Raj Suchak sold his first tech company in 2015. He just did it again.
The Buffalo entrepreneur agreed this June to sell his current startup, Grit Seed, to a Chicago software company called Xcite Automotive. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Suchak will become Xcite’s CTO.
Grit Seed is a texting/communication platform. The startup’s five-person team will remain in Buffalo, and the company will continue to serve its existing client base. Suchak said Grit Seed is looking to build its local team now, with a focus on technical talent.
The startup found its rhythm during the pandemic with the release of its conversational texting platform that can be used by clients for anything from recruiting to employee engagement to sales.
“We were looking to accelerate our growth and to create more focus,” Suchak said. “We decided to partner with Xcite because they can drive adoption of our product and support the innovation of our products much faster.”
Grit Seed product CarsByText.com now will go to Xcite’s national network of clients in the automotive sales industry.
“Our plan is to introduce CarsByText at scale in the automotive industry, which will further our position as a technology leader and allow us to provide superior service to our customers,” Xcite CEO Phil Penton said. “Raj is an outstanding technologist, and I am very much looking forward to having him on board with our team as our chief technology officer."
Suchak’s first startup, Cloud62, was a Salesforce consultancy that was acquired by Huron Consulting Group, which has a sizable team in downtown Buffalo.
He said a similar thing is set to happen for Xcite.
“I’m very proud and excited but I also want to be authentic that being an entrepreneur is really hard,” Suchak said. “There are a lot of ups and downs and the important thing is not to chase these types of exits but to docs on what’s in front of you.”
