Perspectives

How to Define, Retain & Grow a B2B Sales Organization

April 27, 2017

Kathy Lord SVP Sales Customer Success Intacct shares tips tricks building B2B organization cloud ERP provides financial management accounting applications curious questions insight define ideal profile structure retain reps time help grow careers Listen podcast iTunes Watch video

How AI Can Prove Workers’ Best Defense In The Race Against Automation

March 21, 2017

United Technology's announcement last November Carrier Corp plant keep jobs Indiana rather move Mexico heralded significant victory American workers However true impact deal hidden headlines Technologies CEO Greg Hayes said company invest 16M automate drive cost continue competitive ultimately fewer Carrier's plans underscore harsh reality going China another foreign country automated left behind often struggle find employment comparable pay lack skills required threatened automation eliminated 2.7 trillion wages synonymous wage decline unemployment threat machine learning artificial intelligence used retrain up-skill displaced employees work Coaching Networks Provide Mass-Scale Apprenticeships McKinsey estimates nearly half tasks perform today representing potential lost literally pitting man Great Dislocation shake foundation world's economies demands massively scaled solution Sending millions people back school size problem likely produce desired results AI-based solutions scale allow humans pace come best defense race machines learn habits practices allowing group benefit brilliant outliers worldwide convey knowledge gained job context effective theoretical classroom training fact Psychological Association calls top principle teaching Indeed already rely digital in-context daily using YouTube videos guide new help mitigate pain Playing Field Higher Paying Skilled use sales describe real world benefits WSJ reports average software position pays 75K annually twice median companies fill openings part requires expensive time-consuming in-person Instead dozens turning train forces Chorus.ai AI based Emergence portfolio Qualtrics Marketo Dynamic Signal reps coach existing close leveraging previous listens works makes real-time suggestions improve rep's approach learnings data flows Network creating feedback loop importantly Chorus customer Teamable able reduce rep ramp time 50 percent DigitalGenius combines support agents service solution's algorithms smarter neural massive amounts chat-logs email transcripts resulting model feeds contact center's platform providing personal handle requests addition driving savings reducing handling system helps transition roles desk upskill example Pristine focused guidance manufacturing Google Glass Among task-related checklists lens glasses onboarded systems tailor recommendations Expanding Gives Path date industry driven increase productivity seen positive impacts result seeing greater displacement attributable losses occur power change workforces accelerate offset viewing foster ecosystem co-sponsoring Startup Competition Cloud Startups compete 1M investment 400K credits please visit website

Why We’re Funding a Competition for Machine Learning Startups

March 10, 2017

Today happy announce teaming Google Cloud Data Collective launch Machine Learning Startup Competition Early-stage startups focused compete chance receive 1 million investment funded Emergence plus another 400K credits use Platform Capital believe strongly play critical role shaping improving people work example especially bullish Coaching Networks harnesses coach employees jobs better real time Machines learn best practices workers share widely within workforce context proud partnered early leaders Chorus.ai helps sales teams say avoid conversations potential customers help close deals Textio recruiters write effective job descriptions order attract qualified candidates faster fond kind worked past 2008 collaborated Salesforce.com similar building apps Force.com winner called Maxplore rebranded ServiceMax last year GE acquired nearly billion including full eligibility details apply website eager see young using shape future

After a Decade, the Mobile Enterprise Revolution Has Only Just Begun

March 6, 2017

decade since debut first smartphones time wound hands 2 billion people hard fully account changes big small daily life expectations attribute Apple's iPhone went sale summer 2007 Google's Android operating system debuted late 2008 communicate organize lives shop permanently changed smartphone cousin tablet standpoint fair conclude moment investing mobile revolution passed opportunity beginning though moved new phase driven innovation enterprise applications aimed workers spend bulk productive away desk reason publish Trends Report newest version releasing today Last year huge companies building apps portfolio ServiceMax acquired GE 1 marking billion-dollar exit company five acquisitions players totaling Meanwhile venture investments 2016 rose 9 percent 973 million prior overall declined 11 several reasons investors including Emergence Capital showing enthusiasm historic impact millennials labor force younger already make largest age group working half workforce 2020 20 meaning use traditional desktop notebook PC jobs another now largely neglected incumbent software call deskless 80 work thousands different kinds industries health care hospitality field service done effectively sitting 250 every portion devoted Third constant worry CEOs CIOs Boosting worker productivity 2013 survey 300 decision makers large U.S U.K predicted making mobile-ready boost efficiency nearly 40 going analyzed funding data Crunchbase found vertical growing horizontal business decline attracted 94 VC increase 95 hotel industry raised 32 000 2015 restaurant 77 comparison contacts content payment year-on-year 70 number rising slower pace recent years Landscape numbered 358 14 grew 21 313 rate company-creation app across multiple platforms iOS others fundamentally difficult browser-based SaaS application manage sales marketing processes environment relies stores Second think fewer entrepreneurs appreciate opportunities present focused desk-bound leave 2017 unfolds watch Oracle SAP Microsoft IBM realize far behind front buyer likely pay strategic premium value target higher peers turn valuations potential targets space focus devices neither tablets phones products drones head-mounted displays type hardware becomes capable less expensive created outside Silicon Valley inside preferred users mobile-first markets understand act accordingly tend plight better technology personal bring bigger feel strongly enterprise-centric aggressively closed six firm expect continue active investor beyond information market check latest

The Journey to $1 Billion for ServiceMax

November 17, 2016

Emergence proud announce acquisition ServiceMax GE fortunate partnered amazing team lead investor beginning wanted share key milestones along recently recognized leader Gartner Magic Quadrant field service management 25 companies selected Next 1 Billion company Forbes prognostication came true recent announcement includes net cash Brief History pursuing investment thesis around mobile enterprise years now basic new SaaS applications enabled devices empower 80 global workforce deskless workers productivity tools believe cloud platforms offered Salesforce others Amazon Google Microsoft enable market faster capital efficiently combined major trends took advantage transform delivered largest successful industrial world 2008 called Maxplore won first Force.com developer contest sponsored judged partnership led 2 million Series partnering founders Athani Krishna Hari Subramanian Sam Mukherjee joined Board support able attract former VP Sales SuccessFactors another portfolio Dave Yarnold join CEO worked closely build class product services offering went raise 200 six rounds equity financings great set co-investors strategic partners including PTC brought DNA allowed close deals Siemens Schneider Electric Pitney Bowes Tyco among comes calling enjoyed straight compounding 100 growth became acknowledged industry explained vision Digital transformation seemed natural fit bold ambitions M&A outcomes looking buyer expressed interest built funded intention growing independent public made compelling case potential accelerate impact soon terms outcome shareholders huge congrats Scott Rick entire happen Nothing makes happier helping turn dreams reality building leaders extra special work second time business together eight year journey look forward seeing tremendous part

Why We Invested in IrisVR

October 25, 2016

proud announce led IrisVR Series financing first companies building virtual reality applications enterprise focus making easy architects engineers construction professionals use VR better feel designing truly compelling case point products physical world relegated viewing 3D creations 2D space i.e screen cases choose build miniature model life-size car Neither options ideal now using possible walk concept though stroll around new design right front game-changing experience architecture engineering professional tried IrisVR's offering makes quickly convert digital content major platforms walkable environment magical often takes hours days manual effort make designs VR-ready stopping company host exciting features planned mission critical tool collaboration buildings excited partner Shane Nate rest team big together changes structures created built

Chorus: Using AI as a Digital Coach for Sales Calls

October 18, 2016

excited announce investment Chorus.ai Chorus artificial intelligence platform learns works across sales conversations close deals Leveraging Natural Language Processing helps teams learn say avoid route quickly closed deal unites team's single view dashboard adds surface key moments around calls integrates CRM systems freeing reps take copious notes scaling manager's ability coach team move forward without sit every call lifeblood year United States 2.4 million inside engage millions hours prospects Billions dollars people costs trillion revenue tied good conversation result sale poor lost opportunity gets first successfully combine AI data analytics NLP unlock mystery voice software companies multiply successes see tremendous deploying improve cycle spend optimizing everything selling able critical part actual alone excitement Cisco Meraki Marketo Qualtrics Talkable working unify based patterns success surfaced machine learning vs human Instead machines humans past decade optimized help facet jobs except phone arguably valuable prospect interaction tools built gives insight better effective Emergence Capital thrilled future holds answer enhances speeds performance wait continue Roy Micha entire

We Are in For the Long Haul With project44

September 12, 2016

excited announce Emergence Capital's investment project44 Chicago-based company providing industry leading supply chain visibility connectivity CEO Jett McCandless team building cloud-based platform helps shippers carriers third party logistics firms 3PLs communicate transact real-time leveraging modern APIs cloud infrastructure bringing freight internet era Capital drawn Jett's vision streamline goods move value manufacturer end consumer direct result years work around thesis venture investor Veeva Systems saw firsthand power focusing software vertical believe take advantage initial focus within trucking follow similar path already sold largest less-than-truckload LTL market aggregating 99.9 available capacity second year operation facilitating 2.1MM API transactions daily basis next expand vertically include new modalities shipping rail beyond simply spoke customers heard repeatedly bring unique possibilities enhance revenue opportunities introduce dynamic pricing engines onto interested predictive analytics capabilities network provide times availability diligence discovered number ways become invaluable record transacts Founder attracted blend veterans President Tommy Barnes SaaS technology experts CTO Wally Ibrahim spent time executive became right core leverage domain expertise usher incredible passion dedication visible extends entire employee base aspire important partner entrepreneurs share transforming business works truly exceptional proud help unlock potential looking forward working co-investors Stuart Larkins Jason Duboe Chicago Ventures

What are the Biggest Trends in Mobile Enterprise?

July 13, 2016

first half 2016 witnessed continued growth mobile enterprise market Based venture activity major announcements Apple Google Microsoft Oracle SAP becoming increasingly clear next platform business Emergence Capital studying publishing space three years continue extremely excited businesses types sizes midyear update Trends Report give recap 1H highlight new initiatives players identify opportunities within funding companies increased 14 370MM versus period 2015 seem amazing overall U.S decreased 1 according CrunchBase particular several segments seen significant year include horizontal sales marketing HR industry-specific areas including education restaurants addition increases financing noticed increase stage Series rounds believe evidence increasing number gaining scale maturing Shifting Landscape added 28 brings total 341 9 last fall 18 months noticeable uptick applications built specifically deskless workers comprise 80 world's workforce found industries construction healthcare manufacturing retail never benefit computer work help productive Imagine value created part working world move away manual paper-based processes instead use technology jobs done billion-dollar address worker population Future Looking unique ways evolving combining disruptions leveraging interfaces virtual augmented reality provide immersive experiences apps interconnected sensors wearables drones devices rich data sets power previously unthinkable Lastly simple cases going app-less basic functionality accessed directly via chat pace evolution accelerating rapid changes creating

With LinkedIn Deal, Microsoft is Bringing In a New Era of Software

June 15, 2016

Microsoft set make largest acquisition history asking LinkedIn made worth 26.2 billion hefty price tag considering 2015 revenue 3 net loss 166 million opinion marriage leading professional social network world's software company demonstrates decidedly start new era proprietary data king come bundled together Moreover think expect enterprise look behave consumer internet services based upon ability harness behavioral across large sample user inputs available cloud deliver useful meaningful insight never done Taking back safe say functioned relatively last 40 years place users input information tracking reporting analysis limited company's base Larger relevance context part lacking bring industry forward infuses range Office apps offerings embed living profiles drawn close half people Next rivals battle granular activities customers order better serve course earn ever higher margins data-infused machine learning take center stage detailed actions captured analyzed along hundreds thousands others provided form recommended steps longer go specifically-tailored advice seen rise realm technology companies fundamentally aggregating analyzing behavior providing value advertisers example wearable devices FitBit able receive actionable health physical performance Facebook Amazon flow product easier engage often ways notice countless examples demonstrate puts front see divide segments starts collapse Microsoft's latest move shows already heading direction hearing promise data-driven insights decade now waiting real results comes reasons believe brink massive disruption First Google proven server scale horizontally unfathomable number-crunching power Add structural change 15 Salesforce.com led millions end easily aggregated Taken algorithms horsepower access datasets unprecedented issue machines whether ingest process enough world watching integration plays Regardless success lessons plenty without added layer soon become obsolete Commentary Gordon Ritter founder general partner Emergence Capital firm's investment 2003 firm lead investor leaders Box Yammer Successfactors 2008 invested pioneer Veeva Systems public currently Veeva's chairman named multiple times Forbes Midas List top venture-capital investors CNBC contributors follow CNBCopinion Twitter