Rootstock Software has announced the founding of a partnership with Rootstock Scion (Scion). Former Rootstock CEO and CRO David Stephans founded Scion. The new entity will drive sales and marketing efforts in the enterprise space. Stephans has also created a relationship with Deloitte Digital. Which will see the global consulting firm deliver implementation services to clients. Deloitte has the experience to deliver the consulting services required by large enterprise supply chain and manufacturing firms.
Currently, the Scion website is hosted on the Rootstock website, although Stephans confirmed it is not a subsidiary of the ERP vendor. As the company grows it will be interesting to see whether it develops a completely separate identity. The Scion team will also work with Salesforce and other Salesforce application partners as it looks to sell complete solutions to enterprise clients.
For Rootstock, it frees up the sales team to focus on the mid-market, where most (though not all) of its clients currently fit. It de-risks the sales process, as lead times for enterprise businesses can be notoriously long. It will deliver a clear means of expanding into the enterprise market with the support of Deloitte through a partner where it knows the leadership well. Scion is already working with Deloitte to identify clients where Rootstock will be a good fit.
Rick Berger, CEO of Rootstock Software, commented, “While Rootstock will remain focused on midsize manufacturers, by partnering with Scion, we extend our reach into the enterprise manufacturing sector. David is a trusted leader with deep expertise in both Rootstock ERP and the manufacturing industry. We’re excited about building a powerful partnership to address the complex demands of large enterprises, helping them leverage our ERP as a flexible, scalable foundation for their needs.”
An offshoot of Rootstock
The creation of Scion as an offshoot of Rootstock is deliberate. Stephans believes his organisation will seamlessly work with Rootstock and extend the ERP provider’s reach while not compromising its own operational efficiency. With a deep understanding of Rootstock’s core values, Stephans will create a partner that is fully aligned with the ERP software vendor whilst able to focus on winning new enterprise customers.
Scion will initially target markets in Canada, the UK and the US. It will focus on enterprise businesses which have over $1 billion in revenue, primarily in the manufacturing and Supply chain sectors. There are sectors where Rootstock has already proven its value.
Berger added, “With Scion and Deloitte operating hand in hand, we’ll be able to quickly scale to handle enterprise accounts while maintaining Rootstock’s focus on delivering ERP product and service excellence to midmarket manufacturers.”
Camil Bourbeau, Partner at Deloitte Canada, commented, “We’re excited to support Scion in delivering Rootstock ERP as the foundational technology to some of the largest manufacturing and supply chain leaders in the industry. At Deloitte Digital, we’ve worked with David in the past.
“Not only does he know Rootstock ERP inside and out, but he understands better than anyone how it aligns with the needs of enterprise manufacturers, since he’s walked in their shoes. We look forward to empowering Scion customers with rapid time-to-value implementations, configuration, and ongoing support.”
David Stephans talks about Scion
Stephans is a veteran of the software industry having spent more than ten years in senior leadership positions at Rootstock. He also held leadership positions in the manufacturing industry, notably A&D Electronics a high-growth aerospace and defence subcontractor. He also held leadership positions at software firms i2 and Baan. His experience of working in Rootstock and dealing with the complex requirements of a large manufacturers enables him to understand the challenges of the target market.
Stephans commented, “I’m excited to apply my decades of experience in manufacturing and supply chain technology, combined with in-depth knowledge of Rootstock ERP, to the high-stakes world of manufacturing enterprises. Leaders in this space require highly configurable, AI-ready, composable applications that will easily fit into their complex IT environments. These enterprises want rapidly deployable, high-value solutions to optimally serve their customers during continued market volatility—there’s no better solution than Rootstock to deliver these capabilities.”
On Scion
Enterprise Times also asked Stephans some questions about the new venture. First asking him why he founded the new venture.
“I founded Rootstock Scion to help address a critical gap in the Enterprise Manufacturing and Supply Chain space: the need for composable, AI-driven ERP solutions that enhance agility and customer focus.
“With Rootstock’s Salesforce-native ERP and the introduction of Agentforce technologies, Scion will help manufacturers better serve their customers—working from within applications like ERP and CRM, where they most closely engage with customers. This approach will not only boost efficiency but also deliver capabilities faster and more cost-effectively than traditional ERP solutions.”
Who funded Scion is unclear, but several investors were involved. I asked Stephans how it came about. He replied, “Rootstock Software and Gryphon Investors recognized a significant opportunity to address the unique needs of the enterprise marketplace. Seeing the potential to bring advanced ERP and AI capabilities to this growth sector, I was excited to turn this vision into reality.
“Rootstock recognized that success in this space required a dedicated team laser-focused on the specific needs of enterprise manufacturers, and from that realization, the idea for Rootstock Scion was born.”
On growth
Scion is starting small and Stephans would not reveal the number of employees or his intention around growth. However the firm will work closely with Salesforce and Deloitte sales team to gain initial momentum. As success comes Stephens plans to expand the Scion team to meet demand. If successful, that demand could be huge.
I asked Stephans what he hopes to achieve before the end of 2025. He replied, “By the end of 2025, our goal is to have successfully partnered with several Enterprise customers and completed at least one impactful project phase with each. This aligns with our commitment to demonstrate that composable ERP applications, in conjunction with Salesforce Agentforce capabilities, can be implemented faster and more effectively than traditional ERP solutions.”
Not only will this create new opportunities for Deloitte, but Scion is also likely to work with other Rootstock ecosystem partners as they look to engage larger customers.
In the long term, what is Stephans’ vision for Scion?
He answered, “The vision for Rootstock Scion is to transform enterprise-scale manufacturing and supply chain operations by delivering composable, AI-driven ERP solutions that enable agility, efficiency, and customer-centric innovation. By leveraging Rootstock ERP and Agentforce technologies, we aim to empower enterprise companies in this space to overcome their unique challenges, achieve rapid time-to-value, and maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market.”
On Agentforce, Stephans made clear that it is unlikely that Scion will develop those technologies itself. However, both Rootstock and Deloitte Digital already have the experience to both extend Rootstock and deliver Agentforce Agents to meet the automation needs of manufacturers. As Scion grows, it will likely invest in and support the development of other Agentforce solutions by other partners.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
Rootstock, Gryphon Investors, and Deloitte Digital have helped to create a sales and marketing organisation in Scion that has a clear focus. Scion will work closely with the consulting teams from Deloitte and the Rootstock Customer Success organisation to deliver successful outcomes for manufacturers.
If this initiative works it is a very interesting model that other mid-market firms could look to replicate as they seek to conquer the enterprise market. Scion, as it grows, could seek to challenge major incumbents such as Oracle and SAP in the enterprise markets in a way that it hasn’t been seen before. It will be interesting to see whether Scion adds further relationships with other Deloitte businesses across Europe and elsewhere and whether it adds other SI partners.
While the investors behind Scion are unclear, if proven successful, Scion might attract further funding to accelerate growth.
