A Stellar Founding Team, With The Exponential Potential Of Marketing Networks, Drives Our Investment In WorkSpan

In 2006, we first met Mayank Bawa as co-founder of Aster Data, which he grew into a pioneering Big Data company, and was acquired by Teradata in 2011. Years later in 2015, Mayank introduced us to Amit Sinha, senior SAP executive responsible for the rollout of SAP HANA. When Mayank and Amit told us they have come together as co-founders of WorkSpan to build the industry’s first marketing network for marketing teams that spans across internal teams, external go-to-market partners, and agencies to orchestrate marketing campaigns and programs, their idea resonated with us. Having invested in several martech companies over the last decade, including breakout players such as Marketo (marketing automation category creator which went public and was subsequently acquired by Vista Equity Partners) and Moat (brand analytics platform which was acquired by Oracle), we understand the key pain points of marketers.  We also have a strong point of view on networks with several investments including Lyft (a network for ridesharing), Alignable (a network for local businesses), and Poshmark (a network for fashion).

Today, we are pleased to announce our Series A investment in WorkSpan along with the company’s launch of its first product.  The debut follows WorkSpan’s successful early availability program, which was initially limited to five companies and has since seen viral growth to over 65 companies including SAP, Intel, CenturyLink, and Infosys.  These early customers are already seeing the benefits of using the WorkSpan Marketing Network. According to Intel, 200 Intel and 50 SAP marketers on five continents are working together better than ever. According to SAP, using WorkSpan has helped it drastically reduce time spent on mundane coordination tasks, doubled the number of campaigns, and tripled marketing impact.

WorkSpan leverages the trend of customer-centricity which is propelling businesses to form ecosystems to acquire, grow, and service customer segments.  However, the network of marketers that come together to coordinate customer offerings, campaigns, and programs has been limited for far too long by emails and spreadsheets thus jeopardizing the speed at which new offerings are launched to their customers.  Using WorkSpan, partner companies can establish a shared system of record; align, create, and share campaigns; and propagate them with high velocity to internal and external partners.  Companies can also securely seek marketing funds or make funds available to partners, and solicit or submit campaign proposals.  WorkSpan also enables cross-company marketing teams to have shared visibility at scale with each partner, which drives mutual accountability toward shared goals. 

Over our 47-year history, we have seen how a stellar founding team with laser focus on a customer pain point, along with a delightful product, can build a lasting company.  With today’s debut, we are excited about the future for WorkSpan and look forward to the journey with Mayank, Amit, and their team.

Navin