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As December winds down and the holidays kick into full gear, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the past twelve months.
There’s no doubt 2018 was an incredible year for FastSpring and the entire ecommerce industry, and I look forward to continuing this momentum into the year ahead.
I’m excited to share some of the major highlights below:
1. FastSpring Received Major Investment from Accel-KKR
The beginning of this year brought an exciting new chapter for FastSpring. Accel-KKR’s investment and on-going support will enable us to build a world-class ecommerce platform that powers billions of dollars in transactions and connects people globally in one digital economy.
We are also thrilled to welcome Gene Austin to our board. Gene was most recently CEO of Bazaarvoice, a publicly traded SaaS company that was taken private by Marlin Equity Partners at the beginning of the year.
2. Expansion of the Santa Barbara HQ and Growing European Presence
In just a few short years, the Santa Barbara HQ quickly expanded from a shared office space to our own floor, and then to two floors. This year we’ve expanded even further with a second office in downtown Santa Barbara. The team is thrilled to have two locations to work together.
We also expanded our European presence with a new Amsterdam office. We’re thrilled to grow our sales and customer success teams in Europe.
3. Achieved GDPR Compliance
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation proved to be a major challenge for businesses all over the world. Thanks to the hard work of every team at FastSpring, we became fully compliant by the May deadline. We look forward to supporting buyers in the EU and around the world.
4. Welcomed Key Executive Hires to the Leadership Team
This year we welcomed Sian Wang as CFO, Brian McTeague as VP of Revenue Operations, Sarah Bottorff as VP of Marketing, and Scott Herriman as SVP of Engineering. We’re excited to grow our hardworking leadership team to help us take FastSpring to the next level.
5. Introduced the FastSpring Plugin for WordPress
This year we made it even easier for businesses to scale their online store on WordPress with our very own plugin. This plugin is the culmination of incredible teamwork across departments. I can’t wait to continue building powerful features and tools that make selling online even easier for our customers around the world.
6. Earned Awards for Our Product and Customer Success Team
We take great pride in delivering the best ecommerce platform that helps software businesses succeed in the global marketplace. It is always exciting to see the hard work of the team recognized in the industry. We’re honored to have earned a SaaS award for Best E-Commerce/Online Shopping Product, an American Business Award for Customer Service Department of the Year, and recognition as a CODiE Award Finalist for Top Ecommerce Solution.
7. Celebrated Fall Summit with the Entire Team
The entire FastSpring team came together in Santa Barbara for three days of learning, networking, and fun at the Annual Fall Summit. We had a great time at the first-ever FastSpring Film Festival, worked together at the FastSpring Olympics, and enjoyed an incredible talk from Co-Founder, Ken White. Everyone left the event feeling energized to continue building a world-class ecommerce platform.
8. The Santa Barbara Team Volunteered in the Local Community
We attended the annual Heart Walk, participated in the End Hunger Games Challenge hosted by the Santa Barbara Foodbank, and visited the United Boys and Girls Club for a Corporate Playdate—to name just a few. We also sponsored some fun events in the local tech community like SB Hacks, SB Startup Weekend, and the SB Agile Holiday Social.
In addition to these events, FastSpring donated a portion of 2018 profit to support charities and non-profit organizations including the United Boys & Girls Club, the Santa Barbara Foodbank, the MIT Enterprise Forum Central Coast, I Madonnari, and American Heart Association.
The future looks bright in 2019
I’m excited for the year ahead. Subscriptions are continuing to show incredible growth, dynamic commerce is set to play a huge role in delivering personalized shopping experiences, and the software industry is gearing up for significant growth which will create new innovative companies that provide digital products and services around the world.
I would like to thank our incredible customers on behalf of the entire team for helping us make 2019 such a fantastic year, and we are looking forward to helping you make next year your best year ever!
I wish everyone a happy, joyous, and safe holiday season.
