Cornerstone签署协议收购Grovo加速自身内容发展,收购将于2018年第四季度完成
据Cornerstone官网消息, 2018年11月7日,基于云学习和人力资本管理软件的全球领导者Cornerstone OnDemand(纳斯达克股票代码:CSOD)宣布,公司签署了收购Grovo Learning的最终协议,并以2400万美元的全现金交易收购了这一微学习内容的领先供应商,但需进行一定的结算调整。此次Cornerstone收购Grovo计划将在2018年第四季度完成。
Grovo成立于2010年,已经制作了超过2500个主题的微型学习课程。Grovo拥有超过300家客户,包括Gap Inc.、Hulu、雪佛龙(Chevron)和富国银行(Wells Fargo),在纽约和旧金山设有办事处。据悉,grovo 在去年7月底完成了1130万美元D轮融资,总融资额达7330万美元。
“收购Grovo帮助我们实现了Cornerstone在全球范围内改善教育机会的愿景。”作为学习领域的领导者,我们知道Grovo拥有世界上最具创新性的培训内容。“与我们最先进的学习套件和我们随时提供的内容相结合,与Grovo的结合奠定了Cornerstone。”
与此同时,基石投资还宣布将在任何时候扩大其内容订阅服务。Content Anytime是一种内容订阅服务,它使组织能够为员工提供新鲜、现代的内容,使他们能够控制自己的职业发展。订阅支持所有类型的现代学习模式,从微学习(更短、更容易消费的课程)到宏观学习(更深入地掌握一门学科或技能),再到间隔学习(课程分为多个部分,中间有提问的时间间隔)。Cornerstone结合了近20年的学习和开发经验,结合了最受欢迎的、用户驱动的内容推荐(使用数据和Cornerstone庞大社区的反馈),不断添加和更新课程内容。
以下为原文:
Cornerstone Accelerates Momentum in Content with Acquisition of Grovo
Deal Strengthens Cornerstone’s Content Anytime Offerings with the Leader in Modern Micro-Learning Training Content
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — November 7, 2018 – Cornerstone OnDemand (NASDAQ:CSOD), a global leader in cloud-based learning and human capital management software, today announced that the Company signed a definitive agreement to acquire Grovo Learning, Inc., the leading provider of micro-learning content for $24 million in an all-cash deal, subject to certain closing adjustments. The acquisition of Grovo is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2018.
Founded in 2010, Grovo has produced over 2,500 micro-learning courses across a range of topics. Grovo has over 300 clients, including Gap Inc., Hulu, Chevron and Wells Fargo, with offices in New York City and San Francisco.
“The acquisition of Grovo helps fulfill the vision we had on day one for Cornerstone to improve access to education on a global basis. As leaders in learning, we know that Grovo has some of the most innovative training content in the world,” said Adam Miller, Cornerstone’s founder and CEO. “United with our state-of-the-art Learning suite and our Content Anytime subscription offerings, the combination with Grovo places Cornerstone in a league of its own.”
In conjunction with this acquisition, Cornerstone also announced an expansion of its Content Anytime subscription offerings. Content Anytime is a content subscription service that enables organizations to provide their employees with fresh, modern content that puts them in control of their own career development. The subscriptions support all types of modern learning formats, from micro-learning (shorter, easily consumable courses) to macro-learning (deeper mastery of a subject or skill) to spaced-learning (courses broken into sections, with timed intervals for questioning in between). Cornerstone continually adds and refreshes course content by combining insights from nearly 20 years of learning and development expertise and the most in-demand, user-driven content recommendations informed by usage data and feedback from Cornerstone’s massive community.
Starting today, Cornerstone will offer a range of subscriptions beyond its popular Content Anytime Essentials offering, including thematic subscriptions for compliance and digital transformation, as well as regional subscriptions for France, Germany and Spain. Cornerstone expects to incorporate Grovo content across its Content Anytime subscription service.
Cornerstone will discuss the acquisition of Grovo on its third quarter 2018 earnings conference call scheduled for today.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements about the expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions and strategies of Cornerstone relating to its acquisition of Grovo. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding future product offerings; expected benefits to Cornerstone and its customers; expected financial impact of the acquisition on Cornerstone; and plans regarding the integration of Grovo’s products with Cornerstone’s. These statements reflect the current beliefs of Cornerstone and are based on current information available to Cornerstone as of the date hereof, and Cornerstone does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. The ability of Cornerstone to achieve these business objectives involves many risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include the failure to achieve expected synergies and efficiencies of operations between Cornerstone and Grovo; the ability of Cornerstone and Grovo to successfully integrate their respective market opportunities, technology, products, personnel and operations; the failure to timely develop and achieve market acceptance of combined products and services; the potential impact on the business of Grovo as a result of the acquisition; the loss of any Grovo customers; the ability to coordinate strategy and resources between Cornerstone and Grovo; the ability of Cornerstone and Grovo to retain and motivate key employees of Grovo; general economic conditions; as well as those risks and uncertainties included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Cornerstone’s Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 7, 2018 for the quarter ended June 30, 2018, which is available on the Investor Relations section of our website at csod.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
About Grovo
Grovo is the world’s leading Microlearning solution, providing modern learning that employees actually like. Grovo helps L&D teams engage employees and drive their business forward by delivering a constantly evolving library of customizable Microlearning lessons through an easy-to-use platform. Hundreds of companies of all sizes, from PepsiCo and Gap to Bitly and Magellan Health, trust Grovo to onboard employees faster, deepen their leadership bench, enable customer-facing teams, re-envision compliance programs and build inclusive, mission-driven cultures. Learn more at grovo.com.
原文来源:Cornerstone Accelerates Momentum in Content with Acquisition of Grovo
WeWork又获得软银30亿美元融资
文/Jordan Crook
据外媒报道,WeWork已从SoftBank Corp获得另外30亿美元的融资。
该交易以权证的形式出现,允许软银支付30亿美元,以便在2019年9月之前以110美元或更高的价格购买股票,最终WeWork估值至少420亿美元。
8月,SoftBank Corp以可兑换票据的形式向WeWork投资了10亿美元。
据英国“ 金融时报”报道,软银将在2019年1月15日向WeWork支付15亿美元,并在4月15日支付15亿美元。
SoftBank是WeWork最大的投资者,去年SoftBank Vision Fund已向该公司注资44亿美元。
WeWork的房地产业务只是公司战略的一个方面。
WeWork不仅仅是实际的土地,而是希望成为一般工作的中心结缔组织。该公司经常通过代表其300,000名会员进行谈判,以“整体销售”价格与主要服务提供商达成交易。此外,WeWork还为大型企业(如微软)开发了企业产品,这些企业往往签订租约更长,更有利可图。事实上,这些类型的交易占WeWork收入的29%。
最大的问题是WeWork是否可以维持其令人难以置信的增长,这似乎是其估值飙升的关键。毕竟,WeWork尚未实现盈利。
愿景能否成为现实?SoftBank似乎愿意赌它。
以上为AI翻译,内容仅供参考。
原文来源: WeWork picks up ANOTHER $3B from SoftBank
投融资
2018年11月14日
投融资
分析人士对价值80亿美元的SAP-Qualtrics收购交易进行了评估,认为这不会改变游戏规则
文/Ron Miller
今天,SAP首席执行官Bill McDermott因公司周末价值80亿美元的Qualtrics收购案而备受关注。McDermott相信Qualtrics提供的数据可以弥补公司运营数据和客户之间的差距,无论客户在哪里。
Qualtrics的理念是,要理解客户的情绪。McDermott认为,这是该公司客户管理难题的关键部分,它不仅可以推动该公司成为客户体验领域的重要参与者,还可以推动公司的基础云业务。这是因为它提供了一种来自客户的持续反馈的方式,而这种方式很难以其他方式确定。
在这种背景下,他认为这笔交易具有变革性。“通过将这些经验数据与操作相结合,我们可以通过Qualtrics和SAP将其结合起来,这是世界上从未有过的,我从根本上相信它将改变我们今天所知道的这个世界。”
其他密切关注该行业的人则不这么认为。虽然他们喜欢这笔交易,并看到了合并这些数据的潜力,但这可能不是麦克德莫特在花了80亿美元后所希望的游戏规则改变者。
保罗•格林伯格(Paul Greenberg)是56家集团的董事总经理,著有影响深远的CRM书籍《光速下的CRM》(CRM at The Light of Light)。他表示,对该公司来说,这无疑是一笔巨大的收购,但他表示,要挑战市场领导者,需要的不仅仅是一两次收购。格林伯格表示:“这将是一次有益的收购,因为SAP希望继续将公司转向面向客户的方向,但无论如何,这都不是一次决定性的收购。”
客户体验是一个宽泛的术语,它涉及到从细粒度层次上了解客户,预测他们想要什么,了解他们是谁,他们买了什么,以及他们正在寻找什么。这些问题比你想象的要难解决,特别是因为它们涉及到从不同供应商的系统收集数据,这些供应商处理不同的问题。
Adobe和Salesforce等公司已将这作为其主要业务重点。SAP的核心是ERP公司,通过管理财务、采购和人力资源等关键的内部运营系统来收集数据。
Real Story Group创始人兼首席分析师托尼•伯恩(Tony Byrne)表示,他喜欢Qualtrics对SAP的影响,但他不确定它是否像McDermott建议的那样重要。Qualtrics可以让你做一些营销人员肯定想要的更复杂的调查,但它的双重好处是——不像SurveyMonkey和其他公司——Qualtrics在数字化工作场所方面有经验,可以补充SAP的一些人力资源工具。但他补充说,这并不是CEM的核心部分,他的公司的研究发现SAP仍然存在漏洞,尤其是在营销工具和技术方面(MarTech)。
CRM Essentials创始人布伦特•利里(Brent Leary)同意SAP收购了一家不错的公司,尤其是在今年早些时候以24亿美元收购了CallidusCloud之后,但要赶上Salesforce和Adobe还有很长的路要走。Qualtrics的确提供了一个更广泛的客户视角,因为来自后台和前台系统的运营数据。Callidus的收购有助于将洞察力转化为某些以bb为中心的客户体验。但我认为,在B2C体验创建工具方面,可能还需要更多的东西,Adobe和Salesforce等公司正专注于营销/体验云。
McDermott认为,这是否会真正改变游戏规则还有待观察,但我们采访的行业专家认为,这将更多地是一项渐进式举措,有助于推进公司的客户体验计划。如果他们是对的,McDermott可能还没有完成购物。
以上为AI翻译,内容仅供参考。
原文链接: Analysts weighing in on $8B SAP-Qualtrics deal don’t see a game changer
相关阅读:SAP在调查软件公司Qualtrics上市之前,以80亿美元将其收购