Applause’s Partnership with Vista Equity Partners

In August 2017, Applause announced that it would be acquired by global market-leading investment firm Vista Equity Partners. Part of Vista’s global portfolio of companies, Applause has been able to reach its goals of expanding its leadership within the digital testing industry, offering exceptional user insights and pioneering testing technology within its platform. The Framingham, Massachusetts-based company had considered an IPO before Vista’s investment, and has worked with investors Goldman Sachs, QuestMark Partners and Scale Venture Partners, among others. In 2016, Accenture and Credit Suisse had also invested in the software firm.

Doron Reuveni, Applause Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, had said of the acquisition, “This is a tremendous milestone for Applause, one which validates our mission: to deliver flawless digital experiences to the world. 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. As we take Applause to our next stage of growth, we are delighted to partner with Vista’s second-to-none talent and expertise.”

Since Vista’s acquisition of Applause, the company has been able to expand its capabilities to test mission critical websites and apps in real-time. During the onset of COVID-19, Israel’s Ministry of Health used Applause software and their community of test users to troubleshoot the Ministry of Health’s infection tracking app. This app used GPS data from users’ cell phones to quickly and effectively identify potential infection zones and to notify users if they had been in the vicinity of anyone who was later diagnosed with COVID-19.

Applause has been able to help aid American healthcare providers during the outbreak, as well. As many practices switched to telehealth appointments during the lockdown, many used Applause to remotely test their online portals and COVID-specific chatbots, which allowed for safe and effective web and application testing without the need for in-person contact.