Accenture, P&G Invest in $27 Million Emmperative Funding Round

Marketing technology firm Emmperative has secured new investments from technology and management consultancy Accenture and existing investor Procter & Gamble, both of which contributed to a funding round that’s expected to total $27 million.

The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company, which to date has raised about $45 million to $50 million, provides ASP-based knowledge and research management tools for marketers. The firm said the newest investments would be used to expand its technology — and that they indicate a significant validation of its offerings.

“Imagine past projects, market research, learnings and in-depth marketing expertise not only available company-wide through a centralized online library, but actually delivered to users’ desktops when they need them during the course of a project,” said Emmperative chief executive Dan Maurer. “Our software gets the right resource to the right person at the right time, helping to make our clients’ organizations smarter and allowing them to spend more time on high value, business-building activities.”

P&G established the firm last January, through an investment in Magnifi.net, which since changed its name to Emmperative. Since then, the consumer goods giant has used the firm’s services for its Vidal Sassoon brand, and now plans to extend its use within the company across larger brands. (Other clients include The Coca Cola Company, BBDO Worldwide, and Philips’ Domestic Appliance and Personal Care division in Europe.)

“Emmperative has done a remarkable job over the past 10 months of embedding marketing expertise and best practices into intuitive and flexible software that has the potential to transform how P&G takes its brands to market globally,” said P&G chief marketing officer Jim Stengel. “We are gearing up to roll out its latest product to additional global brands early next calendar year.”

In connection with its stake in the firm, Accenture will become the Emmperative’s preferred integrator — setting up clients’ systems to use the software. The consultancy also will resell Emmperative’s tools to its clients.

“This is an opportunity for us to invest in a company that has developed intuitive, scalable software that can help market-driven companies build their business and organizations,” said Tim Breene, who is managing partner for Accenture’s Global Service Lines.

Emmperative also used the occasion to announce its newest client, Standard Chartered Bank. Standard Chartered, one of the leading financial institutions in Asia, becomes the first financial institution to license Emmperative’s solution.