Customer relationship management software provider Salesforce led a $290m series B round for US-based robotic process automation (RPA) technology producer Automation Anywhere yesterday through its Salesforce Ventures subsidiary.
The round valued Automation Anywhere at $6.8bn and also featured SoftBank Investment Advisers, the division of internet and telecommunications group SoftBank that manages its $98.6bn Vision Fund, in addition to investment banking firm Goldman Sachs.
Founded in 2013, Automation Anywhere has created an intelligent automation platform that enables organisations to automate some repetitive or manual processes using software bots. The product combines RPA with analytics tools and artificial intelligence and machine learning technology.
The company has also built a version tailored for Salesforce users called Automation Anywhere Salesforce Connector, which is available through the latter’s AppExchange marketplace.
Bill Patterson, general manager of Salesforce’s Service Cloud division, said: “Automation Anywhere makes it easier for Salesforce customers to automate repetitive, manual tasks and focus on what matters most – the customer.
“We are excited to extend our partnership with Automation Anywhere to help more customers automate their end-to-end business processes and accelerate their digital transformation journeys.”
Vision Fund invested $300m in the company as part of a November 2018 series A round it said was closed at $550m.
The series A funding was raised at a $2.6bn valuation and the round also featured Workday Ventures, enterprise software provider Workday’s investment arm, as well as Goldman Sachs, New Enterprise Associates, World Innovation Lab and General Atlantic.
