Jan 20 (Reuters) - Artificial intelligence-driven software
firm 6sense said on Thursday it was valued at $5.2 billion after
a late-stage funding round that included SoftBank Vision Fund 2
as new investor.
San Francisco-based 6sense, which helps enterprises grow
their revenue and customer engagement by analyzing sales and
marketing data, was last valued at $2.1 billion in March 2021
following a $125 million Series D funding.
"Our growth continues to outpace every competitor in our
category, and customers consistently rave about the exceptional
results they see with 6sense," Chief Executive Officer Jason
Zintak said in a statement.
Interest in such software companies from venture capital
firms and investors has been growing due to the pandemic-driven
shift to hybrid working and sustained demand for remote
productivity services.
The companies' frenetic pace of fund raising is expected to
continue this year, as cash with these firms remains at an
all-time high, and returns outpace all other asset classes,
according to a report from PitchBook and the National Venture
Capital Association.
6sense said it raised $200 million in the latest funding
round, led by new investors Blue Owl and MSD Partners with
participation from Tiger Global, Franklin Templeton, Insight
Partners, D1 Capital Partners and Sapphire Ventures.
Founded in 2013, 6sense counts major companies such as
Cognizant, Dell Technologies, Qualtrics
International and Baker Hughes Co as customers.
The new fundraise brings the total capital raised by 6sense
since its inception to $426 million, the company said.
(Reporting by Manya Saini and Sohini Podder in Bengaluru;
Editing by Ramakrishnan M. and Maju Samuel)