Demandforce

About

Demandforce was a cloud-based marketing automation SaaS company founded in 2003 by Rick Berry in San Francisco ¹². Sam Osman joined Berry as co-founder and chief sales officer ³. The platform provided local service businesses — including dental offices, auto repair shops, salons, spas, chiropractors, and veterinarians — with tools for automated customer communications, appointment reminders, online reputation management, and review syndication ¹². By 2012 the company had approximately 300 employees, was profitable, and had reached a $60 million annual revenue run rate with $12 million in cash reserves ². Demandforce syndicated 1.5 million reviews to Google, CitySearch, and similar platforms ².

Intuit acquired Demandforce in April 2012 for approximately $423.5 million in cash ⁴⁵. Berry remained as division leader within Intuit’s Small Business Group ⁵. Intuit subsequently sold Demandforce to Internet Brands in January 2016 ⁶.

Funding History

Demandforce raised a total of $11.8 million in venture capital, primarily from Benchmark Capital ². Notably, Benchmark — Demandforce’s largest institutional investor — chose not to publicly announce their investment, which partner Bill Gurley described as unprecedented for a funded startup ¹. Other investors included Mike Maples (Floodgate), Peter Ziebelman (Palo Alto Venture Partners), and Steve Kostyshen ¹.

What Investors Say

Bill Gurley of Benchmark wrote about Demandforce at the time of its acquisition by Intuit, calling the team “truly one of the best teams ever assembled” and noting the company deliberately maintained a low profile, focusing on customers rather than company visibility ¹.

What Founders Say

Rick Berry stated at the time of the Intuit acquisition: “We believe this transaction greatly benefits Intuit and Demandforce’s customers, partners, employees and shareholders” and highlighted the opportunity to “continue our rapid growth and expansion into new markets” ⁵.

Sources