CHICAGO, Sept. 11, 2019 — SMS Assist has been named to the Forbes 2019 Cloud 100, the definitive ranking of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in partnership with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures. This is the fourth consecutive year that SMS Assist, a leading innovator in the facilities management industry, has earned the recognition.
Headquartered in Chicago, SMS Assist enhances how customers experience some of the nation’s biggest brands, streamlining all aspects of facilities management for retail and restaurant chains, banks, residential communities, and more. The company’s technology platform offers customers and Affiliates real-time quality assurance and transparency across more than 186,000 service locations coast to coast.
“Being named to the Forbes Cloud 100 every year since its inception is an incredible testament to our team’s ingenuity and relentless dedication,” said Marc Shiffman, CEO of SMS Assist. “We’re humbled and honored to be in such esteemed company and are proud to play a leading role in the cloud’s continued transformation of business worldwide.”
As part of the rigorous selection process for the Forbes 2019 Cloud 100, Bessemer Venture Partners received submissions from hundreds of cloud startups. The Cloud 100 Judging Panel, made up of public cloud company CEOs, reviewed the data to select, score, and rank the top 100 private cloud companies from all over the world. The evaluation process involved ranking companies across four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people & culture (15%).
“The private cloud ecosystem has matured, making the competition to land one of the coveted spots on the Cloud 100 list steeper than ever,” said Byron Deeter, a top cloud investor and partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. “In fact, the average valuation of a company on our inaugural list just four years ago was $1 billion, while the average valuation on this year’s list spiked to $1.7 billion. Our 2019 Cloud 100 includes more than 60 private cloud unicorns! These founders represent the absolute best in cloud computing today, and they will most certainly follow in the footsteps of our esteemed Cloud 100 alumni.”
“There has been tremendous growth in the cloud market in recent years, as more and more companies are adopting cloud technologies to enable their digital transformation and change how they do business. The opportunity is massive in the cloud sector, which is evident in both the public and private sectors. There are now more than 15 public SaaS companies valued at over $10 billion whereas even five years ago there were only two,” said Matt Garratt, managing partner at Salesforce Ventures. “The growth we are seeing is not limited to the Bay Area and San Francisco, as we are seeing more $1 billion-plus cloud companies spring up throughout the U.S. and globally. Salesforce Ventures is excited to be partnering with Bessemer Venture Partners and Forbes for the fourth year in a row to recognize the next generation companies who will land on the Cloud 100 list—those who are not just predicting what’s coming but working to create the future.”
“For four years now, we have ranked the best and brightest emerging companies in the cloud sector,” said Alex Konrad, Forbes editor of The Cloud 100. “With so many businesses growing fast in the cloud, from cybersecurity and marketing to data analytics and storage, it’s harder than ever to make the Cloud 100 list—but with more elite company if you do. Congratulations to each of the 2019 Cloud 100 honorees and the 20 Rising Stars honorees poised to join their ranks!”
The Forbes 2019 Cloud 100 and 20 Rising Stars lists are published online at www.forbes.com/cloud100 and will appear in the September 2019 issue of Forbes magazine.
About SMS Assist
SMS Assist is a facilities management provider that exists to deliver unprecedented choice, control, and speed of service to 186,000 properties like retail stores, banks, restaurants, parking garages, gas stations, and more. Customers benefit from instant, cloud-based access to more than 20,000 verified Affiliates and a customer service team available every second of every day. It’s a new approach for an industry in need of a better solution. SMS Assist investors include Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Huizenga Capital Management, Insight Venture Partners, and Goldman Sachs Investment Partners.
Contact:
Elisabeth Klisser
312-265-2047
eklisser@smsassist.com