Exclusive Networks increases startup coverage with Ignition buy

Exclusive Networks has acquired fellow distributor Ignition Technology to add more depth to its core strategy of bringing emerging security vendors to the market.

Ignition operates in seven countries, including the UK, and has a reputation for introducing disruptive emerging vendors to the channel.

Exclusive plans to build on that position and will retain Ignition as a separate brand that takes startups and emerging players on with plans to extend the firm’s presence globally to operate in geographies where its new parent already has a foothold.

“We have always had that focus on emergence and vendors coming through, because they are tomorrow’s big vendors,” said Andy Travers, EVP sales and marketing at Exclusive Networks. “So we’ve had a very distinct focus internally. I think this is an opportunity for us to really separate it out as a discrete function within the organisation and replicate the success that Ignition have had in the seven countries they’re in, and capitalise on the success Exclusive has globally.”

Jesper Trolle, CEO at Exclusive Networks, said the acquisition was part of its strategy to continue to push the envelope in the security channel.

“This is an exciting and premeditated plan designed to double-down on our services for startup vendors in an innovative and disruptive way, with a dedicated and distinct value proposition,” he said. “We have a strong pedigree and reputation in bringing new and disruptive cyber security technologies to market, helping emerging vendors grow and scale from market challengers to market leaders. These vendors have different needs and expectations depending on where they are in their growth journey.”     

Peter Ledger, co-founder and managing director of Ignition, said there were always challenges for a distributor that specialised in helping startups and freshly emerging vendors because, sooner or later, they want to widen their two-tier strategy.

“Transitioning through the stages of startup to scale-out has always been a dilemma for vendors wanting the focus of a local specialist but needing scale, and for those specialists to be able to benefit from the hard work and investment put into the early stages,” he said. “No global player has managed this previously and this is a bold and creative way of addressing this need.

“Our model depends on hyper-care, customer acquisition and evangelism. We now have a symbiotic partnership with Exclusive who ‘wrote the book’ on launching and developing new and emerging vendors internationally.”

Sean Remnant, chief strategy officer at Ignition Technology, said it had got to the stage where the business needed to go to the next level, but it had been keen to find an acquirer that would support the business.

“One of the things that was super important to us was that we could remain some autonomy, bolster what Exclusive do, but allow us to do what we love and enjoy doing as well,” he said. “What it gives us is that we can maintain the same agility and the view on the market, while also leveraging the scale of Exclusive.”

Remnant added that some of the initiatives that had been launched, including XoD, would appeal to some of the vendors it worked with.