CubeTree

About CubeTree

CubeTree was an enterprise social software provider founded in 2008 by CEO Carlin Wiegner and CTO Ross Fubini. Wiegner, a Stanford graduate with a background in product management and engineering, had previously founded two other companies that were also acquired. Fubini's career began as a core engineer at Netscape, and he later held roles like Director of Engineering at Plum Tree Software before co-founding CubeTree.

The company developed a secure, cloud-based collaboration platform designed to function as an internal social network for businesses, ranging from startups to large corporations. Its business model was subscription-based, offering tiered plans with varying features and storage capacities. A free basic version was available to encourage viral adoption, while professional and enterprise editions were priced on a per-user, per-month basis. The platform's core value proposition was to break down communication silos and enhance productivity across different departments and geographic locations.

CubeTree’s product mimicked the user experience of popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter, incorporating familiar features such as rich user profiles and activity feeds. Beyond basic social functionality, it offered a comprehensive suite of integrated collaboration tools, including wikis, blogs, file sharing, polls, and micro-blogging. A key feature was its ability to aggregate feeds from other enterprise and consumer applications like Salesforce.com, Google Docs, and WebEx, creating a centralized hub for workplace activity. Security was a priority, with the platform utilizing HTTPS and SSL to ensure all internal communications and shared documents remained confidential.

After raising a total of $11.5 million in funding from investors including Trinity Ventures and InterWest Partners, CubeTree was acquired by SuccessFactors in May 2010. The deal was valued at $50 million, comprising an initial $20 million in stock and a subsequent contingent cash payment. The acquisition was a strategic move by SuccessFactors to integrate social collaboration features into its Business Execution (BizX) software suite, aiming to enhance employee engagement and bridge the gap between strategy and execution for its large enterprise client base.