In Mind Cloud

Established in 2012 by Christian Cuske and Dhaval Bhardwaj, In Mind Cloud emerged to address a gap in the market for a sales platform specifically designed for the manufacturing sector. Before founding the company, Cuske gained substantial experience at SAP as Head of Custom Development High Tech and in consulting roles at Protiviti and Ernst & Young, holding a Ph.D. in Quantitative Computer Science. This background provided deep insights into the intricate sales processes of manufacturing companies, which existing CRM and CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) solutions failed to adequately address—they were often either too complex to use or not powerful enough to handle manufacturing's product complexity.

In Mind Cloud provides a cloud-native, end-to-end digital sales platform that integrates CRM, CPQ, and commerce functionalities tailored for manufacturers. The company primarily serves a global clientele of blue-chip manufacturers across various verticals, including industrial manufacturing, automotive, and high-tech, with customers like Benteler, Mindray Medical, and Netafim. Its business model is subscription-based, generating revenue by providing access to its comprehensive software suite. The platform is designed to digitize and streamline the entire sales process, from customer inquiry and quotation to production and after-sales service.

The core of the offering is the 'Manufacturing X' platform, which launched in 2018. This solution unifies sales processes by combining CPQ with real-time manufacturing data and business intelligence. Key features include 2D/3D product configuration, dynamic cost estimation, proposal management, e-signature capabilities, and a partner portal for distributors. A significant selling point is its deep integration with enterprise systems like SAP ERP and Salesforce, allowing for a two-way data exchange that ensures accuracy and reduces manual data entry. This integration enables features like real-time cost calculations and the creation of accurate, individualized quotes in minutes. The platform also enhances after-sales management by providing customers with 24/7 access to a commerce portal for spare parts and repeat purchases.

Since its founding, the company has operated globally with offices in Singapore, Germany, and the US. In Mind Cloud secured a Series A funding round in October 2017 and a subsequent Series B round of €16 million (approximately $17.6M) in September 2019, led by Digital+ Partners. A major milestone occurred in December 2023 when the company was acquired by Zilliant, a leader in price optimization and management. The acquisition integrated In Mind Cloud’s CPQ and commerce technology with Zilliant's pricing solutions, creating a unified platform to manage the entire pricing and sales lifecycle for manufacturers. Keywords: manufacturing sales platform, configure price quote, CPQ software, digital sales, B2B e-commerce, manufacturing CRM, SAP integration, Salesforce integration, product configuration, sales automation, cost estimation, after-sales service, industrial manufacturing software, engineering sales tools, lead management, quote-to-cash, proposal management, partner portal, digital commerce, production data integration