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Print Edition StoriesTuesday, February 9, 2010
Battery Ventures boosts Israeli startup's HQ move to Waltham
By Galen Moore
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Battery Ventures has put $6 million into a bootstrapped startup that is establishing its U.S. headquarters in Waltham, near the venture capital and private equity firm’s own offices.
Israel-based Pursway Inc. makes influencer marketing software, designed to let companies identify influential purchasers and target them with marketing messages. Unlike social-media-based software that has similar aims, Pursway uses its customers’ point-of-sale data to identify customers who belong to the same social group — that is, who know each other or know someone in common. Then, it seeks to identify individuals whose purchasing habits have been followed by others within the group.
“Influence does not equal conversation,” Ellery Pfeffer, Pursway co-founder and CEO, said. “The people who talk the most, have the most links are not the opinion leaders. The ratio of opinion leaders in that group is the same as in any other population. Influence is about advice from people in a trusted group.”
The company is “very diligent,” Pfeffer said, with regard to protecting the privacy of individual customer data.
Pursway’s customers include Vodafone, T-Mobile, France Telecom-Orange and Foxwoods casino, Pfeffer said. Founded in 2005 as Datanetis, the company now has a headcount over 30 and is cash-flow positive before Battery’s investment, which was the company’s first outside money, Pfeffer said.
Its efforts in Waltham will be headed up by Eran Livneh, vice president of marketing. Pursway is planning on hiring 10 to 15 employees here, mostly in marketing, sales and professional services.
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