Zeta Global acquires Boomtrain to boost marketing with machine learning

Zeta Global, a data-driven marketing company, has acquired email marketing firm Boomtrain to accelerate the creation of marketing powered by machine learning.

New York-based Zeta Global raised $140 million earlier this year, and now it is spending some of that money to enhance its marketing cloud services. Boomtrain (which I used to send out my email newsletter) is a marketing technology platform that employs artificial intelligence to personalize messages across digital platforms. The companies didn’t disclose the purchase price.

San Francisco-based Boomtrain developed a marketing technology platform with machine intelligence at its core, enabling brands to better understand and communicate with their customers. Launched in March 2014, the Boomtrain platform has added more than 120 clients, including such leading media companies as CBS and Dow Jones.

“We are delighted to announce the addition of Boomtrain’s world-class team and technology to Zeta Global,” said David A. Steinberg, Zeta’s cofounder and CEO, in a statement. “My cofounder John Sculley and I believe machine learning will fuel next-generation marketing technology. This acquisition accelerates Zeta’s already significant investments and achievements in machine learning to enable the world’s leading brands to deliver 1:1 marketing at scale.”

Above: Zeta Global’s CEO, David A. Steinberg.

Image Credit: Zeta Global

Boomtrain’s technology will become the personalization engine within Zeta Hub. Following the acquisition, Zeta will hold one of the largest machine learning patent portfolios in marketing technology, the company said.

“We’re thrilled to be joining Zeta’s growing team,” said Chris Monberg, Boomtrain’s cofounder and chief technology officer. “Our team was impressed by Zeta’s vision and commitment to becoming a leader in the nexus of machine learning and omni-channel messaging. Combining our innovative tech stack with Zeta’s scale will enable brands to achieve more than first generation marketing clouds.”

Monberg will become CTO at Zeta Global. With the acquisition, Zeta will have more than 1,300 employees, including 100 at Boomtrain. The deal is Zeta Global’s tenth in 10 years.