Impact Analytics: AI-Powered Planning And Merchandising Platform Company Secures $40 Million

By Annie Baker • Jan 10, 2024

Impact Analytics – a provider of the industry’s most innovative retail, grocery, CPG, and supply chain-focused planning and merchandising software suite complete with fully integrated and built with native AI – recently announced it has closed $40 million in growth financing.

Sageview Capital led this funding round with additional support from long-time partner Vistara Growth. As part of the deal, Jeff Klemens, Partner at Sageview Capital, and Prashanth Palakurthi, Senior Advisor at Sageview Capital and founder and former CEO of Reflexis Systems, will join the company’s board of directors.

The company will use this funding round to:

1.) Expand its sales, marketing, and customer service organizations in the U.S. and abroad

2.) Ensure its technology platform and AI capabilities continue to lead the industry

3.) Deepen strategic partnerships

4.) Strengthen its balance sheet in anticipation of future growth opportunities.

Impact Analytics clients grow profitably through actionable and data-driven insights and automated operations across full-lifecycle categories, including demand forecasting, pricing optimization, assortment alignment, inventory management, and financial planning. Launched in 2015 as an AI company, Impact Analytics remains a startup committed to technology innovation and customer success.

The company highlights in 2023 included:

1.) A fast-growing roster of leading brands and securing Impact Analytics’ ranking as an America’s Fastest-Growing Company by The Financial Times—for the fourth straight year

2.) The continued development of GenAI and other innovative technologies contributing to the company’s rating in the top 100 of America’s Most Innovative Companies by Fortune—the youngest company in that group and the only one from the retail analytics space

3.) Three separate partnerships with Google Cloud: Product availability on its Marketplace; an agreement to share GenAI technologies; and recognized status as a Google Cloud Supply Chain ISV Partner

4.) A continued and unwavering customer satisfaction, leading to 300+ worldwide retailers voting Impact Analytics the #1 Targeted Solution Vendor in the 2024 RIS Software LeaderBoard report

5.) A growing market foothold in EMEA, APAC, and LATAM

Along with Sageview’s and Vistara’s support, Palakurthi will be investing personally. He expects Impact Analytics will continue to transform merchandising and supply chain operations dramatically, just like how his prior company, Reflexis Systems, transformed retail and consumer goods labor planning.

Needham & Company served as the exclusive financial advisor and Cooley LLP served as the legal advisor to Impact Analytics. And Gunderson Dettmer served as the legal advisor to Sageview Capital. Barnes & Thornburg served as the legal advisor to Vistara Growth.

KEY QUOTES:

“Sageview Capital partners with proven companies that leverage disruptive technologies and that have an intimate understanding of their customers’ business challenges and objectives. Impact Analytics clearly excels in all these regards as a pioneer in their space and we look forward to a fruitful and exciting partnership.”

— Jeff Klemens at Sageview Capital

“We are thrilled to continue and expand our partnership with Impact Analytics. Under the leadership of Prashant Agrawal, the company’s founder and CEO, we have seen true dedication to customer success and technological innovation, driving meaningful growth and opportunity. The market has recognized Impact Analytics as a leader in its category and we see the company developing into an industry juggernaut.”

— Neil Kenley, Principal at Vistara Growth

“Impact Analytics’ AI-driven technologies and techniques have tangibly boosted profitability across its customer base.”

— Prashanth Palakurthi, Senior Advisor at Sageview Capital and founder and former CEO of Reflexis Systems

“This funding round could not have come at a more propitious moment, we could not have imagined better partners than Sageview and Vistara, and adding Palakurthi and Klemens is especially satisfying as they have both been there, done that. Impact Analytics technology is unassailably the best, our client loyalty is truly humbling, and our strategic partnerships are strong and growing stronger. With Sageview and Vistara at our side, we’ll ride this tide to bring our solutions to an ever-widening audience.”

— Impact Analytics founder and CEO Prashant Agrawal