Salesforce Makes Another CRM Acquisition

​Last week, Salesforce headlined M&A activity with the acquisition of CRM provider Datorama. Other notable deals made during the week included acquisitions of Agrible, an agronomy software provider; ELEAD1ONE, a maker of CRM software for auto dealers; Kosta Browne, a California winery; andGE’s Baker Hughes sold their natural gas solutions business to private equity firm First Reserve.

• On Monday, SalesForce (NYSE: CRM) announced its agreement to acquire Datorama for $850 million. Datorama provides a marketing integration engine that optimizes performance by making data actionable with goals, pacing, alerts, chat, reports, and AI-powered insights to enable enterprises, agencies and publishers to connect all of their data sources together into a single platform. Some 3,000 customers globally use Datorama's marketing intelligence and analytics platform, including TicketMaster and IBM. The acquisition will enhance Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud with expanded data integration and analytics. Salesforce previously acquired marketing specialist Krux for $700 million in 2016, adding it to its Marketing Cloud business as well.

• Agrible, a provider of software with predictive analytics tools for real-time agronomy and sustainability tracking, reached a definitive agreement on Monday to be acquired by Nutrien (TSE: NTR) for $63 million. Agrible’s product offering is a broad set of agronomic and on-farm advisory tools, data science capabilities, aggregated grower-level datasets, and predictive analytics that help growers measure, benchmark, and manage sustainable crop production. Agrible has 17,000 grower users on their platform, including the likes of AB InBev and Frito-Lay, representing roughly 11 million acres of land.  Nutrien hopes to incorporate Agrible’s platform and tools into their existing platform to strengthen their product lineup.

• Last Monday, CDK Global (NASDAQ: CDK) acquired ELEAD1ONE, a Georgia-based developer of CRM software solutions intended for automotive dealers. ELEAD1ONE’s platform offers a comprehensive dealer-customer experience through its solution suite by combining sales, marketing, contact center and service1one capabilities into a single dashboard. Service1One is a tool that ties together all workflows within a dealer service repair shop. CDK, also a developer of software for automotive dealers, says ELEAD1ONE’s CRM centerpiece will fit well with its diversified product offerings to address the needs of dealers in today’s evolving marketplace. The terms of the were not disclosed.

• Baker Hughes, a General Electric company, has entered an agreement to sell its Natural Gas Solutions (NGS) division for a combined $375 million through two deals. In one deal, the NGS product line will be sold to First Reserve, an energy-focused private equity firm, through a leveraged buyout. In the other, Italy-based Pietro Fiorentini SpA will acquire Baker Hughes’ Talamona, Italy NGS branch. Baker Hughes’ NGS division manufactures natural gas regulators and related products, including gas meters, chemical injection pumps, electrical actuators, and pipeline repair products.
  

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• Duckhorn Wine Co., a St. Helena, California-based winery specializing in premium Merlot wines, announced its leveraged buyout of Kosta Browne Winery for an undisclosed sum. Kosta Browne is a Sebastopol, California-based maker of Pinot Noir wines and produces 30,000 cases a year on 170 acres across three appellations. Kosta Browne has been acquired by private equity firms twice before, once for a reported $40 million. The deal, expected to close next month, will include the entire Kosta Browne package: the company, its winery, branding, inventory, and access to the 170 vineyard acres across the North Coast through both ownership and long-term leases.