ThirdChannel takes to Stage to expand SaaS business

  • December 21, 2020
  • Steve Rogerson

Private equity firm Stage has acquired ThirdChannel, a Massachusetts-based SaaS business that helps consumer brands manage the in-store shopper experience.

“ThirdChannel has built an impressive and unique technological platform that sets them apart,” said Ingrid Alongi, Stage general partner. “They excel in providing efficient and highly valued services to improve in-store performance for the brands they work with, and we believe Stage will be a catalyst to continued growth. The company’s proprietary technology, robust customer base and impressive team make this acquisition an important addition to our portfolio.”

ThirdChannel provides its clients a personalised presence in stores with its field agent network and proprietary field management system. The company also delivers actionable data analytics to its clients, using data collected by the field management system.

“We are excited to be partnering with Stage, a firm with significant experience developing SaaS businesses,” said Brian Tervo, CEO of ThirdChannel. “With their operational expertise and support, we will be able to refocus on providing specialised products and services and growing our market share.”

ThirdChannel founder Gina Ashe added: “I look forward to remaining on the board and working with the team at Stage. Additionally, I am pleased that Brian Tervo has been promoted the position of CEO. His intricate knowledge of the business and established leadership makes this a natural transition that will be stabilising for the company and our clients.”

ThirdChannel’s retail intelligence platform is used by brands and retailers to know what is or should be happening on the ground in thousands of stores, and to identify opportunities to improve in-store experience and drive higher sales. The web-based auditing platform integrates real-time data from teams on the ground in stores with PoS, inventory, traffic and other sources of data to reveal retail execution issues.

The system generates action plans that guide in-store efforts, unlocking sales potential and quantifying results with measurable RoI.

Stage, founded in 2009, is a private equity firm focused on acquiring controlling interests in companies undergoing a change in capital structure, strategy, operations or growth. It offers early stage small and medium-sized enterprises both the capital and management expertise to rethink their approach to growth.