Latest Upstack Acquisition to Scale Stellar Connect's Services

Just weeks after its acquisition of ChaseTek, private equity-backed Upstack has acquired Stellar Connect, an independent, full-service provider of IT services based in Thousand Oaks, California.

The deal represents the latest in a series of 20-plus purchases Upstack has made using an equity investment from Berkshire Partners and financing from two other groups.

Founded in 2014, Stellar Connect provides consultative, vendor-agnostic IT and telecom procurement, management and support. It supports primarily small and midmarket businesses.

Upstack isn’t saying how much it’s paying for Stellar Connect.

Stellar Connect’s Nanette Kische

Stellar Connect’s areas of expertise include voice, data, cloud infrastructure, UCaaS, network, business continuity and disaster recovery. It was built on long-term partnerships with its clients, and providing solutions to their evolving and complex technology challenges. 

As part of the investment, Stellar Connect principals and co-founders Nanette Kische and Mike Eaton will join Upstack as partners. Additionally, Stellar Connect’s operations manager will join the Upstack support team.

Stellar Connect Built on Strong Partnership

Upstack’s Christopher Trapp

Christopher Trapp is Upstack’s founder and CEO.

“Built on a strong partnership between Nanette and Mike, Stellar Connect is a successful and respected technology services firm with decades of in-depth experience,” he said. “Their entrepreneurial spirit and holistic approach to solving complex IT challenges align with ours. And we’re excited to welcome the Stellar Connect team to Upstack.”

Existing and prospective customers benefit from Upstack’s ability to serve as an experienced, single-source solution for all of their digital infrastructure needs, an Upstack spokesperson said. With Stellar Connect on board, the value Upstack provides to its customers is enhanced further as its capabilities expand, exceeding those found in peer organizations.

Stellar Connect’s Mike Eaton

Kische and Eaton said joining Upstack will allow them to scale their services. They’ll give clients access to more resources and professional experience.

It also provides a continuity plan for Stellar Connect’s clients.

“Upstack has built a talented team coupled with the support to take care of our customers,” Eaton said. “That’s pretty powerful. It allows us to scale in a way that would be difficult on our own and still provide the level of service we’re known for. Joining Upstack allows us to do more for our clients, and that’s exciting.”