Quick Take

Media giants Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and Liberty Global (LBTYA) have participated in the latest financing round of $8 million for marketing technology company Integrate.

Integrate has developed an industry-leading top of funnel demand orchestration software program that enterprises use to more efficiently manage and prioritize their lead generation and sales processes.

Comcast and Liberty are both active investors in startup companies that promise to have a positive impact on their business operations, and I expect to see that investment pace continue for the foreseeable future.

Investee Company

Phoenix, Arizona-based Integrate was founded in 2010 to create software that improves top-of-funnel pipeline prioritization for marketers.

Management is headed by co-founder and CEO Jeremy Bloom, who was previously founded Wish of a Lifetime.

Below is a brief video about Integrates demand orchestration system:

(Source: Integrate Inc)

The value of Integrates system is that it enables management of outbound marketing campaigns to operate at a granular level, so customers can rank and prioritize lead development.

The companys data then integrates into major CRM applications allowing companies to use their existing workflows more efficiently:

(Source: Integrate)

Major integration partners include Oracle (ORCL), Salesforce (CRM), Microsoft (MSFT), Tibco, Marketo and others.

Investors in the current Series D round were led by Iron Gate Capital, Foundry Group and Forte Ventures, and included new investor Chestnut Street Ventures.

Comcast and Liberty had previously invested in Integrates Series B and C rounds and returned to continue their support.

Investment Terms and Rationale

Valuation in the round wasnt disclosed; With the current $8 million funding, Integrate has raised a total of $35 million since inception.

So, why are the likes of Comcast and Liberty so interested in Integrate?

Integrate is focused on the top of B2B demand generation with its demand orchestration system that brings increased automation to this neglected part of the enterprise marketing stack.

As Integrates founder and CEO Jeremy Bloom stated in the deal announcement,

When I founded Integrate, I knew that the marketing technology industry was going through a transformation that would lead to increased automation and the need to scale demand to meet marketing's revenue contribution mandate. Today, this transformation is only accelerating. The relentless focus B2B marketers must place on building the top of the funnel is driving more value in the sales pipeline. Integrate's latest fundraise ensures we continue to innovate our offering and further invest in our customers' success. [Italics mine]

Both Comcast and Liberty have significant advertising marketing operations, so their investment in Integrate is well within their scope of MarTech activities.

Integrates solution is an industry-leading system for the top of the sales funnel, and both Comcast and Liberty have been early investors and users, with the ability to act as marquee customer testimonials to help Integrate penetrate other market verticals.

Both Comcast and Liberty Global have been active investors in startup companies, although Comcast has made many more investments over the past five years, as the Excel spreadsheets indicate below,

(Source: VentureDeal)

In the coming quarters, I expect to see continued busy investment pace for Comcast and less so for Liberty Global, as they both grapple with challenges and opportunities in the media and telecom industries.

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Link:

Comcast And Liberty Global Invest In Integrate's Demand MarTech - Seeking Alpha