Though more companies are achieving unicorn status than ever before, those that reach a $1 billion valuation have none the less accomplished something worthy of great accolades. Unlike unicorns such as AirBnB and food tech startup Notco that reached unicorn status within a few years, Emplifi is a twenty year old company that has risen to new heights with the digital economy.
The company offers a unified customer experience platform that has the support of private equity led by global investment firm Sixth Street Growth with participation of the LionTree merchant bank. The former has over $60 billion in assets under management.
“In Sixth Street, we have found a patient, long-term investor with a strong record in customer experience. Their partnership mindset will add great strategic value to Emplifi,” said the company’s CEO Mark Zablan.
Emplifi provides global client brands Delta Air Lines, Ford Motor Company, McDonald’s and 7000 others with an end-to-end platform for social marketing, social commerce and social care. These companies now have the tools to unify those areas, filling critical customer experience gaps that have widened over the past two years.
Recent funding will be directed toward accelerating product innovation and pursuing growth in new and existing markets. The additional funds build on prior investor support from Audax Private Equity and other existing investors, accelerating the company’s development of an end-to-end customer experience platform. Audax continues as the majority investor with Bo Stanley, Partner, and Ben Johnston, Managing Director, joining the board of Emplifi, as part of Sixth Street’s recent investment.
Emplifi’s management team has the confidence of their investors, expressed by Stanley.
“Emplifi’s leadership understands the full breadth of the consumer experience including discovering new products, researching purchases, sharing their experiences, and requesting service and support,” said Stanley. “Emplifi’s comprehensive CX platform helps brands please consumers through every touchpoint along that customer journey.”
Both Emplifi’s executive team and their investors see a future full of growth opportunities in the customer experience space, emanating from changing consumer behavior that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their unified CX platform closes the customer experience gap.
“Emplifi is taking on an industry opportunity that is fueled by major shifts in consumer behaviors as customers turn to more social and digital means to connect, communicate and transact,” said Iveshu Bhatia, Managing Director at Audax.
As Emplifi enters this next stage of growth they have in place the funding necessary to support their goals, while getting an extra bounce from its recognition as a unicorn. It was achieved through 20 plus years of hard work, but as critical was the company’s ability to adapt to rising trends and grab the opportunities being presented by the digital economy.
