Salesforce.com Introduces Salesforce1 AppExchange Accelerate--Fueling the Next Wave of Enterprise ISVs Delivering Social, Mobile and Connected Cloud Apps on the Salesforce1 Customer Platform

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- DREAMFORCE 2013 -- Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), the world's #1 CRM platform, today introduced the Salesforce1 AppExchange Accelerate Program—fueling the next wave of enterprise ISVs delivering social, mobile and connected cloud apps on the Salesforce1 Customer Platform. The AppExchange Accelerate program will provide the breakthrough technology and go-to-market services that ISVs need to build, market and sell next generation enterprise apps. With no ramp-up costs, ISVs will be able to create profitable businesses from day one, leveraging a proven business model that enables them to invest in innovation and growth, instead of infrastructure. Customers will benefit from access to the largest ecosystem of social, mobile and connected cloud apps, instantly available on any device, to run their entire business on Salesforce1. Leading enterprise ISVs—including Apttus, FinancialForce.com, Kenandy, nCino and Veeva Systems—have harnessed the power of Salesforce1 to transform disruptive ideas into successful app companies.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130612/SF30598LOGO)

Comments on the News

• "Every existing enterprise app will be reinvented for a new generation of connected business," said Mike Rosenbaum, EVP of Salesforce Platform, salesforce.com. "ISVs that seize this moment have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build the next generation of business application companies. AppExchange Accelerate provides a proven path to success—combining the Salesforce1 Platform, go-to-market services and the leading business apps marketplace to build, market and sell this new wave of connected apps."
• "Veeva saw the opportunity to bring life sciences to the cloud and remove the industry's reliance on complex legacy software deployments," said Peter Gassner, founder and CEO, Veeva Systems. "The Salesforce1 Customer
• Platform eliminated the need to invest in major hardware and platform infrastructure, enabling us to focus on building market leading applications. As a result, Veeva has been able to get to market and profitability faster, and focus on customer success."
• "The enterprise application market is huge and just getting bigger," said Christine Dover, Research Director, Enterprise Applications and Digital Commerce, IDC. "Businesses need cloud-based applications that are specific to their needs, they don't want to make a generic application fit their business and they don't want to hire an IT staff. The Salesforce Platform and the AppExchange Accelerate program provide a great start to ISVs to deliver these business-critical applications."

The market for social, mobile and connected enterprise apps is exploding, as companies continue to invest in new ways to build meaningful connections with their customers and operate their businesses more effectively. Whether it is streamlining a business process connected to customer data, or bringing an entire industry solution to the cloud—the opportunity to build an ISV business that addresses the shortcomings of today's disconnected, legacy systems has never been greater. Unfortunately, most ISVs never capitalize on this opportunity. Many have unstable business models, built upon technology platforms with costs that scale to be greater than revenues. Others overestimate the market demand for their product, and prospects are not willing to trust an unproven solution. Finally, some underestimate the resources needed to attract new customers—whether it is marketing, sales enablement or access to venture funding. With so many potential pitfalls, ISVs need a proven recipe for business success and profitability to build the next great apps company for the connected world.

Introducing Salesforce1 AppExchange Accelerate—Fueling the Next Wave of Enterprise ISVs on the Salesforce1 Customer Platform

The new AppExchange Accelerate program will provide a proven model for building, marketing and selling the next generation of disruptive enterprise apps—combining the world's leading customer platform with the right go-to-market services to empower ISVs from day one. Available with no ramp-up costs, ISVs will now be able to invest critical resources on revenue generating activities, instead of on infrastructure with costs that scale faster than profits. And because they will be building their businesses on Salesforce1, ISVs can innovate with confidence, get to market faster than ever before and target a customer base that is eager to get their hands on social, mobile and connected apps that will transform how they connect with their own customers.

The AppExchange Accelerate program provides:

• Proven business model—By building on Salesforce1, ISVs enjoy a "pay as you sell" technology model, incurring platform costs only as their business grows, with no ramp-up costs, predictable pricing and unlimited scalability. ISVs can focus more of their funding on revenue generating activities in those critical early years.
• Proven enterprise playbook—From go-to-market strategies and technical enablement services to user experience consultants, AppExchange Accelerate provides the methodologies, resources and expert advice ISVs need to succeed, accessible at any time and at any stage of their development.
• Experienced influencer network—An extensive mentorship program will help ISVs learn from the secrets of their success. The program also provides access to top venture capital firms—including Accel Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Emergence Capital, SV Angel and Lightspeed Ventures—for ISVs looking for additional capital on the road to becoming profitable businesses. The program also works closely with the leading technology incubation programs, such as RocketSpace and Alchemist.

Now AppExchange Accelerate will enable ISVs to get their apps to market and become profitable faster than ever before—delivering the business apps that are in increasing demand from salesforce.com customers. According to a recently released IDC White Paper, sponsored by salesforce.com and entitled, "The Enterprise App Economy: How App Marketplaces are Changing the Way Vendors Market and Customers Shop (November 2013)", ISVs on the AppExchange find the quality of leads to be extremely high and report conversion rates of leads to qualified opportunities at double-digit rates ranging from 17 percent to 71 percent. The report notes: "Lack of quality leads is a common complaint from ISVs partnering with software vendors, but that doesn't seem to be the case with salesforce.com partners. Instead the common theme is the high quality of the leads and the ability to turn them into paying customers....Partners are also reporting that the number of closed deals attributed to AppExchange opportunities are accelerating, doubling and even tripling, year over year."

Delivering the Largest Ecosystems of Social, Mobile and Connected Cloud Apps, Instantly Available on any Device—The Salesforce1 AppExchange

Since launching in 2005, companies have trusted the AppExchange to provide the largest selection of social, mobile and connected cloud apps for the enterprise, from industry-leading ISVs. To date, more than 2,000 apps from the AppExchange have been installed more than 2 million times by salesforce.com customers. Now with AppExchange Accelerate, connected companies will have even more choice as the world's largest ecosystem of business apps continues to expand. Companies can adopt the most innovative and connected business apps as easily as they download an app from their iPhone, enabling them to run their entire business on Salesforce1. Also, in leveraging apps built on the world's leading cloud platform, customers can focus more time connecting with their customers and less time worrying about application upgrades and maintenance.

Leading enterprise ISVs have Harnessed the Salesforce1 Customer Platform to Transform Disruptive Ideas into Successful App Companies

Salesforce1 has already ignited the new generation of enterprise software leaders. Apttus brought the vital quote-to-cash business process to the cloud. FinancialForce.com scrapped initial plans to build its own platform and opted to kickstart its business on Salesforce1. Kenandy is transforming the manufacturing industry by bringing ERP systems to the cloud. And Veeva took a similar approach, leveraging Salesforce1 to expedite its path to success in the life sciences industry.

Salesforce1 Customer Platform—The Customer Platform for the Internet of Customers

Salesforce1 Customer Platform is the new social, mobile, connected and cloud customer platform built to transform sales, service and marketing apps for the Internet of Customers. As the pioneer of enterprise cloud computing, salesforce.com built the next generation of the world's #1 cloud platform for the new connected world. Now every company can connect with customers in a whole new way.

Pricing and Availability

• Salesforce AppExchange Accelerate will be available for eligible start-ups in the first half of 2014.

Additional Information

• For more information on Salesforce1 AppExchange Accelerate, please visit: http://developer.salesforce.com/accelerate/
• Follow @Salesforce on Twitter
• Like salesforce.com on Facebook: http://facebook.com/salesforce

About salesforce.com

Salesforce.com is the world's largest provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software. For more information about salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who  purchase salesforce.com applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce.com has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit http://salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

© 2013 salesforce.com, inc. All rights reserved. Salesforce, Salesforce1, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, AppExchange, Salesforce Platform, and others are trademarks of salesforce.com, inc. Other brands featured herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE salesforce.com