Goodbye Appboy, Hello Braze

Appboy is officially renaming its company to “Braze,” the lifecycle engagement technology company announced Tuesday.  

Appboy was founded in 2011 as a startup offering a free mobile software development kit (SDK) for app developers, but the marketing ecosystem has changed drastically in the last six years as brands step away from siloed channels toward omnichannel marketing. Appboy now offers a full-fledged suite of multichannel solutions, and the New York City-based company needed a new name to better symbolize its offerings. 

“We wanted to have our identity reflect the transition in the space we work in,” says Bill Magnuson, CEO and co-founder at Braze.

“Braze” is a metallurgical term, describing how metals can be formed, fixed, and joined together by melting an alloy of copper and zinc at high temperature. Magnuson defines the meaning of Braze as “to unite and form in great strength.” 

The name better communicates the company’s commitment to orchestrating real-time and personalized experiences between brands and customers.

Magnuson sees technology as “enabling and amplifying creativity” for marketers, and warns against superstitions that robots will steal marketers’ jobs. He says that artificial intelligence can work in a symbiotic relationship with a marketer by optimizing various decisions that need to be made quickly, giving the marketer more time to focus on creativity and strategy. 

“The only brands that will survive the continuous transition of consumer tech are those developing personal relationships with people, and fostering relationships in the long-term,” says Magnuson. “In order to be competitive you need to have that intelligence because you need to have a comprehensive understanding of your customers.” 

Braze announced its name change in tandem with the news that it was recognized as a leader in The Forrester Wave: Mobile Engagement Automation (MEA), Q3 2017 evaluation. Appboy received the highest score overall in both the Current Offering and Strategy categories, among 11 evaluated businesses, and was praised for its usable interface, operational data, and the speed and scale of its artificial intelligence. 

Braze also announced that it has received backing from Meritech, a private equity company focused on late-stage venture capital. The company most recently announced a $50 million Series D funding, led by ICONIQ Capital, last month. 

Next story loading loading..