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Applause acquired by Vista Equity Partners

abstract2-1570533063

Applause, the Boston-based crowd testing specialist, has been acquired by Vista Equity Partners an investment firm focused on software, data and technology-enabled businesses. With Vista’s backing, Applause will accelerate its growth in the marketplace for digital testing said Doron Reuveni, President and CEO of Applause. “Our human-centric approach to software design and quality has become essential to ensure technology works as intended, by real people, in the real world”. Applause was winner of QA Financial’s 2017 European Software & App Award for Crowd Testing Provider of the Year.  We commented that the success of Applause has had in this specialist market segment: “Is based on the expertise of the many manual testers that it brings to the table; a counterpoint to the dominant theme of automation in software testing.” Crowd testing works by using a geographically distributed network of freelancers to test customer-facing applications and websites. This allows real world tests in different locations, on different devices, to make sure that regionally-specific features work as they are intended. It also allows testing to be scaled up and down to according to requirements. Applause says it has around 300,000 individual testers on its books. According to Applause customers such as Santander, the Spanish bank, crowd testing is an effective response to the challenge presented by the proliferation of mobile systems and devices, allowing access to a pool of testers who personally own different mobile devices running different operating systems. “The market demand for Applause has never been stronger. It is fueled by businesses that understand that digital customer experiences are the primary way to compete,” said Robert Smith chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. “The Applause solution enables leading digital brands to ensure that their software works across any device, in every location.” Applause will continue to operate independently with no changes in executive leadership, the company said. The transaction is expected to close in coming weeks.