Bronto and the Big Bootstrap Exit

Back in 2002, a year after I started Hannon Hill for content management software, I was introduced to Joe Colopy, CEO of Bronto, as he had just started a new email marketing company with Chaz Felix. Both of us were based in Durham, NC, and even with the Duke/UNC rivalry, entrepreneurs enjoy connecting with entrepreneurs. After talking briefly on the phone then, we connected again in 2008 as Bronto was one of the first Pardot customers.

Well, last week, Bronto announced that NetSuite was acquiring them for $200 million, making it a huge exit, especially for a bootstrapped company.

Here are a few notes on Bronto:

• 271 employees on LinkedIn (source)
• 2013 revenue of $27 million (source)
• 2014 revenue of $38 million (source)
• 18 billion emails sent per year (source)
• Definitive agreement signed but actual closing of deal not expected until end of 1H 2015 (source)

It’s awesome to see another big bootstrap exit and congratulations to Joe, Chaz, and the whole Bronto Nation!