Suger.io, the API-first platform that empowers high-growth software companies to seamlessly transact on cloud marketplaces, has successfully closed a $15 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Threshold Ventures, with participation from Craft Ventures, Intel Capital, and Y Combinator.

Cloud Marketplaces: The Fastest-Growing B2B Sales Channel

Cloud marketplaces are transforming B2B software sales, offering:
Larger deal sizes
Faster sales cycles
Reduced risk of late payments

By 2028, annual cloud marketplace transactions are expected to exceed $100 billion. However, companies face challenges in managing multiple marketplace integrations and scaling workflow automation effectively.

"We found enterprise teams relying on manual workarounds, unmanaged automations, and makeshift tools," said Jon Yoo, Co-Founder & CEO of Suger.io. "Suger automates the entire quote-to-cash process, freeing go-to-market teams from engineering and operational bottlenecks."

Suger.io: AI-Powered Automation for Cloud Marketplace Sales

Automates quote-to-cash workflows
Streamlines marketplace transactions for B2B SaaS companies
Boosts sales efficiency by eliminating manual work

"Suger is solving one of the most pressing challenges for B2B software companies today," said Lisa Xu, Partner at Threshold Ventures. "With deep expertise in this space, the Suger team is building a category-defining company."

Suger’s Rapid Growth & Market Impact

4x ARR growth in 2024
200+ customers, including Snowflake, Intel, Notion, and ContentSquare
3x marketplace volumes & 140%+ increase in average contract value
8-figure deals regularly transacted through its platform

The Future of Cloud Marketplace Sales

Suger.io is shaping a future where B2B software transactions operate with the ease of e-commerce. With this new funding, the company will expand R&D efforts to create a unified, cloud-first procurement ecosystem.

Fivetran, the global leader in data movement, has announced the appointment of Suresh Seshadri as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Anand Mehta as Chief People Officer (CPO), and Simon Quinton as General Manager for EMEA. These strategic hires reinforce Fivetran’s commitment to scaling operations, fostering a high-performing company culture, and expanding its global reach.

"Strengthening our leadership team is key to accelerating innovation and delivering exceptional value to our customers," said George Fraser, CEO of Fivetran. "These accomplished leaders bring unique expertise that will be pivotal in driving our next phase of growth and success."

Meet the New Leaders Driving Fivetran’s Next Growth Phase

Suresh Seshadri, Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

 Former CFO at OpenGov, where he led financial strategy and expansion
 Scaled Freshworks’ financial foundation ahead of its public offering
 Played a key role in AppDynamics’ $3.7B acquisition by Cisco
 Finance leadership roles at VMware and Microsoft

Anand Mehta, Chief People Officer (CPO)

 Led HR through rapid scaling at ID.me and Compass
 Expanded workforce from 1,700 to 4,000+ at Compass in a year
 Former Operating Committee member at Bridgewater Associates
 Consulting and analytics experience at Bain & Company

Simon Quinton, General Manager, EMEA

 20+ years in enterprise software, including leadership roles at Salesforce, Infor, and SAP
 Former GM for Tableau EMEA North at Salesforce
 Led major accounts at Infor and SAP, driving innovation across key industries

Fivetran’s Continued Global Expansion

With these leadership additions, Fivetran is strengthening its position as the go-to platform for modern data movement. These executives bring proven expertise in finance, operations, HR, and regional expansion, positioning the company for its next stage of growth, innovation, and global impact.

Zocks, a privacy-first AI platform, has announced a strategic partnership with Carson Group, a leading financial services firm supporting a nationwide network of advisors. This collaboration empowers Carson’s advisors with AI-driven insights, automated workflows, and enhanced client engagement.

"We're thrilled to partner with Carson Group, a true innovator in the wealth management space," said Mark Gilbert, CEO & Co-founder of Zocks. "The rapid adoption by 250 advisors in just eight weeks highlights the platform’s immediate value and Carson’s commitment to tech-driven client relationships."

How Zocks is Revolutionizing Wealth Management

AI-Powered Client Profiles – Automatically updates client information from conversations
Meeting Notes & Task Automation – Saves 45 minutes per meeting by capturing critical insights
Email Assistance – Streamlines responses to client inquiries
CRM Integration – Syncs seamlessly with Salesforce for real-time data access
Firm-Wide Insights – Surfaces key trends across advisors

"The 97% weekly active usage rate among our advisors speaks volumes," said Dani Fava, Chief Strategy Officer, Carson Group. "This isn't just about efficiency—it’s about unlocking deeper insights to drive better client outcomes."

A New Era for Wealth Management AI

With over 280 Carson Group users actively leveraging Zocks, this partnership is set to redefine client intelligence in wealth management, setting new standards for data privacy, security, and advisor efficiency.

BigCommerce , a leading provider of open, composable commerce solutions, has announced the appointment of Rob Walter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) and Michelle Suzuki as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). These strategic hires align with BigCommerce’s mission to accelerate growth and enhance shareholder value.

"These additions strengthen our senior leadership team and underscore our commitment to investing in top talent," said Travis Hess, CEO of BigCommerce. "Their expertise will be instrumental as we refocus on driving growth across BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift."

Meet the New Leaders Driving BigCommerce Forward

Rob Walter, Chief Revenue Officer
 20+ years of ecommerce and GTM leadership at Salesforce, eBay, ChannelAdvisor, and Amplience
 Led revenue growth at Amplience & OroCommerce, scaling teams and accelerating sales
 Expertise in customer success, professional services, and revenue operations

"Ecommerce brands must engage customers in new and dynamic ways," said Walter. "BigCommerce empowers businesses with flexibility and customization to meet evolving customer expectations."

Michelle Suzuki, Chief Marketing Officer
 25+ years of experience scaling high-growth companies, including Glassbox, Instructure, EMC, and Ancestry
 Led marketing strategy for Instructure’s $3B IPO and executed 10+ M&A transactions
 Specializes in demand generation, digital transformation, and data-driven marketing

"I thrive on leveraging data, creativity, and content to build high-value customer experiences," said Suzuki. "I’m excited to drive BigCommerce’s return to rapid growth and long-term success."

The Future of BigCommerce

With these leadership additions, BigCommerce is poised to drive innovation and expand its impact on global ecommerce. Expect enhanced customer engagement, strategic revenue growth, and a stronger market presence.

Inuvo, Inc. has introduced the IntentKey Platform, an advanced AI agent for audience modeling, designed to tackle modern advertising challenges such as signal loss, privacy regulations, and real-time insights. By leveraging Inuvo’s proprietary IntentKey AI, the platform empowers marketers and agencies to instantly build, refine, and activate audience models for smarter and more efficient campaigns.

Features of the IntentKey Platform

Instant Audience Modeling – Define and refine audience targets in seconds
Real-Time Updates – Models adapt to trends every five minutes
Flexible Activation – Deploy through any DSP or managed by Inuvo
Advanced Insights – AI-driven demographics, sentiment, and geographic analysis

Bridging the Gap in a Cookieless World

The $200B+ ad tech market is undergoing a transformation with the phase-out of cookies and personal identifiers. The IntentKey Platform positions Inuvo to capture market share by delivering ad performance surpassing traditional behavioral targeting solutions.

Self-Service & Managed Service Options

Self-Service – Marketers can independently build and activate audience models
Managed Service – Inuvo provides full-service optimization with insights-driven reporting

Proven Success with AI-Driven Targeting

James & James Furniture leveraged IntentKey to enhance audience precision and identify new product trends
Emerald Ebikes used IntentKey’s AI-generated audience models to drive sales—without additional targeting data

"Marketers need AI-driven solutions to succeed in a privacy-first, cookieless world," said Amir Bahkshaie, SVP of Inuvo. "The IntentKey Platform delivers real-time insights and dynamic audience modeling that adapts to the ever-changing advertising landscape."

TripleLift, the Creative SSP revolutionizing digital advertising with immersive ad formats and cutting-edge technology, has appointed Dave Helmreich as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). With a proven track record in AdTech and MarTech, Helmreich is set to accelerate TripleLift’s strategic initiatives, strengthen its market leadership, and drive growth through creative technology, data-driven insights, and premium inventory.

Helmreich’s Background & Vision for TripleLift

With 20+ years of experience in SaaS, marketing, media, and advertising, Helmreich previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at Innovid, where he led the company’s transition to a pure software model, achieving double-digit revenue growth. His leadership spans high-growth companies, including Oracle, LiveIntent, Audience Partners, and Stackline.

A Focus on Creativity in AdTech
"For too long, advertising technology has been focused on process optimization, while creative has been overlooked," said Helmreich. "TripleLift is redefining this by combining creativity with technology. I’m excited to lead the company into its next phase of innovation and growth."

Backed by Industry Leaders
Eric Roza, Operating Managing Director at Vista Equity Partners, praised Helmreich as a strategic, people-centered leader, while Rod Aliabadi, Managing Director at Vista Equity Partners, emphasized his outcome-driven approach as a key asset for TripleLift’s continued expansion.

TripleLift’s Momentum & Industry Leadership

May 2024 – Launched Adaptive Commerce Solutions, tailored for retail and commerce buyers
Amazon Ads Partnership – First SSP to support Amazon Ads’ Native Responsive eCommerce (REC) format on third-party supply
Beta Participant – Selected for Amazon Ads' Dynamic Traffic Engine, a traffic signal-sharing tool

With Helmreich at the helm, TripleLift is poised for further breakthroughs, redefining digital advertising through precision, scale, and creativity.

Rackspace Technology , a leader in hybrid, multicloud, and AI solutions, is collaborating with Dealer eProcess (DEP) to enhance digital capabilities and customer experience using Google Cloud.

• Founded in 2006 in Lisle, Illinois, DEP specializes in automotive digital solutions.
• Provides high-converting websites, digital advertising, and 24/7 customer support.
• Everest, its AI-powered platform, integrates marketing, retail, and key tools to boost lead generation.
• AI engine, Sherpa, personalizes user experiences in real time.

Challenges and Growth Needs

• Rapid expansion required DEP to scale its infrastructure for thousands of retailers across North America and Europe.
• OEM partnerships led to a need for quick deployment of hundreds of dealer sites.
• High data traffic and complex operations demanded a robust cloud solution.

Rackspace’s Cloud Solution on Google Cloud

• Developed a production-ready Google Cloud architecture with Rackspace's Elastic Engineering.
• Implemented Infrastructure as Code (IaC) hosted on GitHub.
• Set up deployment pipelines using GitHub Actions.
• Utilized Managed Instance Groups (MIGs) for scalable compute workloads.

Google Cloud Services Integrated

• Filestore – High-performance file storage.
• Memorystore – In-memory data storage.
• Cloud SQL – Managed relational databases.
• Cloud Load Balancing – Efficient traffic distribution.

Impact of the Migration

• Enhanced scalability to handle spikes in data and user traffic.
• Increased efficiency in provisioning and deploying new sites.
• Improved ability to serve new customers and support DEP’s growth strategy.
• Enabled DEP to respond quickly to changing market demands.

Future Collaboration and Expansion

• DEP plans to continue working with Rackspace Elastic Engineering to evolve its technology stack.
• Rackspace experts provide essential support in managing and optimizing Google Cloud infrastructure.

With Rackspace Technology’s support, Dealer eProcess successfully migrated from a private cloud to Google Cloud, ensuring scalability, automation, and seamless digital operations. The partnership continues to drive innovation and growth in the automotive digital space.

FOMO.ai, an AI-powered marketing team helping brands boost traffic, has appointed TJ Stave as Head of Agency Services. Stave, a digital marketing expert with experience at IPG and Dentsu, will lead agency partnerships, driving AI-driven content marketing and SEO strategies.

TJ Stave’s Background & Expertise

• Held key roles at IPG and Dentsu, working with top brands like Amazon.
• Extensive experience in digital marketing and performance-driven strategies.
• Passionate about AI’s role in reshaping content marketing and SEO.

Why TJ Stave Joined FOMO.ai

• Inspired by FOMO.ai’s ability to solve content marketing challenges.
• Recognized the urgency of adapting to AI Overviews reducing Google clicks.
• Believes AI-powered marketing is the future of traffic generation.

FOMO.ai’s AI-Driven Approach

• Combines human expertise with autonomous AI marketing teams.
• Focuses on delivering brand-aligned content strategies.
• Helps brands achieve authority in AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.

Leadership & Industry Impact

• Stave’s role will enhance FOMO.ai’s partnerships with agencies.
• Aims to future-proof SEO strategies and drive measurable growth.
• Dax Hamman, Co-Founder of FOMO.ai, highlights Stave’s expertise in adapting to the fast-changing marketing landscape.

Client Success with FOMO.ai

• Brands leveraging FOMO.ai are seeing rapid growth in visibility and traffic.
• Angela Caltagirone (VP Marketing, Williams-Sonoma Inc.) praises FOMO.ai’s impact on growth marketing and revenue generation.

With TJ Stave’s leadership, FOMO.ai strengthens its position as a game-changer in AI-powered content marketing. His expertise will help agencies and brands navigate the evolving SEO landscape, ensuring sustainable and scalable growth.