Industry Outlook

Avalara Partners with Xero to Automate Sales Tax for Small Businesses

Avalara Partners with Xero to Automate Sales
Avalara, Inc, a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, today announced a new partnership with Xero, the global small business platform, that will provide accountants, bookkeepers, and small businesses with a new sales tax automation solution. The new partnership will bring advanced sales tax workflows and management directly into the Xero platform, enabling advisors and business owners to automate sales tax calculations, reporting, and filing.With more than 13,000 sales and use tax jurisdictions in the U.S., managing and reporting sales tax can be a complex and resource-intensive burden for small business owners. Recent research found that small businesses with up to five employees spend an average of 163 hours or $17,672 each month on sales tax compliance. The partnership will allow Avalara and Xero to build an integration solution that automates the sales tax compliance journey from within the Xero platform, which allows accountants and small businesses to more easily manage sales tax calculation and reporting. Avalara’s expansive tax content database and sales tax calculation engine improves the accuracy and streamlines the management of ever-changing taxability rules and rates. Meanwhile, Xero provides the ability to apply the correct tax treatment to invoices and simple, state-based reporting.

"We know people don’t start their small business to be buried in tricky admin. Our new partnership with the experts at Avalara, we can automate compliance work and give small businesses and their advisors a simple, efficient, and beautiful experience to meet their tax obligations so they can focus on growing their business,

Anna Curzon, chief product officer at Xero.

Looking forward, accountants and businesses will benefit from additional sales tax functionality from across Avalara's suite of products, including e-filing options and more detailed reporting tools. “Sales tax continues to change and become more complex, especially for small businesses. We want to make it as easy as possible for these businesses to have access to automated solutions so they can focus on running their business,” said Sanjay Parthasarathy, chief product officer at Avalara. “By partnering with Xero, we are able to inject Avalara’s tax compliance expertise and technology directly into a leading global accounting platform for a convenient way for businesses to manage sales tax. This partnership will also support accountants by automating the management of changing tax rates and rules, and providing validated data to process returns for clients.” This partnership with Xero illustrates Avalara’s commitment to embedding compliance into experiences for our partners. Earlier this year, Avalara announced new tools and APIs to expand opportunities for partners to build compliance integrations and functions. The partnership was announced at Xerocon New Orleans, where Avalara and Xero provided attendees the first opportunity to sign up for closed-beta trials, which will be available next year to a limited number of users. To keep up to date with the latest partnership developments, please click here.

About Avalara
Avalara helps businesses of all sizes get tax compliance right. In partnership with leading ERP, accounting, ecommerce, and other financial management system providers, Avalara delivers cloud-based compliance solutions for various transaction taxes, including sales and use, VAT, GST, excise, communications, lodging, and other indirect tax types. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the U.S. and around the world in Brazil, Europe, and India.

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FINANCE

NEWITY Now Helps Small Businesses to Access Larger SBA 7(a) Loans with Fewer Requirements

PR Newswire | October 20, 2023

NEWITY, America's source for small business capital, announces access to larger business loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) update to their Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). NEWITY is proud to simplify and streamline access to small business financing for entrepreneurs through an SBA-licensed lender. The SBA's SOP updates enable lenders to approve larger loans for businesses who meet lower qualification standards, helping more small business owners access capital. The SBA 7(a) program changes that are live in NEWITY's portal include: Larger loan amounts, enabling borrowers who qualified for a$25,000loan to qualify for a loan up to$50,000 No collateral requirements for loans under$50,000 Lower credit scores accepted for loans between$50,001to$150,000 Relaxed rulings on affiliate businesses and ownership interests Easier to refinance and consolidate high interest rate debt Ability for qualifying businesses to receive a secondSBA loan 90 days after the funding of their first SBA loan Commenting on the SBA SOP updates, David Cody, NEWITY Co-Founder and Co-CEO said, "In pursuing the SBA's mission to 'help Americans start, grow and build resilient businesses', the SBA 7(a) loan program is a financial lifeline for over 33 million small businesses. The SBA's latest updates allow lender service providers like NEWITY to support a broader network of American businesses in accessing a greater amount of capital." While NEWITY's portal has undergone changes to include the SBA's updates, NEWITY's streamlined application process has not changed. Small businesses can still determine their eligibility for an SBA 7(a) loan in less than 15 minutes without impacting their credit score. Luke LaHaie, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of NEWITY added, "We're thrilled to offer business owners access to larger loans. Likewise, we're happy to enable lenders to provide larger loans to their clients through our nimble, compliant platform. We're proud to help businesses secure more capital to fuel their success and growth." The SBA 7(a) application is available to qualifying businesses and accessible in the NEWITY Portal. About NEWITY NEWITY is America's source for small business capital, focused on empowering entrepreneurs with access to affordable loan solutions, streamlined tax credits, and trusted service providers – all in one place. NEWITY uses leading technology and real human support to help small businesses make their companies more efficient and profitable. Today, that includes equitable access to SBA 7(a) loans; streamlined processes to claim tax credits; simplified online bookkeeping with Xendoo; customized, competitive insurance with Mylo; personalized business advisory with Cultivate; and access to a marketing agency marketplace with Breef.

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BUSINESS STRATEGY

Incline Partners with White Label Communications

PR Newswire | October 27, 2023

Incline Equity Partners, a leading private equity firm dedicated to investing across the middle market, is pleased to announce its partnership with White Label Communications ("WLC" or the "Company"), a provider of private label communication solutions to Managed Service Providers ("MSPs"). Based in Pittsburgh, PA, WLC offers Atlas, a proprietary technology platform that enables MSPs to provide solutions to their customers via core operations such as sales, finance and reporting. Atlas also allows MSPs to deploy private-labeled customer communication tools such as VoIP, video conferencing, SMS and chat to their clients, typically small and medium-sized businesses ("SMBs"). "White Label Communications was founded in 2011 to create a simple solution for private label unified communications," said Tom Joseph, Founder and CEO of WLC. "Our partnership with Incline will provide continued investment and expertise to advance our technology platform, further enabling our MSP partners to grow their businesses." "We are excited to support Tom and the WLC team who have built a differentiated and diversified platform," said Victor Martinelli, Managing Director at Incline. "To broaden the Company's private label solutions set, we plan to add complementary products through strategic acquisitions. The goal is to position our MSP partners to be full-service providers capable of delivering a complete set of essential solutions for their SMB customers." About Incline Equity Partners Incline Equity Partners is a leading private equity firm dedicated to investing across the middle market in distribution, business services and manufacturing companies. Incline is generally seeking growing companies with enterprise values of $25 – $750 million. Incline's typical investment types are ownership transitions for privately held businesses, buyouts and corporate divestitures within the U.S. and Canada.

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Technology

Thryv's Sweeps Industry Awards Dominating the SMB Software Landscape

Thryv | September 07, 2023

Thryv Holdings, Inc., a prominent provider of software platforms for small and medium-sized businesses, recently garnered significant industry recognition for its award-winning SaaS technology. These accolades include Best SaaS Product for SMBs and SMEs, Best SMB CRM Solution, and Best Business Management Software Platform, received from esteemed awards programs such as the World Future Awards, MarTech Breakthrough Awards, and the 2023 SaaS Awards, as well as its consistent ranking in the top 10 of Selling Power's 50 Best Companies to Sell for 2023. Here are some key highlights of the recognition: Best SMB CRM Solution: Thryv Marketing Center was honored with this prestigious award from the MarTech Breakthrough Awards program, a renowned market intelligence organization that acknowledges top companies, products, and technologies in the global marketing, sales, and advertising technology sectors. This recognition comes after being selected as one of the best among more than 3,500 nominations spanning 19 countries. Best Business Management Software Platform: Thryv Business Center was recognized with this accolade at the World Future Awards, highlighting it among the best products, software, and services poised to reshape the global economy and shape the future landscape. Best SaaS Product for Small Business and SMEs: The 2023 SaaS Awards recognized Thryv's SaaS product as one of the finest in the world of software and Software-as-Service. Top 8 Global Ranking: Thryv secured the 8th position in the highly competitive Selling Power's 50 Best Companies to Sell for 2023 list. This marks the company's sixth consecutive appearance on the list, with each year showing an improvement in its ranking. Ryan Cantor, Thryv’s Chief Product Officer, commented, “Our SaaS platform helps business owners across the globe to quickly and easily build, manage and strengthen customer relationships, and ultimately grow their footprints. This latest recognition is testament to our talented team, innovative SaaS technology and great customers, and it reinforces how Thryv helps small businesses succeed.” (Source - Business Wire) About Thryv Holdings, Inc. Thryv Holdings, Inc. is a leading small business management software solutions provider, serving a diverse clientele of over 55,000 small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Its acclaimed SaaS platform, Thryv, empowers these enterprises with the essential tools to modernize and grow their operations, enabling them to navigate and succeed in today's dynamic economic landscape. Additionally, the company oversees the digital and print presence of more than 400,000 SMBs, harnessing proprietary local online and print directories, along with integration into popular social media and search engines to foster connections with local consumers. This holistic approach aids businesses in acquiring new customers and bolstering their bottom line, cementing Thryv Holdings, Inc.'s commitment to providing comprehensive and innovative solutions that empower SMBs to thrive in a fiercely competitive market.

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TECHNOLOGY

JumpCloud and Electric Partner to Bring Enterprise IT to Small Businesses

GlobeNewswire | October 06, 2023

JumpCloud Inc., the leading open directory platform provider, and Electric, the leader in IT management software for small businesses, today announced a joint partnership to bring secure and affordable enterprise-grade technology to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Electric, serving over 55,000 end users, is one of the latest large partners joining JumpCloud’s managed service provider (MSP) program, which spans 60 countries. JumpCloud enters the Electric Partner Program, bringing enterprise IT tech to the SMB market. Both companies are actively evaluating new partnerships for each of their programs. Electric is in R&D with JumpCloud’s device and identity management technology, preparing early access to a select group of customers to test the financial and accessibility benefits of the two companies’ integration. JumpCloud’s enterprise-grade identity, access, and device management capabilities, bundled with Electric’s seamless IT support and management capabilities, allow SMBs to focus on their mission rather than IT. JumpCloud reimagined the directory to fit the modern world with an open, cloud-based directory for secure, frictionless access from any authorized device to any resource, anywhere. Electric makes technical and often complex initiatives such as security standardization, device management, software provisioning, and employee IT support manageable in one easy-to-use platform. “The JumpCloud and Electric partnership pairs the best of both for SMBs with limited or no in-house IT teams with affordable, progressive IT capabilities — enabling a whole new generation of companies to take advantage of the cloud,” said Antoine Jebara, co-founder and general manager of MSP products, JumpCloud. “We’re excited to have Electric join our partner program and design their next-generation offerings around the JumpCloud platform. Our partnership will enable SMBs with enterprise-level security, allowing them to focus on their mission and scale their companies.” “Electric and JumpCloud are teaming up to start R&D on a cutting-edge enterprise-level identity, access, and device management system specifically designed for SMBs,” says Joe Fahrner, Chief Revenue Officer, Electric. “Combining our strengths, both commercially and through our product development, brings crucial enterprise security systems within reach of businesses that previously lacked the internal resources to handle them.” About JumpCloud JumpCloud® helps IT teams Make Work Happen® by centralizing management of user identities and devices, enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to adopt Zero Trust security models. JumpCloud has been used by a global user base of more than 200,000 organizations, including GoFundMe, Grab, ClassPass, Beyond Finance, and Foursquare. JumpCloud has raised over $400M from world-class investors including Sapphire Ventures, General Atlantic, Sands Capital, Atlassian, and CrowdStrike. About Electric Electric’s IT platform makes IT easy for users who want to be something other than IT managers. Its technology simplifies the management of employees, devices, applications, and networks while providing compliance-ready reporting. This all-star team of investors backs Electric: Bessemer Venture Partners, GGV Capital, 01 Advisors, Primary Venture Partners, Bowery Capital, Slack, Atreides Management, Vintage Investment Partners, Greenspring Associates, and Harmonic Growth Partners.

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