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- InsideSales
InsideSales Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors
InsideSales was acquired by Aurea Software in August 2021.
InsideSales acquisition price
Undisclosed
Acquired by Aurea Software · Aug 2021
Cumulative funding InsideSales raised
$247M
across 4 funding rounds
Key investors in InsideSales
U.S. Venture Partners
Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
Kleiner Perkins
Polaris Partners
Zetta Venture Partners
Salesforce Ventures
Microsoft
EPIC Ventures
About InsideSales
InsideSales.com, founded in Provo, Utah by David Elkington and Ken Krogue and later rebranded as Xant before reverting to its original name, provided a cloud-based sales acceleration platform built on predictive analytics and AI. Its Neuralytics engine drew on billions of sales-interaction data points to help sales teams prioritize contacts and close deals, integrating with platforms including Salesforce and Microsoft. The company served more than 2,000 customers, including Microsoft, ADP, and Groupon, and its Playbooks product for optimizing sales contact rates was later folded into Aurea Software's commerce portfolio.
Founded
2004
HQ
Website
Status
Acquired
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Subscription
Valuation
$1.5B (Jan 2017)
InsideSales Acquisition
InsideSales was acquired by Aurea Software for an undisclosed price on 2 August 2021.
Before the acquisition InsideSales had raised $247M across 4 funding rounds.
Aurea Software acquired XANT, Inc. (formerly InsideSales.com, founded in 2004 and rebranded in 2020), a pioneer in guided sales engagement software with AI-powered buyer insights, on August 2, 2021. The acquisition integrates XANT's technology, including Playbooks for optimizing sales contact rates, into Aurea's future of commerce portfolio alongside solutions like Infer and FirstRain to enhance B2B sales and marketing across the funnel. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though unnamed sources cited a low double-digit millions purchase price; the company had peaked at nearly $2 billion valuation previously and invested over $300 million in technology yielding dozens of patents. Post-acquisition, Aurea revived the original InsideSales.com brand in October 2021, retiring XANT.ai, based on the brand's heritage and success from 2004-2019. InsideSales became a critical pillar in Aurea's subscription-based software library, providing unlimited access to cloud-based enterprise tools. The deal involved asset purchase, with all XANT employees terminated in the transaction per former staff statements, and Aurea integrating the Playbook product into its suite without confirming staff retention.
| Acquirer | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Aug 2021 | Strategic M&A |
InsideSales Valuation
InsideSales is currently valued at $1.5B, based on its Series D in January 2017.
The $50M round was led by Polar Capital Management, with participation from Zetta Venture Partners, Microsoft, Kleiner Perkins, Polaris Partners, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and 4 other investors.
InsideSales' valuation has grown 1.5x from $1B at its Series C in April 2014 to $1.5B in January 2017, across 3 priced rounds.
InsideSales valuation by funding round
| Date | Stage | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2017 | Series D | $1.5B |
| Mar 2015 | Series D | $1.5B |
| Apr 2014 | Series C | $1B |
InsideSales Funding History
InsideSales has raised a total of $247M across 4 funding rounds.
InsideSales' first fundraising round was a $37M Series B in January 2013. The most recent completed round was a $50M Series D in January 2017.
InsideSales funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Valuation | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2017 | Series D | Polar Capital Management (lead); Zetta Venture Partners; Microsoft; Kleiner Perkins; Polaris Partners; Hummer Winblad Venture Partners; QuestMark Partners; U.S. Venture Partners; EPIC Ventures; Ireland Strategic Investment Fund | $50M | $1.5B | InsideSales.com is a big data platform focused on sales performance management software, leveraging predictive analytics and AI to optimize sales processes. The company, founded in Provo, Utah by David Elkington and Ken Krogue, was initially bootstrapped before raising venture funding starting with a small Series A in 2012 from Hummer Winblad and Josh James. By early 2017, InsideSales had raised a cumulative $251.2 million from investors including QuestMark Partners, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, Salesforce Ventures, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Microsoft, Polaris Partners, U.S. Venture Partners, Zetta Venture Partners, Acadia Woods Partners, and EPIC Ventures. The queried round in January 2017 raised $50 million led by Polaris Partners, with participation from Microsoft and Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. The company operates in the global sales performance management market, estimated at $2.48 billion in 2015 and projected to grow 18% annually to $5.62 billion by 2020 per MarketsandMarkets. InsideSales was expanding geographically, announcing plans for offices in Ireland to serve EMEA markets, partnering with The Insight Centre for Data Analytics for data science and machine learning advancements, and aiming to hire over 120 professionals in product development, engineering, sales, and back office roles over three years. Earlier in 2014, a $100 million Series C led by Polaris Partners and Kleiner Perkins valued the company at nearly $1 billion, bringing total funding to $143 million at that time, with funds directed toward product expansion, new markets, and potential acquisitions. Management expressed ambitions for independence or IPO while acknowledging potential acquisition interest, such as from Microsoft. |
| Mar 2015 | Series D | Salesforce Ventures (lead); Zetta Venture Partners; Microsoft; Kleiner Perkins; Polaris Partners; Hummer Winblad Venture Partners; U.S. Venture Partners | $61M | $1.5B | InsideSales.com (later rebranded as Xant) is a Provo, Utah-based provider of a cloud-based sales acceleration platform leveraging predictive analytics and data science to help salespeople source and close deals more effectively. The platform uses Neuralytics, a predictive and prescriptive self-learning engine, drawing from over 14 billion sales interaction data points to deliver insights that boost sales by an average of 30% within the first 90 days. It serves more than 2,000 companies, including Microsoft, ADP, and Groupon, and integrates deeply with platforms like Salesforce and Microsoft. On March 18, 2015, InsideSales.com closed a $60 million funding round led by Salesforce Ventures, with participation from Microsoft as a new strategic investor, alongside existing backers Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Polaris Partners, U.S. Venture Partners, and Zetta Venture Partners. This brought total funding raised to over $200 million, following a $100 million Series C less than a year prior. The round valued the company 'well north of $1 billion' or 'north of $1 billion,' with one estimate placing it near $1.5 billion, reflecting strong traction and strategic partnerships. Proceeds from the investment were earmarked for expanding platform integrations with Salesforce and Microsoft, growing the customer base especially among larger enterprises, and fueling international expansion. The company had doubled its headcount to 600 employees post-Series C while maintaining robust revenue growth, underscoring its competitive position in the enterprise sales acceleration market amid a hot investment climate for high-traction SaaS startups. Strategic backers like Salesforce Ventures highlighted InsideSales.com's extension of the Salesforce Platform through data science applied to sales processes. CEO Dave Elkington emphasized a selective approach to the round despite opportunities to raise more, prioritizing strategic alignments to enhance reach and intelligence capabilities. |
| Apr 2014 | Series C | Polaris Partners (lead); Salesforce Ventures; Zetta Venture Partners; Kleiner Perkins; Hummer Winblad Venture Partners; Acadia Woods Partners; U.S. Venture Partners; EPIC Ventures | $100M | $1B | InsideSales.com (later rebranded as XANT) is a cloud-based sales acceleration platform that provides software-as-a-service solutions to enterprise customers. The company's platform analyzes millions of anonymized sales transactions to deliver visibility, automation, and intelligence to inside sales processes, serving over 1,000 customers including Fidelity, Microsoft, Groupon, McGraw-Hill, and Marketo. On April 28, 2014, InsideSales closed a Series C financing round of $100 million led by Polaris Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, with participation from Salesforce, Acadia Woods, EPIC Ventures, Hummer Winblad, U.S. Venture Partners, and Zetta Venture Partners. The round valued the company at nearly $1 billion post-money, bringing total funding raised to approximately $140 million. The company demonstrated strong traction with 107 percent year-over-year sales growth and corresponding employee expansion. The round capitalized on rapid market growth in sales acceleration technology, with the North American market estimated at $12.8 billion annually at the time of the investment, projected to exceed $30 billion by 2017. InsideSales had been founded by David Elkington and Ken Krogue in Provo, Utah, initially self-funded before taking a Series A from Hummer Winblad and Josh James in 2012, followed by a $35 million Series B from Hummer Winblad in January 2013. |
| Jan 2013 | Series B | U.S. Venture Partners (lead); Hummer Winblad Venture Partners | $37M | - | InsideSales.com, a Provo, Utah-based provider of predictive analytics software for inside sales professionals, raised a $35 million Series B round in January 2013 led by U.S. Venture Partners, with participation from Hummer Winblad Venture Partners following their prior $4 million investment in August 2012. The platform uses algorithms to guide sales reps on optimal contact timing, messaging, and targets, serving SMBs with clients including Cisco, Eloqua, Gannett, Groupon, NEC, Marketo, and Seagate. The company, previously self-funded by co-founders David Elkington and Ken Krogue, had grown from 600 to 900 customers by mid-2012 and employed 177 people, planning to expand to 350-400 in 2013. Financially, InsideSales.com was trending toward $25 million in revenues for 2013, with a history of doubling revenues annually since 2004 on a subscription-based SaaS model. The funding supported growth amid the shift to data-driven inside sales, positioning the company in a burgeoning enterprise SaaS category ripe for IPOs or acquisitions. Subsequent developments included a $100 million Series C in April 2014 at nearly $1 billion valuation led by Polaris Partners with Kleiner Perkins and others, bringing total funding to $143 million, and further rounds reaching $251.2 million by 2017 at flat $1.5 billion valuation. The sales performance management market was projected to grow to $5.62 billion by 2020. InsideSales later launched SMB-focused InsideSales Essentials at $5,000/year for up to five users. |
Who has invested in InsideSales?
12 investors have backed InsideSales across its funding rounds, including U.S. Venture Partners, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Polaris Partners, Zetta Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures.
Lead investors include Polar Capital Management, Salesforce Ventures, Polaris Partners and U.S. Venture Partners.
InsideSales Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Participant | Jan 2013 | ||
| 4 | Lead | Jan 2013 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Apr 2014 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Apr 2014 | ||
| 3 | Lead | Apr 2014 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Apr 2014 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Mar 2015 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Apr 2014 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Apr 2014 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jan 2017 | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 12 InsideSales investors. Start Free Trial | ||||
Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
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Start Free TrialAcquisitions by InsideSales
InsideSales has acquired 2 companies to date.
Last acquisition by InsideSales was on May 28th 2015. InsideSales acquired C9 for undisclosed valuation.
Latest Acquisitions by InsideSales
| Description | C9 is a San Mateo-based provider of predictive analytics software for sales and marketing teams. The platform integrates machine learning to forecast revenue, assess pipeline health, and optimize territory planning for enterprises. Clients such as Yahoo, Google, and Pitney Bowes rely on C9 to shorten sales cycles and improve quota attainment. Founded in 2008, the company secured funding from Mayfield Fund, InterWest Partners, and Leapfrog Ventures before its acquisition by InsightSquared in 2017. | iHance is a San Francisco-based sales engagement tool that tracks email opens, attachment views, and website visits from prospects in real time. The platform integrates with CRM systems like Salesforce for sales teams in B2B sectors. Acquired by InsideSales.com in 2014, iHance supports revenue operations by prioritizing leads based on engagement signals across email campaigns. |
| HQ Country | ||
| HQ City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Deal Date | 28 May 2015 | 28 May 2014 |
| Valuation | undisclosed | undisclosed |
| EV/Revenue | ||
| EV/EBITDA | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all InsideSales acquisitions and their M&A valuation multiples. Start Free Trial | ||
InsideSales Competitors
InsideSales competitors include listed companies like Sansan and Sprinklr, and private ones like Jasper, Lusha, Apollo.io and Cresta.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | $75M | - | $1.5B | 20.0x | ||
| Private | - | - | $1.5B | - | ||
| Private | $150M | - | $1.6B | 10.7x | ||
| Private | - | - | $1.6B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $346M | $67M | $1.7B | 4.2x | ||
| Publicly listed | $857M | $66M | $1.3B | 1.0x |
InsideSales Public Comps
InsideSales is no longer listed, but its public comps include Sprinklr, Sansan, Marketingforce Management, ZoomInfo, Deluxe, Appier Group, Rezolve AI, Sprout Social, Quadient and Beijing Quanshi World.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $857M | $66M | 1.0x | 1.0x | 13.6x | 5.5x | |||
| $346M | $67M | 4.3x | 4.2x | 22.3x | 21.9x | |||
| $420M | $22M | 3.8x | 2.7x | 73.4x | 24.4x | |||
| $1.2B | $326M | 2.0x | 2.1x | 7.8x | 5.1x | |||
| $2.1B | $379M | 1.2x | 1.2x | 6.7x | 5.6x | |||
| $281M | $44M | 3.4x | 2.9x | 21.6x | 15.7x | |||
| $47M | ($109M) | 23.3x | 4.0x | (10.0x) | (19.3x) | |||
| $458M | ($31M) | 1.3x | 1.2x | (18.6x) | 8.1x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all InsideSales competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about InsideSales
| When was InsideSales founded? | InsideSales was founded in 2004. |
| Where is InsideSales headquartered? | InsideSales is headquartered in United States. |
| Is InsideSales publicly listed? | No, InsideSales was acquired by Aurea Software in August 2021. |
| Who acquired InsideSales? | InsideSales was acquired by Aurea Software in August 2021. |
| What is InsideSales' valuation? | InsideSales was last valued at $1.5B in its Series D in January 2017. |
| How much funding has InsideSales raised? | InsideSales has raised $247M across 4 funding rounds. |
| What was InsideSales' last funding round? | InsideSales' last funding round was a $50M Series D in January 2017, led by Polar Capital Management. |
| Who are InsideSales' investors? | InsideSales' investors include Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, U.S. Venture Partners, Zetta Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins, Polaris Partners, Salesforce Ventures, Microsoft, EPIC Ventures, Acadia Woods Partners, QuestMark Partners and 2 others. |
| Which companies are comparable to InsideSales? | Companies comparable to InsideSales include Jasper, Lusha, Apollo.io, Cresta, Sansan and Sprinklr. |
| How many companies has InsideSales acquired? | InsideSales has acquired 2 companies, including C9 and iHance. |
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