Inflect
Online marketplace for Internet infrastructure colocation cloud.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
* | $3.0m | Seed | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Inflect operates as a specialized marketplace and advisory firm for the digital infrastructure industry, aiming to simplify the traditionally complex process of buying and selling these services. Founded in 2016 by Mike Nguyen and Charles Stewart in San Francisco, the company was established to address the opaque and slow procurement cycles for services like colocation, network, and cloud. Nguyen, serving as CEO, brings extensive experience from helping scale the infrastructure of major tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Twilio. This background directly informs Inflect's mission to create a more transparent and efficient procurement process.
The company's business model centers on its online platform, which acts as a centralized, neutral source of information for internet infrastructure. This platform allows businesses to research, compare, and purchase services such as data centers, fiber networks, and cloud on-ramps from a multitude of providers. A key milestone was the launch of its Global Marketplace in May 2018, which made detailed service specifications and provider information openly accessible to buyers globally. Inflect's platform is free for buyers; the company generates revenue by charging a service fee to the service providers when a deal is facilitated through the marketplace. This structure allows Inflect to offer expert advice and potentially better pricing than if clients approached providers directly.
Inflect's core offering is its suite of online tools, including a Data Center Marketplace, a Bare Metal Marketplace, and the "Routefinder" for exploring network connectivity options. These tools provide users with actionable data, enabling them to make informed decisions without needing to consult with sales teams initially. When a user is ready, Inflect connects them directly with the appropriate service provider for quoting and contracting. The platform is designed for clients ranging from small and medium-sized businesses to large enterprises needing to architect hybrid cloud deployments across various providers. In December 2017, the company secured $3 million in a Seed funding round from several angel investors.
Keywords: digital infrastructure, marketplace, data center, colocation, network services, cloud connectivity, IT procurement, fiber networks, bare metal, connectivity