Onyx Acquires Versametrix

Computergram International, August 10, 1999

Onyx Software Corp, the Bellevue, Washington-based customer relationship management vendor, has paid around $1.6m in shares and transferred debt to acquire neighboring Bellevue CRM start-up Versametrix. Onyx has taken over $61,500 of debt and paid for the entire equity with 96,193 of its own shares, valued between $15 and $16 apiece. Onyx will also gain the start-up's five development employees.

The deal will allow Onyx to offer personalization features for its Enterprise Portal product, which enables users to customize their interface and avoid having to use different browsers or separate screens. The set-up screen of a salesperson, for example, might include his favorite web sites, useful applications and a cross-section of his sales pipeline.

Versametrix's web expertise will be integrated into Onyx's online analytical processing tool eMetrics, says Mark Baker, product specialist for Onyx Software in the UK, to enable the CRM vendor to push into the application service provider market, a space where business intelligence tools have traditionally been too expensive for small to medium sized enterprises.

The two firms have been working together for several months to develop integration, and the coordinated product will be on general availability this month, according to Onyx CEO Brent Frei. Target markets include telecoms, financial services and high-tech. Prices for a package including portal and analysis tools, implementation and services would be around $250,000 for a 100 user system.