Vector Capital has completed the acquisition of Showpad and will combine the company with its existing portfolio company Bigtincan under the Showpad brand.
The newly merged entity will operate globally, serving more than 2,000 customers across 50 countries, with a particular presence in Australia and New Zealand.
Leadership and structure
The completion of the transaction also marks the appointment of veteran software executive Apratim Purakayastha as Chief Executive Officer. Apratim brings over 25 years of experience in the software sector, having previously held leadership roles at Skillsoft, Sumtotal, ACI Worldwide, and IBM.
"We are pleased to unite Showpad and Bigtincan under one brand to invest in the next phase of growth for the global leader in AI-powered revenue enablement," said Amish Mehta, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director at Vector Capital. "Apratim is a proven leader with deep software industry knowledge, and we are excited to work closely with him and the newly combined Showpad and Bigtincan teams to deliver innovative, transformative solutions that elevate buyer engagement and drive growth worldwide."
Jim Hopkins, currently Chairman of Bigtincan, will continue as Chairman of the combined business. Hendrik Isebaert, previously Chief Executive Officer of Showpad, will step down but will remain involved as an advisor. Insight Partners, a significant investor in Showpad, has rolled over its full investment into the combined business.
New chief executive
Apratim Purakayastha most recently served as General Manager of Talent Development Solutions at Skillsoft, where he managed a USD $400 million enterprise subscription business and millions of consumer CodeAcademy learners. His previous roles include Chief Product Officer and Chief Technical Officer at Skillsoft, as well as Chief Operating Officer of Sumtotal and Group President at ACI Worldwide.
"Both Showpad and Bigtincan were early AI pioneers in the revenue enablement market, and I am excited to join the business at this exciting time," said Apratim. "The organisation brings together industry best-in-class content management and sales readiness solutions, an AI first-mover advantage and a clear focus on supporting field sales-centric organisations. I'm excited about leading an outstanding global team that puts the customer first and is focused on solving the revenue effectiveness gap."
Market context
Modern field-selling organisations face challenges meeting growth goals amid the proliferation of disconnected sales technologies and the rapid degradation of CRM data. Many companies manage over 10 different sales technology tools, along with AI software often not integrated into existing workflows. These inefficiencies have resulted in sales professionals spending less time on actual selling and more on administration and content management.
The merger brings together two established names in the sales enablement sector. Showpad and Bigtincan have received recognition from analyst firms including Forrester, IDC, Gartner, and Aragon Research. Showpad has been named as a Forrester Wave leader in several quarters, an IDC MarketScape leader, and a Gartner Peer Insights 'Customers' Choice'. Bigtincan has been named one of Fast Company's 'World's Most Innovative Companies' and has secured the Aragon Research Innovation Award for Sales AI in 2024.
Business strategy
The combined business will offer a unified AI-native revenue effectiveness platform, primarily designed for enterprises with complex, field sales-centric models. Operating under the Showpad brand, the company aims to address customer challenges related to fragmented systems, incomplete data, and disconnected AI tools, with a focus on improving revenue effectiveness in global sales organisations.
