Tag Archive for: Startups

Saltbox

B2B sales company, Saltbox, has received a $500,000 investment from Traction Capital to finish out their $675,000 raise. The Minneapolis-based company is revolutionizing the way B2B organizations improve the buying experience of their customers. As Saltbox continues to grow, Traction Capital looks forward to working closely with their team.

Saltbox is a Salesforce startup that helps to digitize, personalize and automate a B2B consumer’s buying experience. With their extensive knowledge of Salesforce, they are able to improve storefront experiences and purchases, in addition to streamlining order management. As B2B buyer personas shifts, B2B buyers are expecting more B2C– like experiences and Saltbox assists organizations in identifying and catering to that shift.

“The investment and partnership from Traction Capital will play a pivotal role in helping Saltbox accelerate our mission of helping B2B companies reimagine the buying experiences of their customers through the use of Salesforce. I’m also excited to bring Traction’s experience as operators to our board of directors, as their guidance will be just as important as their capital as we look to scale the business and capitalize on the tremendous opportunity for rapid growth that the salesforce ecosystem provides,” says David Blue, founder of Saltbox.

The company strives to deliver engaging, frictionless, B2C-like buying experiences to their customers. Unlike their competitors, Saltbox specializes in B2B commerce and order management, with capabilities spanning the entire Salesforce platform. Their expertise and ability to serve end-to-end buyer transformation use-cases also helps them stand out. Saltbox’s three main industries of focus include manufacturing/consumer goods, high-tech/software and medical devices/pharma.

For the immediate future David’s focus will be expanding their software, growing their team, and continuing to innovate within the company. They are currently hiring a Salesforce Account Executive, multiple positions within the delivery organization, and will continue to post as more positions become available. Check out their LinkedIn for more details.

Both experts in their field, Traction Capital and Saltbox are eager to join forces. “We are excited by David’s extensive experience in the field and his ambition to make Saltbox succeed. Traction Capital looks forward to helping Saltbox grow their team and continue to innovate with the implementation of EOS. Our Traction team believes Saltbox has what it takes to transform the way B2B organizations interact and we are eager to help them accomplish that,” says Shane Erickson, founder and Managing Partner of Traction Capital.

Froogle

Traction Capital has invested $500,000 in Froogle, a Software company that focuses on the hospitality industry. The company utilizes its location-based technology and online ordering software to help small and medium sized businesses draw in new consumers while also saving money and manpower. The Minneapolis venture capital firm is excited to be a key partner in Froogle’s growth and development.

Froogle is a SaaS startup that uses its technology to enable restaurants to offer mobile contactless order and pay for pickup and delivery. This software is free for businesses to use. Froogle also assists with social media, marketing/advertising and web development, this lessens the marketing hassle for restaurants and helps them compete with their larger competitors.

“When I met Shane and Brian at Traction Capital I felt they understood the vision of Froogle and what it offers to small and medium size businesses. I am extremely impressed with Traction Capital, their knowledge and support in growing businesses is what attracted me to them. Froogle’s Free online ordering software and assistance in helping with marketing, advertising and web development takes a lot of pressure off the small business owner.  We are growing so fast that we are seeing 15-20% month to month growth,” says, Michael Juszczak ,founder and CEO of Froogle.

Froogle currently has clients across 25 states and they have seen over a 90% retention rate. As Froogle continues to grow, they are looking to hire 8 employees in a variety of different roles including sales, social media manager and a content manager. Keep an eye on Froogle as well as Traction Capital’s LinkedIn for more details.

Key advantages and features of Froogle include:

  • Free White label ecommerce platform
  • Online marketing
  • Web development
  • Social Media Engagement
  • Cost Reduction for restaurants

Traction and Froogle are excited to focus on growth and more national expansion. With both companies’ EOS backgrounds, the joining of forces will only drive more success. “Mike and Corey of Froogle specifically sought out our Traction Capital team at Twin Cities Startup Week in fall of 2021. Their experience and interest in running Traction EOS aligns perfectly with Traction Capital’s thesis and value add. Mike and Corey are hustlers, go getters and have what it takes to be successful with Froogle in a high demand marketplace, while adding value to their customers,” says Brian Cox, Integrator and President at Traction Capital.

ControlBright Names Barbara Stinnett President

After raising $500,000 in capital in recent months, ControlBright is set for growth and has chosen veteran technology executive and private equity trailblazer Barbara Stinnett to lead the charge. Stinnett’s role as President began on 3/15/2022.

Barbara Stinnett is a highly respected industry executive who brings a wealth of global leadership experience in high-tech organizations. Stinnett served and led operationally in the C Suite at Hewlett Packard, Sybase/SAP, Oracle, & Cisco where she was directly responsible for global sales, services, and support groups. She was also the first female CEO for one of the largest global Private Equity firms. In 2008, she founded Timmaron Group, based on her passion to work with companies to address their strategic desires by applying technologies to be the best they can be.

“Barb brings unparalleled leadership skills and a deep skill set in technology,” says ControlBright Founder Chad Behling. “We are excited to have her join our team. With her industry acumen, financial expertise, and extensive connections, we have no doubt that Barbara will position ControlBright for considerable growth.”

Stinnett holds degrees in International Business and Management Information Technologies, Applied Technologies, and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin. She is a National Association of Corporate Directors certified fellow and seasoned board member serving on over 15 public, private, and non-profit boards.

Over the next year and beyond, Stinnett and ControlBright will work to build out their team to scale up production and sales. With Stinnett in place, Behling will be able to shift his focus to spending time on the company vision and areas of the business he is best at.