Blackford Capital Uses Navatar Private Equity CRM for Salesforce.com to Gain Industry Leading Advantage

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackford Capital, a national private equity firm headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that acquires, manages and builds middle-market manufacturing, distribution and service companies, has reduced IT expenditures by nearly $30,000 thanks to its recent selection of the Navatar Group Private Equity Cloud to manage the firm's fundraising, deal flow, portfolio, and capital calls and distributions.

Navatar Private Equity Cloud provides out-of-the box functionality and workflows essential for private equity firms and runs entirely on Salesforce.com's cloud computing platform. The innovative technology allows private equity firms to focus communications efforts on suitable intermediaries and retain institutional knowledge to maintain and build relationships with desirable transaction partners. Since using the Private Equity Cloud, Blackford Capital has more than doubled its deal reviews from 2,000 in 2010 to 5,000 in 2011.

"As one of the first 20 private equity firms in the world to switch to the Navatar Private Equity Cloud last March, Blackford Capital has seen a dramatic impact on all aspects of our business," said Martin Stein, founder and managing director of Blackford Capital. "We now have a competitive advantage which allows us to more efficiently track and find deals leading to enhanced broker and analyst relationships."

In addition to increased effectiveness, Navatar Private Equity Cloud also saves dollars that would have otherwise been spent on paying consultants or IT staff, for implementing and supporting technology. Off-site cloud back-up and maintenance has also significantly lowered Blackford's IT costs to less than $1,000 per user per year. In addition to Blackford, more than 75 Private Equity firms have started using the service during the past 12 months.

Navatar is also rolling out Deal Connect, a free cloud service to connect GPs with M&A bankers and other industry contacts to form an online community where deals can be collaborated. Blackford Capital is a key participant in the beta launch of Deal Connect.

Since Blackford Capital switched to cloud computing our conversations have been more targeted," said Mark Wilser, Managing Director of Global Capital Markets, one of the largest and most successful middle market investment banks in Southern California.  "It's clear Blackford has a proven system in place which allows them to be more in tune to the exact kinds of deals we're looking to make."

"Blackford Capital's active dealmaking and their keen sense for tech innovation have been enabling us to continuously enhance our service," noted Alok Misra, Principal, Navatar Group. "Cloud computing helps us share those innovations with all private equity firms."

About Blackford Capital

Founded in 2000, Blackford Capital is a private equity firm that acquires, manages and builds middle-market manufacturing, distribution and service companies. The firm combines detailed due diligence and operational experience with the seasoned M&A expertise of a traditional financial buyer. Blackford currently has portfolio companies based in six states employing more than 800 people and combined revenues of approximately $200 million. Blackford Capital has offices in Grand Rapids, Mich. (headquarters) and San Francisco, Calif. For more information, visit www.blackfordcapital.com.

About Navatar Group

Navatar Group (http://www.navatargroup.com) is a global cloud service provider and a top ISV partner and value-added reseller of salesforce.com. One of the first to bring Wall Street experience to Cloud Computing, Navatar Group is a leading provider of cloud solutions for the financial sector, with customers in more than 20 countries. We pioneered the concept of cloud products where customers don't pay anything for implementation or support services. Navatar's financial cloud solutions for Capital Markets, Asset Management & Banking are used by firms such as Jefferies & Co, Guggenheim Partners and MidOcean Partners. Navatar's consulting arm advises and helps ISVs migrate to the cloud. We are headquartered on Wall Street, New York with offices in Washington DC and New Delhi, India.

SOURCE Blackford Capital

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