Press & News
ClearSlide Secures $11 Million from Greylock and Felicis to Expand Sales Communications Platform
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – September 28, 2011
ClearSlide, provider of the leading cloud-based sales communications platform enabling sales professionals to close more business, today announced that it has received $11 million in Series A round funding from Silicon Valley investors led by Greylock Partners. Existing investor Felicis Ventures also participated in the round.
Since beginning operations two-and-a-half years ago under the leadership of successful Internet entrepreneur and Evite co-founder Al Lieb, CEO, and seasoned sales executive Jim Benton, COO, the company has grown to become a competitive advantage for top sales performers at powerhouse brands including Expedia, Rackspace and Dow Jones.
“ClearSlide has built something really special: a platform specifically for sales people that makes it extremely easy to communicate with customers,” said John Lilly, partner at Greylock Partners. “They replace the awful, cumbersome tools — with something that’s radically simpler — and they’ve built an incredibly rapidly growing customer base.”
Time and productivity are of the essence in sales, particularly in competitive markets. Customer relationship management systems cover back office processes for sales, marketing and service. However, when it comes to client-facing communications, such as connecting over the phone, sending proposals or meeting in person, sales people have had to painstakingly assemble a hodgepodge of generic and often unpredictable tools, including email, file upload sites, web conferencing and streaming video.
In contrast, ClearSlide provides a centralized, easy-to-use and reliable cloud-based platform that is fast becoming the standard communications platform sales teams rely on daily. It cuts through the usual delays and clutter, delivers valuable analytics, and helps sales teams become dynamic contributors to business growth. Through a personalized or company-branded URL, the sales professional and customer connect in one click. A company’s full breadth of collateral, including all files and videos, are seamlessly and immediately accessible. It’s a compelling first impression of speed, efficiency and sales smarts.
“At Rackspace, we are in the business of providing Fanatical Support to our customers,” said Scott White, vice president of sales, Rackspace Hosting. “And we can rely on ClearSlide to help us quickly communicate our value to customers and make every second count. I’ve heard over and over again from our sales team Rackers how indispensable ClearSlide has become for them.”
“We focus on providing sales organizations with the gold standard in sales communications,” said Lieb. “We’ve connected with thousands of sales teams and we listen very closely to their daily challenges. ClearSlide’s growth is rocketing because we deliver services that precisely solve our customers’ needs and directly increase their revenues.”
ClearSlide is continuously extending its product line, and plans to introduce additional advanced analytics and field sales products in the Fall.
“ClearSlide’s ability to use improved communications to drive action and revenue sets them apart. This was one of the fastest investment decisions I’ve ever made,” said Aydin Senkut, founder and managing director of Felicis Ventures.
About ClearSlide
ClearSlide provides the leading cloud-based sales communications platform designed specifically to meet the communication needs of enterprise sales professionals to help them close more business. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., ClearSlide is funded by top Silicon Valley investors including Greylock Partners and Felicis Ventures. Expedia, Rackspace and Dow Jones count among ClearSlide’s customers.