Listen to Bluewave CEO, Seth Penland, talk about how clients can improve their technology lifecycle management to ensure you get the right technology solutions for your needs. From assessments to sourcing to expense management, Bluewave ensures you get exactly what you need.
Channel Futures. By James Anderson. April 1, 2022
Columbia Capital-funded Bluewave Technology Group is enlisting the services of decorated channel sales leader Curt Allen.
Allen will work as strategic adviser with the technology advisory and life cycle management company. He’ll advise on corporate development strategy and execution. That includes go-to-market, vendor relationship and M&A strategy, Allen told Channel Futures. Meanwhile, Allen will continue working at the EagleTEQ Advisors consultancy he runs with his friends.
Bluewave has leveraged a $75 million investment from Columbia Capital for both organic growth and agent acquisitions. As of February, the company had acquired at least six firms. Bluewave CEO Seth Penland said his team continues to grow.
Former Cologix founder and CEO Grant Van Rooyen recently joined Bluewave as chairman of the board. In addition, former Windstream head of solution development Gabe Tuerk joined as chief information officer. Allen brings experience both as a channel chief at Vonage and Windstream, and president of technology solutions brokerage X4 Solutions.
“Curt has the right combination of channel industry experience coupled with a strategic vision of how the marketplace is evolving with a different business model to best serve the needs of the customer — the Bluewave approach,” Penland said.
“Curt will work with us to continually expand our services that focus on optimizing client technology through the entire life cycle from purchase to management.”
Curt Allen,
Strategic Advisor
Allen said Bluewave’s emphasis on life-cycle management attracted him to the company. Penland said in an interview with Channel Futures earlier this year that the company will do more than just technology sourcing and contracting. According to a blog, Bluewave’s eight-step process also includes procurement, implementation, billing, change management and reporting.
Allen said the agent channel has evolved from selling point products to holistic solutions.
“If someone needed UCaaS, we sold them UCaaS. If someone needed connectivity, we sold them connectivity. But now the interoperability of all these solutions makes it imperative that customers not only get provider-agnostic consulting, but that they get it to run the span of their stack. Because these things are all interconnected,” Allen said.
Moreover, Allen said customers are asking for their sourcing partner to do more in the technology life cycle for them.
“The reason I think it’s going to be really effective is because it’s not some magical idea that we came up with. It’s what the market’s starting to demand,” he said.
Allen said Bluewave is not rushing its approach to M&A. For one, he said the company needs to find the right fit. Allen said multiple financial options exist in the market for agents that are looking for a buyer, and none of these options is one-size-fits-all. In addition, Allen said Bluewave is committing to organic growth.
“We believe that if we don’t make another acquisition, we’re going to build a wildly profitable business. So we’re not going to acquire for financial arbitrage,” he said. “If we acquire companies, it’s because we want that leadership team, customer base, people and their skill sets to come join this thing and be part of the team.”
Sandler Partners bought X4 Solutions in 2016. However, at the time, outside investors had told Allen that businesses like X4 were “unsalable.” That was due in part to the fact that technology solutions brokerages (TSBs) didn’t own the customer. However, the tides have turned, and private equity is pouring into agents and TSBs alike.
Allen pointed to the ScanSource-Intelisys deal as a transaction that helped the channel grow its reputation in the investment world. Allen said investors in the last five years have seen more and more of the value agents provide to their customers.
“These are attractive businesses. For a generation now, we’ve been able to deliver evolving technology really efficiently to a wide swath of customers for a really large group of providers,” Allen said.
However, Allen said channel partners need to keep emphasizing execution and customer experience.
“If we lose track of that, then the music stops, and there aren’t a lot of chairs,” he said.
Bluewave helps companies purchase and manage cloud, network, and communications technologies in a better way. Our streamlined, customer-centric approach of evaluating, sourcing, managing, and supporting technology solutions simplifies the entire technology lifecycle across multiple service providers and partners. Learn more.
PARSIPPANY, N.J.– (February 24, 2022) – Bluewave Technology Group (“Bluewave”), an innovative, high-growth technology advisory and lifecycle management company, today announced the addition of two key positions to its leadership team. Grant van Rooyen will serve as Bluewave’s Chairman of the Board and Gabe Tuerk has joined the company as Chief Information Officer. Both van Rooyen and Tuerk bring a wealth of telecommunications experience to Bluewave to accelerate growth and its ability to help enterprises reshape how they manage modern technology and communication services.
“We entered 2022 at full speed as we execute our growth strategy. We’ve secured a significant capital raise, completed our sixth acquisition with Telapprise, and are excited about these strategic leadership placements,” said Seth Penland, CEO of Bluewave. “We are assembling the best talent to support a growth-driven business. We are pleased to welcome both Grant and Gabe to the Bluewave team and leverage their valuable expertise.”
As Chairman of the Board, van Rooyen will serve as an advisor for Bluewave executives and help guide the company on its vision to simplify technology lifecycle management. van Rooyen is also a minority investor in Bluewave. He brings decades of experience and success in communications technology. He was the Founder, former Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cologix, where he completed ten data center acquisitions and a successful sale of the company. Today, he serves as Chairman of Capitol Power Group and vR Hospitality, Director at Teraco Data Environments, and President of The van Rooyen Group private investment firm.
“There is a huge opportunity for Bluewave to serve a market in need. The company has figured out a better way to manage enterprise technology lifecycles by taking a holistic approach and simplifying the buying process,” said van Rooyen. “I look forward to working with Bluewave and helping it grow organically and inorganically to bring its new breed of technology advisory to life.”
Tuerk is a 23-year telecom veteran with deep experience in evaluating, selecting, and integrating best-of-breed technologies that will position Bluewave with a stable, secure platform to deliver a better client experience. He launched his career at Level 3 Communications, where he built the foundation for his expertise in software testing, development, architecture, and product development leadership. He also developed the operational/billing support system foundations for Zayo, Integra, and Windstream.
“Bluewave is in a unique position to determine the software and process environment that will shape our clients’ success. We will leverage the best current technologies that simplify, secure, and scale internal operational functions and client touchpoints and, as a result, Bluewave instills confidence in its approach,” said Tuerk. “Our platform will efficiently facilitate buying and optimizing decisions for the services that power businesses forward.”
Bluewave is a premier technology advisory and lifecycle management company with a comprehensive approach to optimizing clients’ ability to grow revenue, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. Bluewave streamlines the technology buying and management process for businesses of all sizes across the United States with four key services: Technology Assessment, Strategic Sourcing, Expense Management, and Operations Support. Specializing in modernizing the IT and telecom infrastructure, Bluewave partners with proven cloud, network, security, and collaboration service providers to develop the best solution while maximizing the clients’ technology investment.
Learn more at https://bluewave.net/
Ashley Schulte
press@bluewave.net
PARSIPPANY, N.J. – (February 15, 2022) – Bluewave Technology Group (“Bluewave”), an innovative, high-growth technology advisory and lifecycle management company, today announced it acquired Telapprise, a technology advisory and expense management firm. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. This acquisition is Bluewave’s sixth since its launch and a critical step in Bluewave’s growth strategy supported by the recent capital raise of $75 million.
Telapprise, founded by Davin Lundy and Marko Spremo in 2002, serves over 500 medium-to-large enterprise businesses with several offerings, including solution development, sourcing services, and technology expense management. Like other firms of similar size, Telapprise was challenged to scale its business as an independent company. After exploring options, it selected Bluewave for its commitment to being a steward of Telapprise’s business and its shared vision to streamline the technology transformation process for enterprise customers.
“Our goal is to build an innovative, intelligent, and simplified strategy that will reshape how companies manage services and technology,” said Seth Penland, CEO of Bluewave. “We are only investing in companies with a focus on optimizing customer experience through integrated solutions and Telapprise is the perfect example of that. The expertise that the Telapprise team brings to Bluewave will be especially invaluable in our technology assessment and technology expense management practice areas.”
“It was crucial that we found the right partner that shared our belief that technology should provide companies with reliable and predictable outcomes, not added stress or wasted time and money,” said Marko Spremo, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Telapprise. “Enterprises need a strategic advisor throughout the technology lifecycle to simplify the process and deliver value. Bluewave has a similar customer-obsessed culture and strategy for success. Joining forces with them gives us the resources to make our vision a reality.”
“Technology transformation is complex and requires experts across the technology stack—in integrations, telecom, mobile, cloud, and expense management. By joining Bluewave, we now have a deeper bench of specialized resources that will enable us to work with our clients to optimize their technology investments continuously,” said Davin Lundy, Founder & Vice President, Client Services at Telapprise. “We put our clients’ goals at the center of everything we do. I am pleased we will get to continue that mission now under the Bluewave name.”
All Telapprise employees will integrate into the Bluewave team, including sales, solution architects, TEM/WEM operations, and both Spremo and Lundy will join the Bluewave leadership team. Spremo will serve as Bluewave’s Vice President of Sales Strategy, and Lundy as Vice President of Operations Strategy.
Bluewave is a premier technology advisory and lifecycle management company with a comprehensive approach to optimizing clients’ ability to grow revenue, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. Bluewave streamlines the technology buying and management process for businesses of all sizes across the United States with four key services: Technology Evaluation, Strategic Sourcing, Expense Management, and Operations Support. Specializing in modernizing the IT and telecom infrastructure, Bluewave partners with proven cloud, network, security, and collaboration service providers to develop the best solution while maximizing the clients’ technology investment. Learn more at Bluewave.net.
Telapprise is an IT advisory and business solution organization, partnering with leading businesses and providers in their transformation journey across their business network, communication, digital workplace, mobility, security and IoT solutions initiatives. We work with our customers to break free from the pain of technology lifecycle management by proactively identifying and sidestepping common project pitfalls that results in an average of 12.4x return on investment through lower costs.
Ashley Schulte
press@bluewave.net
PARSIPPANY, N.J.– (February 1, 2022) – Bluewave Technology Group (“Bluewave”), an innovative, high-growth technology advisory and lifecycle management company, today announced an initial capital raise of $75 million led by Columbia Capital. Bluewave has accelerated its growth with five acquisitions completed over the past five months and is now one of the largest technology advisory businesses in the U.S., serving over 1,000 customers. Bluewave will leverage this strategic investment to support its rapid growth strategy, fostering organic and inorganic growth as it continues to ramp its team, invest in systems, and expand its service offering.
“We are proud to partner with Columbia Capital who understands the opportunity and growth potential for Bluewave. To date, we have completed several acquisitions to expand and bolster our service offering to our clients. With this investment, we’re continuing to move our business forward to provide a comprehensive set of solutions to meet clients’ needs,” said Seth Penland, CEO of Bluewave. “By adding the right people, technologies, and expertise, we’re creating a collective genius that provides our clients with peace-of-mind that they are in the best hands with Bluewave.”
Columbia Capital is a sector-focused investment firm with investments in enterprise IT, digital infrastructure, and mobility for over 30 years. This investment will accelerate Bluewave’s pursuit to create the industry leader in technology lifecycle management and accelerate its inorganic growth plans.
“As remote working environments, AI, and enterprise security requirements drive changes in IT and communications solutions, Bluewave has swiftly become a market leader in the technology advisory services market sector,” said Evan DeCorte, partner at Columbia Capital. “We couldn’t be more excited to back the Bluewave team as they continue to scale the business.”
Bluewave was purpose-built to help clients optimize their technology infrastructure, providing an efficient path to manage the entire lifecycle from purchasing through technology expense management (“TEM”) with four key services practices: Technology Evaluation, Strategic Sourcing, Expense Management, and Operations Support. Bluewave’s expertise encompasses legacy, existing, and emerging technology platforms.
“Most technology brokerages and agencies are only capable of delivering a limited number of the services clients need to truly operate and grow their businesses,” said Wayne Dietrich, COO of Bluewave. “We bring together experts from across technology and vertical disciplines and forge partnerships with proven cloud, network, security, and collaboration service providers to provide the best solutions for the entire technology lifecycle.”
Bluewave Technology Group (Bluewave) is a premier technology advisory and lifecycle management company with a comprehensive approach to optimizing clients’ ability to grow revenue, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. Bluewave streamlines the technology buying and management process for businesses of all sizes across the United States with four key services: Technology Evaluation, Strategic Sourcing, Expense Management, and Operations Support. Specializing in modernizing the IT and telecom infrastructure, Bluewave partners with proven cloud, network, security, and collaboration service providers to develop the best solution while maximizing the clients’ technology investment. Learn more at Bluewave.net
Founded in 1989, Columbia has raised over $5 billion in fund commitments and invested in over 170 companies in the digital infrastructure and IT services sectors. For more information, go to https://www.colcap.com/
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