Exclusive Networks gets closer to the startup community

Exclusive Networks has always prided itself on bringing emerging vendors to the channel, but now it is going one step further back and getting more deeply involved with startups.

Since its inception, Exclusive has emphasised that one of the key attributes of being a value-added distributor is around the ability to identify and then bring disruptive technology to the market.

The distributor has partnered with Tomorrow Street to give the startups in its portfolio access to the growth opportunities that come from working with the channel.

Tomorrow Street is a joint venture between the Vodafone Procurement Company and Technoport, the Luxembourg government incubator. The idea is for the outfit to identify technology players that could develop into significant parts of the telco firm’s ecosystem.

The two-way relationship will also give Exclusive access to the technologies that emerge from Tomorrow Street’s innovation ecosystem.

“Discovering disruptive startups, accelerating their go-to-market and creating value for the channel and vendors alike is all part of the Exclusive Networks DNA,” said Andy Travers, executive vice-president, worldwide sales and marketing at Exclusive Networks.

“Working in harmony with Tomorrow Street is yet another demonstration of our disruptive approach – evolving our method of search and selection for new market entrants and providing a rapid expansion proposition for late-stage startups that have differentiation and destiny. Working with Vodafone and Tomorrow Street allows us to complement their capital and resources with our unique go-to-market knowledge and scale.”

Kenneth Graham, Tomorrow Street’s CEO, said the startups in its portfolio will benefit from getting access to distribution and the wider channel.

“Exclusive Networks and Tomorrow Street have a shared goal to identify innovative startups and work with them to scale their businesses,” he said. “Tomorrow Street’s ecosystem, combined with Exclusive’s reputation for innovation, go-to-market skills and global distribution channels, will be a huge advantage to help startups scale their tech across the globe.”

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Exclusive has already been busy this year, recruiting a head of professional services last month and establishing a coronavirus help hub to support partners through the crisis.

In the first five months of the year, the firm has bolstered its executive team with a host of hires, including Gerard Allison, svp of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Barrie Desmond, svp marketing & communications, Brad Gray, svp Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Scott Lewis, svp Americas.

Its model of taking emerging technology to market and then encouraging resellers to add it to a wider solution has continued to deliver results.

In the most recent insight into its financial performance, shared at the end of March, the firm revealed that revenues are heading even further north of €2bn.

The distributor saw booking revenues of €2.4bn for 2019, a year-on-year increase of 17%. Growth came across the global business, fuelled by demand for security and cloud transformation products.

Growth climbed by 16% in the UK, 44% in the Middle East, 20% in Southern Europe, 18% in the Asia-Pacific region and 17% in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.