Agiloft acquired by KKR

Global investment firm KKR has announced acquiring a majority stake in Agiloft, a prominent player in the data-first CLM software market. With additional investments from FTV Capital and new investor JMI Equity, Agiloft is poised for further growth, customer acquisition, and product innovation. Eric Laughlin, CEO of Agiloft, credits their success to a customer-centric approach and a flexible, no-code platform that has garnered significant market traction.

KKR's investment in Agiloft is part of its broader technology and software investment strategy, which includes a diverse portfolio of companies such as OneStream, o9, OutSystems, and more. The investment in Agiloft underscores the growing importance of efficient and innovative contract management solutions in the business landscape.

Advisory and legal services for the transaction were provided by Moelis & Company LLC and Baker McKenzie for Agiloft, while Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised KKR.

Ironclad launches e-signature

Meanwhile, Ironclad, a contract lifecycle management provider, has unveiled Ironclad Signature, an e-signature tool designed to enhance the contract signing process within its CLM platform.

To streamline the contract signing process, Ironclad has introduced Ironclad Signature, a new e-signature solution that integrates seamlessly with its contract lifecycle management (CLM) system. This development comes on the heels of their recent Custom AI feature release, which enhances AI results and expands the model’s contextual understanding.

Jason Boehmig, CEO and Co-founder of Ironclad, emphasizes that while Ironclad encourages the use of its integrated ecosystem for a more cohesive experience, it does not mandate it. He also mentioned that the e-signature market has been static for over a decade, and Ironclad Signature aims to rejuvenate this space with a fresh perspective and a user-centric approach, particularly with its value-based pricing model that charges only for contracts that are actually signed.

While Ironclad Signature itself does not utilize AI for the signing process, it benefits from the AI capabilities within Ironclad's CLM platform that generate contract tags, leveraging existing contract data to enhance the signing experience.

In the competitive landscape of CLM providers, several vendors such as Evisort and Linksquares offer their own e-signature solutions or have partnerships with established providers like Adobe Sign and Docusign. Notably, Docusign also recently expanded its CLM footprint with the acquisition of Lexion, which hints at a convergence of features between the major CLM players.