EchoSign
E-signatures and contract management, acquired by Adobe.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
* | N/A | Acquisition | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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EchoSign emerged in 2005 as a solution for electronic signatures and document management, founded by Jason Lemkin and Mark Arm-brust. Lemkin, a lawyer by training and a seasoned entrepreneur, experienced firsthand the inefficiencies of printing, faxing, and mailing contracts during his time as a co-founder of a prior venture. This frustration directly inspired the creation of EchoSign, aiming to digitize the last mile of business agreements.
The company established itself as a key player in the nascent e-signature market, providing a web-based service for businesses to send, track, and electronically sign documents. Its platform catered to a wide range of clients, from small businesses to large enterprises, streamlining their workflow by eliminating the physical handling of paper contracts. The core offering was a secure and legally binding method for executing agreements online, which significantly accelerated sales cycles and contract management processes. Revenue was primarily generated through a tiered subscription model, offering different levels of functionality based on user volume and feature requirements.
EchoSign's product allowed users to upload documents, add signature fields, and send them to recipients via email. The system provided a complete audit trail, tracking when a document was opened, viewed, and signed, ensuring compliance and legal validity. This focus on security and ease of use attracted a substantial customer base and established the company's reputation. The platform's success culminated in its acquisition by Adobe Systems in July 2011. Following the acquisition, EchoSign was integrated into the Adobe Document Cloud and rebranded as Adobe Sign, leveraging Adobe's extensive resources and market reach to become a foundational component of digital document workflows globally. Lemkin's journey from identifying a personal pain point to building a company that was acquired by a software giant showcases a classic entrepreneurial success story rooted in solving a tangible business problem.
Keywords: e-signature, document management, contract lifecycle, SaaS, B2B, digital transaction, workflow automation, legal tech, Adobe Sign, Jason Lemkin