Perspectives

Let’s Get Comfy

June 8, 2016

last time overheated conference room productive meeting recent addition portfolio Comfy eliminate productivity drains investment result work understanding Internet IoT change lives millions employees office buildings modern sophisticated digital HVAC controls systems know daily usage patterns offices rooms floor allows employee suggest temperature changes specific location via mobile app Workers preferred given workspace teach building optimize surprising effective control lowers energy use reducing heating cooling spaces occupied achieves average electricity reduction 20 companies strongest ROI software solutions want Broad adoption requires simple access easy-to-use interface delivers immediate value user excitement fueled conversations customers end-users Users rave product approaching team members site visits thank improving environment Indeed spread across corporate campuses due popular demand visiting behind explains success Comfy's founders passionate potential large-scale impact sustainability worker Andrew Krioukov Steve Dawson-Haggerty met Berkeley pursuing CS PhDs focused rethinking assembled group science experts experienced SaaS engineering sales talent world-class designers create delightful round capital expand marketing capability serve large overseas pleased partner CBRE global real estate giant Microsoft Claremont Creek Ventures co-investors fits vision empower everyone thrilled welcome fourth company Emergence family think future feels

Our Investment in BetterWorks

March 23, 2016

excited announce Emergence Capital's investment BetterWorks innovative company bringing world-class productivity performance every enterprise CEO Kris Duggan all-star team building cloud-based Business Operating System helps customers create align collaborate corporate goals essence record achieving success Capital drawn vision make employees purposeful work thrilled lead Series round fast-growing result several years around thesis next generation human management HCM applications early investor SuccessFactors went public acquired 3.4 billion SAP participated first incarnation HR cloud recruiting learning three core pillars suite products tremendous primarily versions classic on-premise software solutions focused needs managers C-suite believe leaders deliver value end users senior spoke heard repeatedly inspired teams engaged aligned ever discovered 90 companywide adoption rates unprecedented user engagement metrics built ground relentless focus end-user combined enterprise-grade capabilities insights transformative Founder attracted world's best SaaS onto pleasure working past time spent excitement grew incredible talent mutual respect camaraderie passion palpable extends entire employee base values Sparkle evident culture collective help find purpose meaning partner entrepreneurs share transform works truly exceptional opportunities proud partnering achieve potential looking forward co-investors John Doerr Jason Lemkin Joe Lonsdale welcome family

Why Santi Subotovsky is now a General Partner of Emergence Capital

January 20, 2016

incredibly excited proud announce Santi Subotovsky become fifth General Partner Emergence Capital pride team-first culture collaborative approach venture business earliest days decided hire great talent promote within enhance preserve Similar Kevin Spain joined firm Senior Associate 2010 worked Principal now proved every level enthusiasm unwavering commitment leader increasingly industry believe power value diversity thought experience gained tremendous fit unique set experiences perspectives founded built company Latin America entrepreneur emerging markets knows courage required build successful startup amidst economic adversity builds one's character resilience far beyond Silicon Valley perspective helped think differently anyone embraced enabled thinking seek best brightest world global team amazing asset brings entrepreneur's mindset demonstrated passion always believed extreme work ethic lofty ambitions combined capacity learn important proven track record combines relentless optimism done kind attitude rare empathy meets type guy never leaves entrepreneurs behind pursuit success simply person hope kids day grow fortunate found attracted see blossom becoming surprise choose back obvious others hidden gems beginning discover look forward years building iconic enterprise cloud businesses together Congratulations Onward Upward Partners

Enterprise Next: Predictions for 2016

January 7, 2016

reflect blockbuster year enterprise cloud applications 2015 Emergence Capital excited turn attention store 2016 see number promising growth areas emerging technologies innovative business models seeing companies adjust new reality belt-tightening good news technology becoming interesting every businesses benefiting combination based hardware e.g drones VR compute power enables sophisticated analytics market headed 10 trends Industry vertical solutions biggest segment spending partner Gordon Ritter wrote earlier nearly verticals Uber-vulnerable disruption window time building enabling help incumbents drive innovation introducing customer-centric Mobile Apps continue picking steam deskless workers increasingly use become productive starting sector grow 100 billion forecasted Kevin Spain well-read Report Employee Engagement Culture Management go mainstream Jason Green predicts environment talent ultimate competitive advantage figure recruit measure manage retain best generation enable transition Internet IoT show early ROI taking vertically-focused approach broader platforms developing cases emerge specific manufacturing healthcare particularly blending sensor data predictive Brian Jacobs notes shift middleware move beyond backyard toys bigger story FAA regulations finalized going increasing large corporates spin drone initiatives agriculture construction mining GreenTech second coming moniker Natural Resources influx Bill Gates multi-billion dollar Clean Energy Fund initiative draw entrepreneurs millennials focused socially conscious colleague Jake Saper greater focus software key enabler viable Freemium 2.0 completely free monetization happening background Santi Subotovsky explains Revenues derived transactions give away workflow Upsells premium longer make money Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Language Processing buzzwords value applied domains impact word level tone matters finding teams understand questions ask outcomes Virtual augmented According Joe Floyd first AR supporting high physicians projects oil rigs situations justify cost predict proliferation increase costs decline develop close skills gap redefining campus interviewing hiring process John Chen set provide rich project-based experiences grads acquire necessary work exposure thoughts around venture funding 5 predictions start efficiency private public mindset Revenue Quality term du jour midst SaaS echo chamber backed selling predominantly VC seen movie DotCom 1.0 happy ending Corporate scandals come light availability bubbles leads excess shortcuts problematic several showcasing kind unsavory behavior tends hand-in-hand frothy times shopping sprees kick M&A activity balance sheets all-time constrained IPO tough ready take opportunity started investing comfort Silicon Valley investors non-Silicon video collaboration tools increased thanks Zoom general remote employees offices in-person pitch meeting less important continues gain elsewhere Stay tuned 2017 prediction takes next fantastic build wave

The “Emergence Award” Goes to...Zoom.us!

December 26, 2015

year Emergence Capital gives award portfolio company called big successful sale IPO exemplifies values respect hard work smart execution customer dedication become famous already next several years want recognize congratulate Eric Yuan founder CEO Zoom.us founded Zoom 2011 vision creating generation video conferencing designed bring happiness back users founding engineers WebEx knew shortcomings existing solutions set fix starting Fast forward 2015 made tremendous progress product everyone loves use building team getting hands onto screens millions worldwide invested beginning team's remarkable highlights Incredible six fantastic hires executive including Dave Berman President Roy Benhorin Head Finance Sunil Madan Business Services Janine Pelosi Marketing John Bow Enterprise Dana Mata Development addition recruited Peter Gassner Veeva Systems join board directors Rapid expansion 150 000 customers December representing double number generated 4 billion minutes Extreme NPS scores 62 significantly higher players space frankly almost tech know Perhaps importantly statistics truly changing people time mention involvement hear stories life changed post-Zoom students working collaboratively classmates teachers international colleagues feeling connected U.S offices now Zooming ever part collaborate internally companies entrepreneurs Limited Partners Zoom's success far inspiring quick note combination Eric's relentless focus experience talent lead growth 2016 beyond defining digital workspaces future true example calls honor present wait continue journey

Why We Invested in Textio

December 16, 2015

excited announce Emergence Capital's Series investment Textio bold company developing platform improves write particularly energizing reflects long-standing interest advancing communication think modern worker 10 time spent specialized applications 90 free-form speech written text However first decade enterprise cloud investing focusing creating form-based functional Salesforce powerful continued search companies focused last several years following advancements natural language processing thinking machine learning allow start tackling broader challenge optimizing verbal thesis mind partner Alison Wagonfeld said meet co-founders going love vision documents met Kieran Snyder Jensen Harris friend Aileen Lee Cowboy Ventures knew Emergence's focus appreciative helped connect firm cup coffee San Francisco tell within 5 minutes kind opportunity seek venture investor soon saw demo light in-line suggestions looking new user experience team special Kieran's background linguistics combined Jensen's expertise interface design made ideal founding Textio's initial product designed around job descriptions days scoring started talking customers Twitter Microsoft raved completely changed see potential positively impact kinds business writing became interaction buzzing ideas closing flew Seattle strategy session incredibly impressive working living room office apartment appreciate varied superpowers teams diversity backgrounds talents approaches forward closely seed investors including Roy Bahat Bloomberg Beta Kent Goldman Upside Capital entrepreneurs share passion Next represents wonderful example journey together extended

Enterprise Cloud Playbook: Lessons from the Front Lines

December 15, 2015

Emergence Capital work talented SaaS entrepreneurs building market-moving enterprise technology visionary executives wealth knowledge takes truly build successful company today's market effort share rich insights greater entrepreneurial community sat leaders 14 portfolio companies Bill.com CivitasLearning Cotap Donuts Gusto InsideView Intacct Janrain Lithium Navera Replicon Salesloft SteelBrick Viglink hear drivers success talked common challenges looked topics find right talent grow team scale maximum follows excerpts cloud playbook includes series lessons top example see Godard Abel CEO Steel Brick talking importance culture conscious communicating consistent throughout monthly hands systematic sharing plans recognizing members going beyond help win Rene Lacerte shared tips scaling mind day-one organizational threshold comes new issues roles responsibilities Anticipating changes beforehand cultivating meet full stride necessary overcoming propelling next stage Kyle Porter shares thoughts metrics favorite important metric revenue churn tells losing customers second probably month MRR growth Keep reading SlideShare hire winners Thank Julia Mailander Steve Adams Larry Drebes Katy Keim CMO Umberto Milleti Raj Narayanaswamy Jim Patterson Rob Reid Josh Reeves Oliver Roup Paul Stahura Charles Thornburgh Civitas Learning

Emergence Capital Mobile Enterprise Forum

December 1, 2015

October 2015 hosted 3rd Annual Mobile Enterprise Forum hosting nearly 300 CEOs companies building apps business users day started Welcome Kevin Spain General Partner Emergence Capital framed opportunity sharing prediction businesses become 100 billion represents next major platform shift technology Peggy Johnson Executive Vice President Development Microsoft EVP took stage gave audience glimpse future Microsoft's perspective talked device proliferation share vision increased productivity returned interview Peter Weed Manager Growth Tech Practice McKinsey Co shared results survey conducted 70 almost considered first showed per user seat pricing mechanisms common customer acquisition costs line SaaS startups similar indicated vertical getting higher revenue installed app selling levels organization heard Anthony Lye CEO HotSchedules insights popular restaurant workers seen 60 000 monthly downloads across Apple Google platforms employees using swap shifts manage schedules coordinate among managers noted bordering cult usage Jeff Tangney Doximity spoke Driving engagement matters largest active place doctors talk patients physicians United States members monitoring specifically looks click kick ratio click-through rate opt emphasized measuring tracking critical contest concept within company encourage noting works incredibly Invoice2go Greg Waldorf speak session titled Show Money reflected store key part cloud gets daily email going top 10 trends loving look reviews real time barometer anything people feeling stay true message ending idea worst leader constantly pivot metric high energy sales discussion Glen Coates Handshake Jim Herbold CRO Infer former WW Box talking build engine underscored importance creating degree urgency discussed hold team accountable opps keeps trains running added engineering becomes important distill requests takeaway science art Spenser Skates Amplitude analytics Measure product change example discovered wanted log regularly kept hitting sign-up page larger scale chat best predictor whether somebody complete trial completion three chats asked tools use monitor mentioned event-based behavioral operational data helpful need able access speakers closed Horizon Drones featuring Romeo Durscher Director Education DJI Mike Winn DroneDeploy enables commented starting see explosion used commercial purposes despite regulatory restrictions drone give instantaneous 99 accuracy seeing uses industries mining farming construction collect water samples remote locations normally accessible ended drawing new attendees participated McKinsey's wrapped busy Ecosytem Break-out meet executives 12 industry leaders enabling excited holds

Emergence Capital Industry Cloud Forum: Recap

November 24, 2015

November 12 2015 hosted Going Vertical 2nd Annual Industry Cloud Forum San Francisco provided opportunity engage fellow entrepreneurs executives vertically-focused companies day opened welcome keynote Gordon Ritter Co-founder General Partner Emergence Capital discussed primary ideas Enablers Disruptors touched customer intimacy leaders closed ten questions company ask determine truly leader heard variety market took stage share insights best practices building highlights Peter Gassner CEO Veeva Systems spoke become important strategic customers noted specific solutions increase speed value shared increasingly tech clients time ended stating goal 1 billion dollars recurring revenue 2020 Rich Boyle Former LoopNet lessons learned LoopNet's ascent albeit bumpy talk candidly imminent bankruptcy clarifies priorities underscored importance great relationships trust themes panel discussion go-to-market strategies place Charles Thornburgh Civitas Learning Katy Keim CMO Lithium Santi Subotovsky three pricing mixture art science emphasizing point often clear standard perspectives offering pioneer early adopters helped shape product topic c-suite solving big enough problem Finally hiring talent team able articulate interestingly category expertise second Marcus Ryu Guidewire morning session reaching end-customer Last Mile stressed system record everyone needs use sales overcoming cognitive dissonance innovation inertia broke lunch included power networking within cohorts New connections made old colleagues caught Following break additional speakers including Aaron Levie Box talked Jason Green leveraging platforms build updates Box's initiatives sectors financial services healthcare Greg Smirin COO ClimateCorp Jake Saper moving horizontal sharing details transition ultimately selling Monsanto 930 million path easy looked outside talking easier learn domain teach experts think disruptive Nima Ghamsari Blend Labs interviewed Alison Wagonfeld credibility startup mortgage slow adopt technology strategy working advisors gain access key players Andy Hurd MedeAnalytics afternoon sessions Brian Jacobs speaking idea fostering partnerships across stated reliance particular lots leading See full round-up photos read Gordon's recent article

Is Enterprise Hyper-Growth the New Normal?

November 10, 2015

enterprise cloud entered new era hyper growth thanks combination dramatically expanded global markets access unprecedented later-stage private capital ability scale sales organizations remote talent 25 companies founded since 2007 valued today 1 billion importantly speed accelerating several 2010 reached milestone less three years something formerly seen consumer Internet Connected Professionals Currently mobile world based recent IDC research investment last 20 30 focused approximately five hundred million white-collar desktop workers developed countries next decade see number expand 2 technology applications expands end users identify solve productivity needs so-called shift end-user computing opportunity reach billions Moreover every size industry country now world-class software information fingertips cost start company build product time low become leader marketplace higher ever without experience resources fight war destined remain niche players ambition amass capable building dwarf leaders generation exists late-stage valuations historically available proven prolific public availability changed nature scale-up game allowing Zenefits Slack raise hundreds millions dollars multi-billion within couple founding ever-increasing amounts risk stay invest aggressively burden quarterly performance history tech business hyper-growth startups consumer-focused hail Silicon Valley increasing created across globe coming space Processes Technologies scope market opportunities require transformation philosophy tools required succeed Part magic rapidly fact cloud-based enabling marketing globally rates ago Salesforce.com pioneered use telesales model enable inside army representatives automation platforms ExactTarget Salesforce Marketo enabled marketers lead-generation efforts feed growing qualified leads success likeSalesforce.com first Emergence unleashed explosion innovation almost functional area especially email video conferencing presentation e-signatures tracking analytics teams operate central location highly effective communicating prospects customers winners take advantage critical innovations defined four fundamental trends Product-driven Machine Learning Predictive Platform Mobile-first Mentality Organization Deep Specialization vast majority consumed process spent identifying prospective customer educating solution assessing whether pressing need finally convincing satisfied best relative alternatives easily search try buy independently amount front reduced plays role satisfying security compliance administrative control supporting early adoption finding ways simplify value proposition running quickly reducing friction involved purchase models help usher freemium free trial widely adopted products simple enough self-implemented drive awareness usage powerful compelling competitive necessity requires outbound engine incredibly used track activities results primarily purpose adding visibility managers pipeline Big data lots insights excites true driven i.e create dramatic efficiencies leverage reps versus intelligence partner means biggest levers ramp consistent quota attainment enhanced future online training simulations improve seeing evidence augmenting real-time decision making terms contact approach prospect individual interests Similar progress self-driving cars past seemed incremental broken open advances example using applied voice behaviors effectiveness Lattice 4Insight providing ready make given moment distant advent wearables Google Glass combined perhaps analytic assistance SuperReps orders magnitude productive finest user smartphones desktops recognizing increasingly workforce going interacting via phones requiring wholesale change react difficult on-premise vendors transition challenge established desktop-centric tried think disruptive set emerge innings invested Cotap Doximity Handshake others utilizing deliver fundamentally capabilities done Clari Quip taking next-generation approaches sectors CRM document creation collaboration adopters inherent road instance geo-targeting allow know someone near client always massive enhancements begun fracture result movement Ops function expertise defines metrics around entire puts place foundation systems fast breaking losing transparency evolution tracked evaluating structure team key relevant broad umbrella sales-acceleration increase velocity Estimated 12.8 roughly sector 2008 2009 expect continue develop seismic throughout examples notable categories impact traction include Prospecting shifted development rep SDR emerged player hyper-specialized point person reviewing vetting target probability Sales-prospecting Salesloft Infer automated manual work enhance single Configure Price Quote CPQ functionality allows automate pricing services according various economic factors determine feasibility strategies bundling upselling provide optimal Apttus SteelBrick real pain producing accurate professional quotes thereby provides meaningful prior qualitative error-prone faster grow term virtuous cycle Upsells placing emphasis retaining relationships Gainsight Totango 360 degree view bringing together helpdesk engagement silos show service changing Rise SuperRep hiring young less-experienced type heights believe bring forth application providers huge ecosystem creating