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The investment was led by SingTel Innov8, the corporate venture arm of the SingTel Group, Asia’s leading communications group with 368 million[1] mobile customers across Asia and Africa. All existing investors, including Hummer Winblad, Steamboat Ventures and JK&B Capital also participated in the round. Concurrently, Baynote announced that former SAP executive Doug Merritt has been named president and CEO to lead the company through its next phase of investment and growth.
Both announcements come on the heels of 2010 being another record year for Baynote as the company grew year over year revenues by approximately 75 percent. This momentum drove the board’s decision to invest in several functional areas that will allow the company to scale with heightened demand for its adaptive web solutions among digital marketing and e-commerce executives at Global 2000 organizations. The new capital, which brings total funding for Baynote to more than $28 million, will be used primarily to advance the company’s entrance into new high-growth industries, such as telecommunications and financial services, and accelerate product innovation. Funds will also be used to more aggressively expand Baynote’s brand exposure worldwide.
“Through SingTel Innov8’s investment, we hope to tap into the SingTel Group’s expansive markets and capabilities to help take Baynote and our technology for digital and e-commerce professionals to the next level,” said Jack Jia, founder and chairman, Baynote.
“We believe Baynote’s thought leadership around the adaptive web and its disruptive collective intelligence technology for digital marketers and merchandisers will continue to fuel the company’s growth in an area which is becoming more important for enhancing customer experience,” said Yvonne Kwek, CEO of SingTel Innov8. “With Doug’s appointment to CEO and the latest financing, Baynote is now poised for what we expect will be a period of very explosive growth for the company worldwide.”
“Baynote has done an excellent job growing between 70 and 120 percent each year since the company was founded in 2005,” said Doug Merritt, Baynote’s newly appointed president and CEO. “Based on the founding team’s incredible success to date and the increasingly strong reception to our technology among digital marketers, the board and management team expect our growth rate to be multiple times higher by the end of 2012. We’ll use the funding to be more aggressive in product innovation, marketing, and channel development to scale with this exciting opportunity.”
About SingTel Innov8
SingTel Innov8, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the SingTel Group, is a corporate venture capital fund with its own set of decision making, approval and funding processes. It has an initial fund size of $200 million. SingTel Innov8 focuses its investments on technologies and solutions that lead to quantum changes in network capabilities, next generation devices, digital content services and enablers to enhance customer experience. It works closely with the ecosystem of leading innovators, developers, government agencies, R&D and capital providers to bring cutting-edge technologies and solutions to the various markets the SingTel Group operates in.
About SingTel Group
SingTel is Asia’s leading communications group providing a portfolio of services including voice and data solutions over fixed, wireless and Internet platforms as well as infocomm technology and pay TV. The Group has presence in Asia and Africa reaching 368 million mobile customers in 25 countries, including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. It also has a network of 36 offices in 19 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States.
About Baynote
Baynote (baynote.com) provides personalization and digital marketing optimization solutions that power the adaptive web, an emerging standard in customer experience that is always personal, relevant and convenient. By observing engagement patterns among like-minded individuals to understand user intent, the Baynote Adaptive Web Suite™ automatically optimizes and adapts the online experience, leading to increased conversions, revenue and loyalty. Baynote’s customers include: AT&T, CA, Dell, Expedia, Intuit, Fox, Urban Outfitters and VEVO. The company is based in San Jose, Calif. with additional offices in the U.K. and Germany.
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