Lifesize, Serenova Merge to Address UCaaS-CCaaS Convergence

Lifesize, the video conferencing provider, has merged with Serenova, the CCaaS and workforce optimization (WFO) provider.

The combination creates a contact center communications and workplace collaboration company serving more than 10,000 customers globally. Marlin Equity Partners, a global investment firm with more than $6.7 billion of capital under management, is the financial sponsor of the merger, and will continue to invest and support the growth of the combined business to address the $60 billion UCaaS market.

Financial details of the acquisition weren’t disclosed.

Tim Maloney, Lifesize’s senior vice president of worldwide channels, tells Channel Partners that many existing Lifesize partners offer complementary unified communications solutions, and “we anticipate the addition of Serenova CCaaS and workforce optimization software will present an attractive opportunity to further broaden their portfolios for enterprise customers.”

Lifesize’s Tim Maloney

“Specifics related to partner-program changes will be announced at a later date,” he said. “We will explore all organic synergies within Serenova’s partner ecosystem to broaden partners’ portfolios and mutually offer video communication capabilities for their customers’ contact-center deployments.”

With the merger, the company is addressing the convergence of UCaaS and CCaaS technologies in the contact center with a complementary platform of video collaboration and contact center solutions.

Go-forward branding for the combined company will be announced at a later time, Maloney said. However, “we will look to maximize the strengths of both existing brands as we integrate the two businesses,” he said.

Craig Malloy, Lifesize’s founder and CEO, will serve as CEO of the new company. John Lynch, Serenova’s CEO, will assume the role of senior vice president of sales, including strategic oversight of major global accounts.

“Through the merger, Lifesize and Serenova are uniquely positioned to deliver enterprise-grade, globally available, secure communications solutions for the contact center, meeting room and mobile workplace,” Maloney said. “As organizations look to consolidate their patchwork of communication tools and standardize on a unified platform, our combined strengths in video conferencing, workplace collaboration and cloud contact center enable us to offer differentiated solutions for vivid, rich omnichannel customer service and employee engagement, backed by a single-vendor support experience.”

Marlin Equity, which recently led Serenova’s acquisition of the ProScheduler platform from Loxysoft, will play a key role in the combined company’s go-forward strategy to create a holistic unified communications portfolio through acquisition, partnerships and product development.

“Lifesize has a long track record of innovation in business communications and a strong dedication to customer success,” Lynch said. “The synergies between Serenova and Lifesize solutions will allow us to revolutionize how businesses communicate with their customers and will deepen the value we can offer to our existing contact center customers worldwide.”