An important deal at the intersection of e-commerce and content management kicks off our post-holiday tech news.
Boston-based Salsify, a startup that makes product-content management software, says it has raised a $16.6 million Series B round led by new investor Venrock. Previous investors Matrix Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners also participated, along with Michael Skok, who invested individually. (Skok previously led North Bridge’s investment in the company’s $8 million Series A round.)
Salsify is trying to reinvent the way product information flows between manufacturers, distributors, and retailers—basically, making the data more accessible to everyone. The end result is that consumers should see better product content (think images, product descriptions, and information on accessories) and have richer shopping experiences online.
The company has signed up big partners like Walmart and Google; its brand customers include Newell Rubbermaid, Nine West Holdings, and Bosch. A bigger idea, down the road, is to transform how products are designed and developed, by allowing manufacturers and retailers to collaborate on products via the cloud.
For now, Salsify has its hands full with product development, new hires, and customer relationships. The startup is led by co-founders (and Endeca veterans) Rob Gonzalez, Jeremy Redburn, and Jason Purcell, who’s the CEO. Their backgrounds are in e-commerce data platforms and enterprise software.
Purcell says in a statement that “companies in the Salsify network can collaborate much more effectively to remain competitive in today’s e-commerce marketplace, simply by using rich product content to their advantage.”
