Salesforce Continues to Increase Investments in Japan

Company announces plans to open second data center in Japan to support customer growth in Japan and Asia Pacific

Salesforce Ventures announces 20th investment in a Japanese technology company

Salesforce Foundation Japan achieves new milestones with 500 nonprofit customers running on Salesforce and 10,000 employee volunteer hours in 2014

News provided by

Salesforce

Dec 03, 2014, 08:00 ET

TOKYO, Dec. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Salesforce [NYSE:CRM], the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM company, today announced new investments and momentum in Japan. The company announced plans for a second data center in Japan to support customer growth in Japan and Asia Pacific. Salesforce Ventures, the company's corporate venture arm, announced it has completed 20 investments in Japanese technology firms with new investments in ABEJA and WEIC announced today. In addition, the Salesforce Foundation also announced its 500th nonprofit customer, the Japanese Traditional Culture Exchange Association, and that employees have volunteered more than 10,000 hours in 2014.

Comment on the News

"Salesforce continues to invest in Japan," said Shinichi Koide, chairman and CEO, Salesforce Japan. "Our second data center, our investments in tech companies and our foundation work will enable us to continue to build trust with our customers and partners in Japan."
"Today, we announced investments in two highly innovative Japanese tech firms, ABEJA and WEIC, bringing our investments in Japan to 20 over the past four years," said John Somorjai, EVP corporate development and Salesforce Ventures, Salesforce. "We're committed to growing our ecosystem in Japan and our work with the Salesforce Foundation will continue to inspire the next generation of Japanese startups to grow and give back to the community."
"This year the Salesforce Foundation has achieved tremendous milestones— we now have 500 nonprofit customers and employees have volunteered 10,000 hours this year," said Rie Endo, director, Salesforce Foundation Japan. "We will continue to work with nonprofits to benefit our local communities as well as promote the 1-1-1 model to our customers and partners throughout Japan."

Plans to Open Second Data Center in Japan
Salesforce announced plans to open a second data center in Japan to support adoption of the Salesforce Customer Success Platform among a growing base of customers across Japan and Asia Pacific. Salesforce will disclose details on the opening of its second data center in the first half of 2015.

Salesforce Ventures Makes 20th Investment in Technology Company
Salesforce also announced that Salesforce Ventures has made its 20th investment in a Japanese technology company. Salesforce Ventures' newest investments include ABEJA, a provider of image analysis and in-store marketing and display optimization technologies, and WEIC, an inside sales application provider. These companies join Salesforce's rapidly growing ecosystem of partners in Japan, providing customers with innovative applications and consulting services.

Salesforce Ventures invests in the next generation of enterprise technology to help companies connect with their customers in entirely new ways. Portfolio companies receive funding to accelerate their growth and gain a competitive edge through access to the world's largest cloud ecosystem and the guidance of Salesforce's innovators and executives. Salesforce Ventures is also committed to working with portfolio companies to make giving back part of their business model from the start. The Salesforce Foundation leverages 1% of Salesforce's product, equity and time to improve communities around the world. This integrated philanthropic approach, known as the 1-1-1 model, has been adopted by Salesforce Ventures portfolio companies including Sansan, Uhuru and Ubiregi.

Salesforce Foundation Announces 500^th Nonprofit Customer
The Salesforce Foundation now has 500 nonprofit customers using its products for free or a discounted rate, and employees in Japan have volunteered more than 10,000 hours in 2014. The Salesforce Foundation's 500^th nonprofit customer in Japan is the Japanese Traditional Culture Exchange Association, an organization focused on promoting traditional Japanese culture internationally. Salesforce enables the Association's 40 employees and advisers to manage projects and donations efficiently and effectively. The Association, as well as the Foundation's other nonprofit customers, receives support free of charge from the Salesforce Foundation and 13 consulting partners.

Additional Information

Like Salesforce Japan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalesforceJapan
Follow @salesforcejapan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/salesforceJapan

About Salesforce
Salesforce, the Customer Success Platform and world's #1 CRM company, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com.

Any unreleased services or features referenced in this or other press releases or public statements are not currently available and may not be delivered on time or at all. Customers who purchase Salesforce applications should make their purchase decisions based upon features that are currently available. Salesforce has headquarters in San Francisco, with offices in Europe and Asia, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CRM." For more information please visit http://www.salesforce.com, or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

Salesforce, Salesforce1 and others are trademarks of salesforce.com, inc.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/salesforce-continues-to-increase-investments-in-japan-300004621.html

SOURCE Salesforce