Arizona Innovation Challenge Semifinalist Allbound Announces Capital Raise, Plans to Hire

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) has named Allbound as a one of 25 semifinalists for its Fall 2014 Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC). The AIC is a bi-annual business plan competition for start-ups and early-stage companies advancing innovation and technology commercialization opportunities in the state.

Scottsdale-based Allbound delivers a cloud-based marketing and sales enablement automation solution for companies with indirect sales channels and reseller networks. CEO and founder Scott Salkin is currently completing a four-month tenure in San Francisco with Acceleprise, an accelerator for enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) startups.

"Being accepted into Acceleprise and having now been named a semifinalist for the 2014 Innovation Challenge are both huge honors," said Salkin. "It's a great accomplishment for our team and lends even further validation that we're headed in the right direction with our product-market fit and our growth strategy. This week, we're also excited to announce that we've secured the first $200k of our initial funding round, which will go straight to hiring for sales, marketing and customer success."

Developed by a team of entrepreneurs with more than 50 years of combined experience in enterprise channel sales and marketing, Allbound is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that gives direct, real-time access to content, tools and data in one intuitive mobile-friendly interface with one login:

• Training and sales enablement
• Marketing content, collateral and resources
• Lead generation and nurturing campaigns
• List building and deal registration
• Marketing development fund (MDF) management and approval workflows
• Channel sales and marketing data and reporting

The World Trade Organization estimates that more than 70% of the world's goods are sold through indirect channels, representing more than 50 million businesses, including manufacturers and suppliers, distributors, resellers, agents, dealers, OEMs and ISVs, managed service providers, systems integrators, brokers, affiliates, franchises, agents, and retailers.

"The channel is one of the most important contributors to global commerce, yet because of its complexity, it's often still managed by cobbled-together portals and legacy systems, and in the worst cases even by emails and Excel files," says Acceleprise San Francisco's managing partner Michael Cardamone. "Allbound's unique approach not only solves problems for enterprise channel marketing, it brings a disruptive and new perspective to an area of business that's been longing for it."

Adds Salkin: "We're looking to change the channel, literally. From the modern and vibrant 'app-store-like' user experience to the data and intelligence that help automate channel sales enablement and marketing, we think we truly have something special on our hands and the market is showing that they agree."

With clients in the high tech and medical device industries, Allbound plans to use its funding to expand further into these vertical markets and hire for multiple openings, both in Arizona and in San Francisco, primarily in marketing, sales and software engineering.

"We congratulate the forward-thinking entrepreneurs selected as our newest AIC semifinalists," said Sandra Watson, President and CEO, Arizona Commerce Authority. "Arizona's engagement with early-stage companies through its suite of targeted programs continues to spur growth, technology commercialization and capital investment within Arizona's innovation ecosystem. With more than 1,200 applications received for the AIC since 2011, the program continues to be among the many opportunities available to innovators which have made Arizona a top hub for entrepreneurial activity and startup success."

The ACA Innovation Challenge will name finalists in early January and the competitions winners later that same month. 

For more information, visit Allbound.com or schedule a personal demo at Allbound.com/demo.

About Allbound
Allbound is a cloud-based channel sales and marketing platform that allows organizations to give direct, real-time access to sales enablement, marketing tools and resources, lead generation campaigns and key market intelligence, in one intuitive mobile-friendly place with one login. With Allbound, businesses can arm their resellers, distributors, VARs, agents, dealers, franchisees, brokers, reps and retailers with the sales and marketing content, training and campaigns they need to close more deals faster. Visit Allbound.com for more information or request a personal demo at Allbound.com/demo.

About the Arizona Commerce Authority
The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state's leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona's economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: recruit, grow, create – recruit out-of-state companies to expand their operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to grow their business in Arizona and beyond; and partner with entrepreneurs and companies large and small to create new jobs and businesses in targeted industries. Visit azcommerce.com for more information. For more on the Arizona Innovation Challenge, visit azinnovationchallenge.com.

About Acceleprise
Acceleprise is an accelerator focused on enterprise technology with locations in Washington DC and now San Francisco. It was the first independent accelerator focused solely on enterprise technology in the United States. Across both locations, Acceleprise will invest in over 100 companies focused on building web based software to solve large organizations' problems. Acceleprise provides capital, mentorship, access to potential investors and customers, and community support to enterprise entrepreneurs while they work from a shared office in Washington DC or San Francisco over four months.

Contact: Scott Salkin, 1-602-881-1718, [email protected]

Video - http://youtu.be/Si_mC1o8bec

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SOURCE Allbound