Applause, which tests an apps compatibility for a wide range of devices, has raised $35 Million in a Series F financing round, led by Direct Equity Partners, an investment program managed by Credit Suisse, and including an investment from strategic partner, Accenture and previous investors.
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This round brings Applause’s total funding-to-date to more than $115 Million.
Founded under the name of UTest, in 2007 in Boston, Massachusetts by two Israelis Doron Reuveni and Roy Solomon the company has developed a form of app testing that focusing on the post-launch phase of an app, helping developers combat bugs, improve design, and tackle any potential problem before it escalates. R&D based in Israel, the company claims clients, including Microsoft, Google, BMW, Fox, Amazon, Ralph Lauren, HBO, USA Today and Concur.
The company says it will also grow its usability feedback service, as well as launching a new digital research offering to identify what end-users want in advance — something it has been carrying out for brands on an informal basis for the past year. It’s expected this will launch as an official service in the coming months.
As the company formally launches its expanded Digital Experience solutions in the coming months, this funding enables Applause to:
Further expand its in-the-wild digital testing services and invest in growing its digital usability feedback services
“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
“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.”
“Our steep growth has already validated our approach here in Israel, ” added Applause Israel VP and GM Michael Weinberg. “This funding further advances our ability to help Israeli companies launch great digital experiences for users in any country or market around the globe. Applause is the one company positioned to help Israeli companies take their digital visions to the world.”
