e-commerce capabilities
all on a single platform in the cloud.
Enterprise
software veterans and former KANA Software CEO Mark Duffell and CMO James
Norwood have been appointed President and CEO, and Executive Vice President
Strategy and CMO respectively of the new company. Martin Henricson, CEO of the
former EPiServer business assumes the role of Executive Chairman for the merged
entity.
“By bringing
these two businesses together, a new market leading platform from a truly
global organization with an incredibly strong partner network emerges to
address what remains an underserved segment,” said Mark Duffell, CEO of
EPiServer. “Despite significant investments underway, an evaluation by
Forrester Research found no leaders among digital experience delivery
platforms. We believe this combination will fill that void by delivering real
value to businesses and their customers alike.”
“We have
seen tremendous growth within the broader customer experience market, and from
investments we have made in a number of highly successful companies like
EPiServer and Ektron,” said Dean Jacobson, Managing Director, Accel-KKR. “The
union of these two businesses from our portfolio creates a company of
significant scale in the space, and will benefit their customers and partners
from a closer relationship and accelerated momentum,” added Jason Klein,
Managing Director, Accel-KKR.
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