Base

Base, a company that developed a sales force automation platform, was founded in 2009 by Uzi Shmilovici, Bart Kiszala, Pawel Niznik, Ela Madej, and Agata Mazur. The founders, frustrated with the existing CRM solutions, aimed to create a modern tool that leveraged mobile technology and data-driven insights.

The company's journey began with a product named Pipejump, which was rebranded as Base in 2011. The platform was designed to be a "post-PC CRM," emphasizing mobile-first access and usability for sales professionals on the go. It provided tools for sales pipeline management, lead scoring, and reporting, all accessible through a user-friendly interface on desktops and mobile devices.

Base's business model was subscription-based, offering different tiers of service to individuals and sales teams of varying sizes. The platform's core value proposition was its ability to capture vast amounts of sales activity data automatically, which it then used to provide actionable insights and sales forecasts. This focus on data and analytics was a key differentiator in the competitive CRM market.

In September 2018, Zendesk acquired Base for $50 million. The acquisition was a strategic move for Zendesk to integrate a robust sales force automation tool into its suite of customer service products, creating a more comprehensive customer experience platform. Following the acquisition, Base's technology was integrated into Zendesk's offerings and rebranded as Zendesk Sell.

Keywords: sales automation, CRM, mobile-first, data analytics, lead management, pipeline management, subscription model, Zendesk acquisition, sales insights, customer relationship management