Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Friday, January 29 2021 - 05:02
AsiaNet
Data analytics software company Phocas positions for rapid growth in the U.S. and UK with AU$45 million (US$34 million) capital raise
SYDNEY, Jan. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

Australian global data analytics software business Phocas Software [ 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3051142-1&h=205094089&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.phocassoftware.com%2F&a=Phocas+Software 
] announces a AU$45 million (US$34 million) capital raise to accelerate its 
growth in America and the United Kingdom, expand into new industries and 
develop its core products.

Ellerston Capital led the capital raise with a AU$35 million (US$27 million) 
equity investment. OneVentures, an existing shareholder who first invested in 
the company in 2018, provided an additional AU$10 million (US$7 million) equity 
financing, reinforcing the venture capital firm's confidence in the company. 

Phocas is a cloud-based data analytics [ 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3051142-1&h=1272901843&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.phocassoftware.com%2Fphocas-analytics&a=data+analytics 
] Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company with operations in the US, Australia and 
the UK. It is a growing, profitable company which should reach circa 
AU$50million in revenue by July 1, 2021. The business employs 200 people and 
has more than 1,900 mid-market customers, including Karcher, Burson Automotive, 
Repco, Henry Schein, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Fiskars Royal Doulton in 
Australia. Litex Industries, American Metals Supply, Dixie Plywood and 
Equipment Controls Company in the U.S. And Ruroc, Bayliss and Harding, Savona, 
Midfix and Wessex Packaging in the UK.

The company will use the funding to substantially invest in its core data 
analytics and new financial products, which are in high demand by midmarket 
manufacturing, wholesale and retail businesses globally and expand into new 
industries. The funding will enable the company to supercharge its sales and 
marketing capacity in the U.S. and the UK, to support expansion into new 
verticals and grow out its AI capabilities, positioning Phocas as a global 
leader in data analytics solutions for mid-market customers.

Phocas' cloud data analytics application plugs into enterprise ERP systems and 
multiple other data sources and has over 20 global ERP partners, including U.S. 
giant Epicor. The technology allows people across a company to collate and 
understand the key numbers critical to their work. Phocas has a low barrier to 
entry, reduces layers of data, decreases administration costs, and allows 
everyone within an organisation to understand financial performance better and 
act on it.

Toni Korsanos, an Investment Director of Ellerston JAADE, joins the board of 
Phocas. 

"Phocas is Ellerston JAADE's 6th investment, and we are excited to be joining 
Myles and the entire Phocas team in supporting its growth objectives. We see 
great strength in the products that Phocas offers, leading cloud-based SaaS BI 
software specializing in Data and Financial Analytics. Its products drive a 
high affinity with customers, assisting in decision support through the ease of 
data access, analysis and reporting. Phocas has global reach and strong 
potential for growth especially in the U.S. We look forward to a great 
partnership with the Phocas team and stakeholders," said Toni. 

OneVentures has been an institutional investor in Phocas for the last four 
years and has worked alongside the management team to support them in 
restructuring their business, enhancing the global management team and 
successfully positioning the business' growth to unlock the future value, with 
the company releasing two new products in 2020.

"Phocas has a significant market opportunity and is poised now to accelerate 
its growth in 2021 and beyond. With many listed SaaS companies like Nuix and 
Wisetech demonstrating value in these types of businesses, Phocas will be a 
company to watch for the future," said Dr Michelle Deaker, Managing Partner at 
OneVentures who joined the Phocas board in 2017.

Phocas was co-founded by Myles Glashier in 2001 who continues as the global CEO.

"Phocas always has a razor-sharp focus on the customer. As an agile 
organisation, we continue to respond to their needs. Customers will benefit 
from this new investment as we expand the features and functionality of the 
core product for our clients' sales, purchasing and executive teams. We also 
continue to bring business intelligence to the finance function, making 
financial performance analysis a daily not a monthly activity," said Myles.

"Phocas has only really touched the surface of its growth potential. We could 
continue to bootstrap the company but taking on this capital injection will 
accelerate new vertical market entry and our new product rollout. The reality 
is mid-market business can't run operations on spreadsheets anymore. They need 
an effective tool to manage all the data and make fast and accurate decisions 
from workplaces at home or across divisions. It's a large addressable market 
and unmet need, and Phocas plans to capture and dominate our core mid-market 
segment globally," adds Myles.

Phocas was advised by Blackpeak Capital during the capital raise. 

About Phocas Software 
Phocas is a cloud-based, SaaS company specializing in data analytics for the 
manufacturing, distribution, retail industries. We use sector knowledge to 
consolidate essential business data from common ERP, CRM, and AP/AR systems to 
make it simple to access companywide insights and financial performance through 
historical and predictive analysis.

A core philosophy at Phocas is to make our software intuitive so the everyday 
user can track and report on essential KPIs and metrics that are specific to 
role and industry. People can also customize to meet the unique reporting needs 
of their business. phocassoftware.com [ 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3051142-1&h=2501205060&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.phocassoftware.com%2F&a=phocassoftware.com 
]

About Ellerston JAADE 
The Ellerston JAADE Australian Private Assets Fund is a collaboration between 
the Ellerston Ventures investment team of David Leslie and Anthony Klok, and 
Aristocrat's ex-CEO, Jamie Odell and ex-CFO Toni Korsanos. The founding 
partners are uniquely positioned and have complementary skill sets, providing 
proven operational and management expertise as well as a consistent investment 
track record. The Ellerston JAADE Australian Private Assets Fund is an 
Australian Expansion / Growth stage and Pre IPO investment fund operated as an 
open-ended unit trust. ellerstoncapital.com [ 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3051142-1&h=2287379705&u=https%3A%2F%2Fellerstoncapital.com%2Ffunds%2Fellerston-jaade-private-assets-fund%2F&a=ellerstoncapital.com 
]

About OneVentures 
OneVentures is one of Australia's leading venture capital firms, with over 
$500M in funds under management. But we do more than invest. We take companies 
to that all-important next stage, by actively shaping their future. We apply 
our years of international experience, operational and executional expertise to 
accelerate the growth of our portfolio companies. A global growth focus drives 
our investment selection with our current portfolio including companies with 
truly innovative products tackling multi-billion-dollar problems, from 
needle-free vaccinations to virtual communications to adaptive e-learning. 
Game changers, that deliver lasting gains. One-ventures.com.au [ 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3051142-1&h=200758185&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.one-ventures.com.au%2F&a=One-ventures.com.au 
]

SOURCE  Phocas Software 

CONTACT: US: PR Manager, Phocas, Kevin Wilson +1(513) 898 1008, 
kevin.wilson@phocassoftware.com, or UK: General Manager, Phocas, UK, Mike Hills 
+ 44 7809 685295, or AU: Communications Manager, Phocas, Katrina Walter + 61 
0402 703 708