Siftery

Siftery operated as a data-driven platform designed to enhance how businesses discover, purchase, and utilize software. Founded in 2015 by Vamshi Mokshagundam, who served as CEO, and Ayan Barua, the CTO, the company was established to address the growing complexity of the Software as a Service (SaaS) market. Both founders had prior entrepreneurial experience, having previously co-founded Credii, a venture aimed at simplifying software selection through content, which eventually led them to the data-centric approach of Siftery.

The core of Siftery's business was a comprehensive database that tracked the technology stacks of hundreds of thousands of companies. This allowed clients to see which software products and services their competitors and peers were using, providing valuable intelligence for making informed purchasing decisions. The platform's recommendation engine would suggest new tools to a company based on an analysis of its existing software stack and by comparing it to similar companies in its database. This helped businesses identify compatible software and discover products specifically favored by companies with similar operational models.

Siftery provided its services to a wide range of businesses, from startups to large enterprises like Microsoft and IBM, who used the platform for competitive analysis and software discovery. While much of the platform was accessible for free to encourage community data contribution, the business model also included premium features. A key paid service, Siftery Track, launched in February 2018, enabled companies to connect their financial accounts to visualize and optimize their software spending, identifying unused licenses and redundant subscriptions. This addressed a significant market need, with billions wasted annually on inefficient software spend.

After raising $4.1 million in funding from investors such as Founders Fund, Venrock, and Felicis Ventures, Siftery demonstrated significant traction. In December 2018, the company was acquired by G2 Crowd, a major business software review platform. The acquisition was a strategic move to combine Siftery's data on technology stacks and software spending with G2's extensive user reviews, creating a more comprehensive resource for the entire software lifecycle, from discovery to management. The entire 20-person Siftery team, including its co-founders, joined G2 to integrate their technology and expand its reach to G2's large user base.

Keywords: software discovery, tech stack analysis, SaaS management, software spend optimization, product recommendation engine, competitive intelligence, software database, technology tracking, Vamshi Mokshagundam, Ayan Barua, G2 acquisition, software purchasing, enterprise software, B2B software, spend management, IT intelligence, software asset management, product comparison, peer insights, vendor discovery