Epicor has bought Grow Inc, the no-code full-stack business intelligence platform based in Lehi, Utah. The Grow platform is a self-contained solution that supports data ingestion, preparation, visualisation and then allows users to share those visualisations. Customers can also personalise their Grow instance with their corporate palette and logo.
Customers come from various industries and include Gymshark, Everton Football Club and Stanford University. It accelerates time to insight with integrations to over 150 applications, databases, and data warehouses. Those integrations include Salesforce, Amazon RedShift, FreshBooks, HubSpot, and QuickBooks. Currently, there does not appear to be an integration with Epicor.
Epicor did not reveal the deal’s financial terms; however, Toba Capital, which led the Series B funding round in 2018, and long time investor Peterson Ventures have both exited the company.
Epicor CEO Steve Murphy commented: “In today’s world, businesses need a streamlined way to cut through the clutter, connect data sources, and glean intelligence from across their enterprise, no matter where the information resides. The Grow acquisition gives Epicor users a simple, easy-to-use platform to build the right models to tap into that intelligence, helping them make great decisions in real-time to accelerate growth.”
What happens to Grow
Grow will add another 40 employees to Epicor. According to Aaron Masterson, Global Head of Corporate Communications at Epicor Software, the “Grow leadership will continue to drive product innovation and customer support that empowers users to maximize business intelligence.“
That includes the two founders: Rob Nelson, CEO and Ryan Nelson, CTO. Rob Nelson commented: “Grow helps users put their data to work, moving beyond simply knowing what is happening to understand why. We are thrilled to be joining Epicor, extending our mission to make it simple for companies to connect their data, explore it, and surface actionable insights.”
With most of Grow’s customers not using Epicor, what is Epicor’s message for them? Masterson answered: “Grow will continue to enhance and support the BI platform for the current non-Epicor customer base. With the Epicor acquisition, Grow customers will benefit from significant scale, development, and investment in the BI platform, giving them even more capabilities to put their data to work.”
Epicor already used a third-party analytics platform, Phocas, to power Epicor Data Analytics. Does this mean it will migrate users over time to the Grow platform? Masterson noted: “We are committed to offering an open, flexible platform which means connecting with Epicor and non-Epicor analytic capabilities. This means we will continue to go to market with EDA, a partner solution, along with other analytics products that our customers use.”
What should Epicor customers expect?
The dust is still settling on the acquisition. There is no definitive roadmap with timescales for the Epicor connectors that Grow will need to build. However, it is a modern platform with a lot of connectors. It should not take long before an announcement is made that sees Epicor customers able to take advantage of the Grow platform. Pricing is unknown, and Grow does not publish its current pricing on its website.
While Epicor is likely to continue with EDA for some time, it does seem likely that its investments will be in its own BI platform, Grow. It now has a solid basis for extending the platform, which is probably good news for Grow customers. Epicor has a history of acquiring firms and allows them to continue developing and marketing their product. One example of this is DocStar its document management solution.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Epicor has bought a modern, well respected BI platform. While it will have cost millions, it will enable Epicor to keep more analytics revenues to itself. Enterprise Times did ask Masterson whether Epicor considered acquiring Phocas, but there was no response.
However, there could be reasons why they didn’t. Epicor will have a good understanding of the Phocas technology. It may have wanted something more modern and based in the United States. Phocas may not have wanted to sell. It raised US$34 million in a funding round last year. Additionally, the price tag may have been too high.
This is good news for Epicor, its customers, the Grow organisation and its customers. It may not be so positive for Phocas. However, only time will tell what Epicor’s intentions are for EDA.
