London, UK, May 17, 2021—Clarivate plc (NYSE: CLVT), a global leader in providing trusted information and insights to accelerate the pace of innovation, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire ProQuest, a leading global software, data and analytics provider to academic, research and national institutions, from Cambridge Information Group, a family-owned investment firm, and other partners including Atairos, for $5.3 billion, including refinancing of ProQuest debt. The consideration for the acquisition is approximately $4.0 billion in cash and $1.3 billion of equity. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, is expected to close during the third quarter of 2021.
Ann Arbor Tech Company Nutshell Launches Unique CRM Product for Marketers
Nutshell is a newer staple in the Ann Arbor tech scene the last 10 years, founded by several people — Andy Fowler, Guy Suter, Ian Berry, and Lindsay Snider — who had worked together in a regional dialup ISP and subsequently started a bitleap data backup startup that updated companies’ data to the cloud in the early aughts. This company was acquired by Ann Arbor’s Barracuda Networks, and the band got back together in Ann Arbor a few years later to create something new: a CRM software solution. The idea? Create a CRM sales process and make it repeatable. Now the company that became Nutshell has grown, and released its second major product, that takes CRMs to a new level.
Shine & Rise Creates a Network for Siloed Women in Tech
Women in tech face even more isolation than simply being a minority in the industry. As tech grows and the gender gap persists, many womxn and those identifying outside the cisgender male experience are entering roles as diverse as marketing, operations, and people. This means women could be the only woman in their company and the only woman they know in their role in a tech company. Three women in the growing Ann Arbor tech scene set out to build bridges for womxn in tech: Alison Todak, Kristina Oberly, and Rachel Phillips are all key players in the Ann Arbor tech scene with experience that ranges from community building to HR and marketing in tech startups. They founded Shine & Rise in 2019 to address the isolation of women in the tech industry. Even after a pandemic forced operations virtual, the organization is growing and expanding beyond Ann Arbor. Now, Shine & Rise is taking an active role in helping organizations diversify tech from the inside out.
Trends in Business & ECommerce with Human Element’s New ECommerce Strategist Gary Goodman
Gary Goodman is the latest hire to be added to Ann Arbor-based website creation agency Human Element. He is joining the strategy team as an expert in e-commerce. Goodman previously served as Digital Marketing and eCommerce Manager at Equal Exchange, as well as owning and operating his own luxury silk bedding company, which utilized both Magento and BigCommerce, two platforms that Human Element specializes in to assist businesses in improving e-commerce on their online portals. According to Human Element’s Director of Marketing Jenn Hayman, “In both roles, Goodman put to use his expertise in content marketing, SEO, SEM/CPC, and Marketo for marketing automation to drive new customer acquisition and continuous revenue growth.”
The Budding Small Businesses Security Scene, With Tenacity Cloud
This year has seen a number of new security startups in the Ann Arbor Detroit region, as alum of Duo Security, Censys, and other security companies head off on their own entrepreneurial journey. The great news is that they’re all different, serving different markets with different solutions. They also have something to teach all of us about the tech startup journey.
Startup LoanSense Uses Algorithm To Help Find The Right Loan Forgiveness Program, Even Years Into Repayment
What happens when you’ve repaid your loans for years only to find out the loan forgiveness won’t kick in because you didn’t fill out the right paperwork? What if you can’t repay loans right now because you lost a job due to the coronavirus recession? Ann Arbor’s LoanSense, a brand-new startup founded by Catalina Kaiyoorawongs and co-founder Ivan Herndon formerly of StockX, uses technology to find the right program for loan forgiveness or repayment.
Software Company Jottful Builds Creative Community in Tech and Coworking
The ladies who run Jottful set out to help very small businesses with fewer than 5 employees create professional websites. “Our clients are often self-employed consultants, or service-oriented businesses,” says Dawn Verbrigghe, founder and CEO. The service is perfect for everything from “life coaches to management consultants to Main Street service businesses such as martial arts studios, beauty salons, and custom cake decorators.” If a business needs more than a build-your-own site but can’t afford the commonly quoted $5k price tag for a custom website from a creative agency, Jottful fills the gap in between. But then, the scope of what Jottful was managing expanded, and in more than one direction.