StarVest Further Establishes its Unique Position as a Leading Software-as-a-Service Investor
StarVest Partners, a venture capital firm investing in technology-enabled business services companies throughout the U.S., today announced four investments in Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) companies from its oversubscribed $244 million Fund II: Host Analytics, PivotLink, ThinkPassenger and IRON Solutions. These investments join industry leaders such as NetSuite (NYSE: N), Fieldglass and MessageOne (acquired by Dell Computer) as part of one of the top SaaS portfolios in venture capital today.
StarVest marks its 13th SaaS investment with its recent investment in Host Analytics, the fastest-growing corporate performance management (CPM) on-demand vendor. StarVest recently led a Series B round, and Deborah A. Farrington, StarVest General Partner, recently joined the Host Analytics’ board of directors. A 30-year veteran in financial services with deep experience in SaaS, Farrington spearheaded the first institutional investment round in NetSuite, leading to its $1.6 billion IPO in 2007. She has ranked among the top venture capitalists on the “Forbes Midas List” in both of the past two years.
“StarVest brings a wealth of potential customer relationships and expertise in SaaS that we believe will bring significant value as we build Host Analytics,” said company CEO Jon Kondo.
In the first quarter of 2009, StarVest also led a Series C round in PivotLink, the leader in on-demand business intelligence solutions.
“We chose to have StarVest lead our most recent financing round because the firm brings more experience and insight into building a SaaS business than any other VC firm,” said Quentin Gallivan, CEO of PivotLink and former CEO of Postini, which sold to Google for $625 million.
Farrington, who also joined the PivotLink board, praised Gallivan’s proven track record as an entrepreneurial executive.
“Based on our experience in building leading SaaS companies, PivotLink meets StarVest’s criteria for a great investment,” Farrington said. “On-demand for the mid-market and mid-sized enterprise is poised to grow rapidly, and we believe PivotLink will continue to lead the sector.”
Demonstrating the wide range of StarVest SaaS investments in terms of industry verticals, deal structure and geography, the fourth StarVest II SaaS investment is IRON Solutions, which is based in St. Louis and is the leading online partner for farm and construction equipment manufacturers and dealers and is a partner of NetSuite. StarVest and its co-investors completed a buy-out of the company. StarVest General Partner Jeanne M. Sullivan sourced the investment at the NetSuite partnership conference and is on the board, along with StarVest General Partner Larry A. Bettino.
StarVest II has also invested in ThinkPassenger, a Los Angeles-based leading on-demand digital marketing services solution that provides private communities for corporations to enable ongoing conversations with their customers. Customers include many major consumer brand companies, including Coca-Cola, Adidas and Disney. Despite the economy, in the first quarter this year ThinkPassenger closed its greatest number of customers in the company’s history and ranks as StarVest’s fastest growing SaaS company to date, according to Bettino, who is also a board member.
“StarVest has helped us with significant customer and partnership introductions, including one recently closed deal which is a game-changer,” said Steve Howe, CEO of ThinkPassenger.
StarVest was also one of the first institutional investors in MessageOne (acquired by Dell Computer for more than $155 million), a leading on-demand e-mail continuity company where StarVest General Partner Laura B. Sachar was on the board of directors.
“StarVest brought key insights and relationships to help us form a significant partnership," said Satin Mirchandani, former CEO of MessageOne and until recently running Dell’s SaaS businesses.
About StarVest Partners
StarVest Partners is a New York-based venture capital firm with $400 million under management that is funding technology-enabled business services companies throughout the U.S. The firm’s value-added partnership maintains a laser focus on four key emerging technology and services sectors: Software as a Service (SaaS), Internet Marketing Services, eCommerce Services and Data Aggregation Services. StarVest combines a sophisticated investment background with the experience to foresee opportunities for both its portfolio companies and funding partners. The firm’s general partners are Larry A. Bettino Deborah A. Farrington, Laura B. Sachar and Jeanne M. Sullivan.
StarVest gained national recognition in 2007 as the lead venture capital firm in NetSuite, whose December 2007 initial public offering opened with a $1.6 billion market capitalization, the highest market capitalization of any venture capital-backed technology IPO since Google. StarVest was also one of the first institutional investors in MessageOne (acquired by Dell Computer in April 2008). More information about StarVest is available at the company’s Web site: www.starvestpartners.com
Contacts:
StarVest Partners
Joan Jennings, 212-863-2501
Joanie@starvestpartners.com