Chicago startup CloudCraze is getting acquired by Salesforce.
CloudCraze, an enterprise commerce platform founded in 2009, announced Monday that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by the CRM giant. CloudCraze raised more than $30 million in venture funding to date. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
The acquisition makes sense for both CloudCraze and Salesforce. CloudCraze's B2B commerce software is built natively on the Salesforce platform, and Salesforce Ventures backed the startup's $20 million round in 2017.
This isn't the first time Salesforce has acquired a local startup that was built on its platform. Godard Abel's price-quoting startup SteelBrick was bought by Salesforce for $300 million in 2015. Other Chicago startups that have been acquired by Salesforce include Gravitytank, ÄKTA, Model Metrics and Instranet.
CloudCraze's customers include plenty of household names---like Coca-Cola, AB InBev, GE, L’Oreal and Kellogg’s---who use the startup's software to generate online revenue and stay connected with customers. The platform allows companies to see all of their customer data instantly, and share information across channels.
"Our customers are at the core of every new product or strategic decision we make," CloudCraze wrote in a blog post announcing the news. "As we look ahead to joining the Salesforce family, we’re even more excited about the opportunity to help forward-thinking companies deepen business buyer engagement and increase their share of the market for years to come."
Salesforce has a large Chicago presence with an estimated 1,000 local employees, according to Built In Chicago.
