Feature
Say what you will, but sometimes the scuttlebutt that emerges through Twitter (and that we report on) happens to be the truth, or pretty close to it anyways. We can now confirm that Accel-KKR has made a “majority investment” in (and may very well own -- read on) EPiServer. This news comes to us direct from EPiServer, which says that it can’t provide further comment right now.
Hats-off to Martin Henricson, CEO of EPiServer, for letting his customers, partners, employees and anyone else who might be affected by the news know that there’s something significant going on.
Henricson's reasoning for bringing cash to his firm, and specifically from Accel-KKR, is to gain “access to a broader network of industry expertise, which will help it (EPiServer) with the next phase of its growth trajectory and so enable it to deliver far reaching benefits for its customers.”
This “expertise” could very likely be coming from Ektron, which Accel has also “invested in” (or now owns) as well as North Plains, a 20-plus-year-old Toronto, Ontario, Canada based provider of Digital Asset Management software which is part of Accel-KKR’s portfolio. The company has a legacy of helping companies produce, manage and leverage their ever expanding collection of visual assets.
A Slip of the Tongue or Lost in Translation?
According to the release, Accel-KKR sees tremendous potential to help leading organizations provide effective customer experiences through the seamless combination of digital marketing and e- commerce. Under “new ownership,” (quote taken directly from the release) EPiServer states it will scale up its investment in sales and marketing, research and development, as well as customer service, to solidify its position as the preferred choice for digital leaders globally.
Interestingly, Accel-KKR doesn’t comment in the release at all, which is highly unusual. Those of us who read releases all of the time seldom see announcements in which the investor doesn’t bother to provide at least a boiler plate. Regardless, maybe Accel-KKR’s style is to simply let their money do the talking, and there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that except that it leaves the world to speculate and could provide a cause for concern.
Henricson may offer some comfort to his customers and a hint that something good may be forthcoming “Accel-KKR’s strategy to invest in and build leading technology companies to further their success will ensure far reaching benefits for EPiServer customers and partners alike.“
Learning Opportunities
Webinar
Jun
8
Attracting—and Keeping—Your High-Net-Worth Investors
Join PwC to dissect their recent survey findings on a specific customer subset — high-net-worth investors.
Webinar
Jun
13
The Future of Contact Centers with AI at the Helm
Learn how to balance human intuition and interaction with the potential uses of AI to create delightful and lasting CX
Webinar
Jun
13
Learn How to Deliver Dynamic Video Experiences at Scale
Learn how to convert existing assets into video experiences in near real-time.
Webinar
Jun
20
3 Steps to Unlock Your Customer Data and Drive Revenue
Discover how Twilio Segment’s #1 Customer Data Platform helps implement data-driven strategies.
Webinar
Jun
21
Retail Reinvented: A Masterclass in Creating Digital Experiences That Click
Hear how online retailers architect their digital experience infrastructure for peak traffic and demand
Webinar
Jun
21
The Feedback Loop: Accelerating Personalization for Exemplary Customer Experiences
Are you ready to harness the power of feedback in your personalization strategy?
Webinar
Jun
8
Attracting—and Keeping—Your High-Net-Worth Investors
Join PwC to dissect their recent survey findings on a specific customer subset — high-net-worth investors.
Webinar
Jun
13
The Future of Contact Centers with AI at the Helm
Learn how to balance human intuition and interaction with the potential uses of AI to create delightful and lasting CX
Define 'Under New Ownership'
We are not in a position to say that Accel-KKR will be mashing Ektron and EPiServer together.
We’ll be following this story as it just broke and the EPiServer community might feel comforted that Henricson has come forth and turned the cards that he’s allowed to reveal, face up.
Sale, no sale -- it depends how you interpret “under new ownership.” We generally believe that it suggests that something has been sold.
For what it’s worth, Henricson appears to be a good steward and Accel-KKR could very well be on its way to building something interesting.
If so, we invite them to tell us about it.
