US-based software testing platform Applause secured $35m in series F capital on Wednesday from a consortium including strategic investor Accenture Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of professional services firm Accenture.
The round was led by financial services firm Credit Suisse and also featured investment bank Goldman Sachs’ Merchant Banking Division, advisory firm Mesco and venture capital firms QuestMark Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Longworth Venture Partners and MassVentures.
Applause, established in 2007 as UTest but rebranded in 2014, has created technology that allows developers to test their web, mobile, wearable and internet-of-things applications in the real world.
Applause will use the cash to further expand its testing services, increase a feedback platform that helps companies collect and analyse user comments, and launch its digital research platform, which will let developers understand what customers want from their applications.
The company has now raised more than $115m in funding. In 2014, it attracted $43m in a series E round led by Goldman Sachs, with participation from QuestMark, Scale Venture, Longworth Venture, Egan-Managed Capital and Mesco.
Paul Daugherty, chief technology officer of Accenture, said: “Combining our global testing capabilities with Applause’s in-the-wild crowdtesting platform will provide clients with a better digital testing solution for websites, mobile apps and IoT products.
“Together, we bring a unique ability to scale to meet the demands of enterprise clients around the world. That is what led us to forge this alliance relationship and invest in Applause through Accenture Ventures.”