Profile

Piano is the leading provider of personalization, analytics, and customer experience technology. The company envisioned a comprehensive platform that would provide a powerful, simple, and beautiful means of understanding and activating data. empowers brands to accelerate campaign and product launches, enhance customer engagement, and achieve personalized experiences on a large scale through its comprehensive platform.

It was founded in 2010 by Trevor Kaufman, along with three co-founders: Pete Richards, Kelly Leach, and Jay Glogovsky. The company initially launched under the name Tinypass, offering a simple and flexible paywall solution for publishers. Over the years, Piano has gained recognition for its innovative solutions and has built a client base that includes well-known media companies such as Hearst, NBC Universal, The Economist, and Business Insider.

With over 650 employees and headquartered in Amsterdam with offices across the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific, Piano serves a global client base. The company has expanded its operations globally, with offices in New York, London, Amsterdam, and elsewhere, allowing it to serve clients across various regions.

They empower brands to expedite campaign and product launches, enhance customer engagement, and achieve scalable personalization by integrating customer data, analyzing behavioral metrics, and creating tailored customer journeys.

Piano’s exceptional workplace culture, guided by core values such as collaboration, craftsmanship, dedication, community involvement, and bravery, has garnered them a multitude of accolades and recognition from prestigious organizations such as the World Economic Forum, Red Herring, Inc., and Deloitte.

Key Products

Piano Composer

Composer facilitates the design, testing, deployment, and management of sophisticated user experiences based on a range of scenarios, rules, triggers, and conditions. Users can leverage this tool to customize experiences for specific audience groups and particular pages on their website, all without the requirement of coding skills.

Piano ID

Piano ID is a robust identity management solution that helps businesses understand and authenticate their users. It provides valuable insights into user behavior and preferences, enabling organizations to deliver personalized experiences and strengthen user relationships.

Piano VX

VX helps deploy and manage different value exchanges with the visitors in return for access to premium content, offers, and experiences. It can be used to manage business rules, subscribers, and access privileges seamlessly across multiple platforms. It also provides thorough reporting capabilities for user tracking and analysis.

Piano Analytics

Master and share a complete data-driven view of the customer with Piano Analytics. Purpose-built to be the most powerful, accurate, compliant, flexible, and performant analytics tool in the world.

DMP

Everything known about a user is immediately available for segmentation and targeting.

Combine first-, second-, and third-party data with volunteered zero-party data. Develop user profiles and audience segments and put the data to work across sites and multi-channel campaigns. Integrate zero-party data to ensure data reliability, transparency, and consent – so users can grow their business no matter what big tech companies decide.

ESP

Always-on is now always-aware. Piano ESP knows what the audience wants and delivers it — automating the process of delivering personalized and incredibly relevant recommendations, email campaigns, and newsletters tailored to the individual user — even down to the right subject line, call to action, and send time.

Customer insights

Piano’s products have generally received positive reviews. For instance, Piano ID, their flagship product for identity management, has received high ratings on G2. They appreciate the easy implementation process, well-documented resources, and responsive support. The solution’s high level of customization, including custom fields, is highly valued. Customers also commend Piano ID’s integration with popular Social Login systems like Google, Facebook, Apple, Linkedin, and Twitter, which enhances user convenience. Customers have a favorable impression of Piano ID, highlighting its user-friendly nature, strong support, extensive customization options, and seamless integration with Social Login systems.

Moreover, Piano’s customer support receives positive recognition for being responsive, knowledgeable, and supportive. Customers appreciate the assistance they receive from the Piano team, whether it is during the initial implementation or when troubleshooting any issues that may arise.

Other Customer insights

“Piano was basically the only option we found that could handle the different types of products we wanted to bring to market.” – Chris Reynolds, General Manager, Golf Digest

“Piano has been a great partner in helping launch our consumer subscription service, which we’re working together to rapidly scale. Their team is smart and efficient and has quickly become a valuable resource for us.” – Claudius Senst, Head of Consumer Subscriptions, Business Inside

“Once we implemented Piano ESP, we immediately doubled the amount of visitors using the same database – without any work.” – Karel Vetchý, Project Director, Vltava Labe Media

“We have achieved huge progress and now our data-driven approach has become fully integrated within the marketing, product owners, editorial and IT teams.” – Romain Lhote, Data Manager

“Le Monde has recorded +12% more traffic since the pushes at the beginning of 2019 vs. 2018.” – Pierre Buffet, Head of Digital Studies

“With dashboards, we don’t need any technical skills to quickly extract value from data.” – Marion de Cisternes, Audience Manager

“Thanks to Piano we have the flexibility we need to create outstanding campaigns that drive revenue for our advertisers and ourselves.” – Geert Desager, Strategy Director, Mediahuis

“Our massive daily audience is our greatest resource and we’re excited to use Piano’s software to cater to those users in new ways. We picked Piano because of its superior monetization capabilities, built-in testing, and ability to enhance every step of the user journey. With Piano as a partner, we can focus even more of our resources on creating content that matters to our large and growing dedicated audience.” – Eric Spielman, SVP of Product & Strategy

“The ease of implementation, and then immediate access to actionable data post-launch, were key selling points.” – Geoff Isenman, Chief Business Development Officer, Cafe Insider

Statistics

• Number of employees: 650


• Piano has acquired 6 organizations, most recently SocialFlow on February 2022


• Number of funding rounds: 11, raised a total of $220M 


• As of 2023, Piano’s software has been adopted by 400 companies globally.


• Headquartered in Amsterdam with offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, Piano serves a global client base, including Air France, the BBC, CBS, IBM, Kirin Holdings, Jaguar Land Rover, Nielsen, The Wall Street Journal, and more.

Rating and Commentary

Piano.io has experienced remarkable growth since its inception in 2010. Originally founded as Tinypass, the company started by offering a straightforward paywall solution for publishers.

With an eye toward industry trends and publisher needs, Piano continuously refined and expanded its product suite. Despite facing competition from companies like Blueconic, and Onetrust, Piano has helped publishers adapt to the evolving digital landscape by leveraging advanced technologies and data-driven insights. These efforts attracted partnerships with major media organizations like Hearst, NBC Universal, The Economist, and Business Insider, further solidifying Piano’s reputation and demonstrating the effectiveness of its solutions.

Under the leadership of Trevor Kaufman, the company has witnessed a significant growth trajectory including global expansion, establishing offices in key locations worldwide. By expanding its presence to New York, London, Amsterdam, and beyond, Piano strengthened its ability to serve a diverse range of publishers across various regions and industries. This expansion, coupled with its focus on innovation, and strong investor backing with Sixth Street Partners along with several others has propelled Piano to become a leading player in the digital content monetization space.

Piano's Video

Key Executives

Trevor Kaufman, CEO

Trevor became CEO in 2012 when Tinypass was founded. He led several strategic acquisitions, including Piano Media in 2016, Newzmate in 2018, and Cxense in 2019, which accelerated the company’s growth. Trevor has led the company to nearly 300% growth in 18 months. He led the company to global prominence in marketing, sales, and advertising technology. Trevor was also named MarTech Breakthrough’s 2020 “Best MarTech Company CEO” for his expertise and innovation. Trevor is known for his dedication to creating a collaborative, inclusive workplace. He encourages innovation and success by valuing and empowering his team.

Kweli Washington, CPO

He has over 15 years of experience in the private and nonprofit sectors. Kweli Washington’s extensive experience, leadership roles, academic achievements, and community involvement highlight his expertise in strategy, operations, and organizational development. Kweli also ran the Cue Group, a consulting firm that helped John Legend, the New York City Department of Education, the United Negro College Fund, and an Afghan construction contractor innovate and transform for a decade. Kweli managed transition teams at merged companies and salesforce effectiveness at the Boston Consulting Group’s financial services and healthcare practices.

Tim Dirrenberger, CTO

He is a highly creative Chief Technical Officer with an extensive track record of building great brands and profitable businesses in media and technology. Tim Dirrenberger is based out of Hoboken, New Jersey, United States.

Organizational Insights

Piano has a 4.3 rating on Glassdoor and fosters an organizational culture characterized by innovation, collaboration, and adaptability. In the fast-paced digital technology industry, Piano values a culture of creative thinking and exploration, encouraging employees to embrace change and continuously seek innovative solutions for their clients. Collaboration is highly valued, with a focus on teamwork, knowledge sharing, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver comprehensive solutions.

Additionally, Piano’s organizational culture likely emphasizes adaptability, with employees encouraged to be flexible, responsive to market trends, and empowered to make decisions in an agile manner. This culture of autonomy and trust, coupled with transparency and open communication, supports employee empowerment and contributes to the company’s overall success.

Board Members

Jonathan Seeber is a General Partner, he co-manages the firm and has been a member of Updata’s investment team since 2006. He has more than 15 years of experience in technology and growth-stage technology investments. Before joining Updata, Jon worked on the Business Development team inside IBM Global Services, managing acquisitions, divestitures,

investments, and partnerships – key growth activities for IBM’s largest business unit. During his tenure there Jon helped execute notable transactions including the acquisitions of Internet Security Systems, Healthlink, and Corio.

Dan Moss is the Principal at Updata Partners. His primary responsibilities include identifying and analyzing investment opportunities, conducting due diligence, executing transactions, and supporting and monitoring portfolio companies. Prior to joining Updata Partners, Dan was an analyst in the Technology Investment Banking Group at Barclays Capital. Based in their New York City office, he provided strategic and M&A advisory services and participated in executing capital markets transactions. While at Barclays Capital, Dan concentrated on clients in the software and IT services sectors. Dan began his career in Boston as an analyst at Americaís Growth Capital, a boutique investment banking firm where he provided advisory services to growth-stage companies across the technology industry.

Investors

Sixth Street Partners is a global investment firm that focuses on providing capital solutions to businesses across various industries. They are known for their investments in technology, healthcare, consumer, and energy sectors. Sixth Street Partners has a track record of supporting companies in their growth and expansion efforts. Sixth Street Partners had made a significant investment in Piano.io of $18M to expand the horizon of Piano and help them optimize their strategies, enhance customer experiences, and drive revenue growth.

Updata Partners is a growth equity firm that specializes in investing in high-growth software and technology companies. They provide capital and support to companies during their expansion phases. Updata Partners typically invests in companies with strong growth potential, innovative products, and a proven market presence. It has backed Piano in series C funding round in 2021, which helped Piano empower its business with advanced analytics, personalization, and monetization capabilities.

Rittenhouse Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Philadelphia that primarily invests in early-stage software companies. They typically focus on companies in the technology, healthcare, and business services sectors. It has backed Piano in series C funding round in Feb 2021 to expand its business operations.

Key Milestones

• BlueLena joins Piano Software as a certified agency partner (2023)


• Recognized with the “Powered By Snowflake” award in the second annual Data Drivers Awards for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), 2022.


• In 2022, Piano was honored with the prestigious title of “Overall Data Tech Solution of the Year” at the Data Breakthrough Awards.


• Piano Acquires SocialFlow to Connect Social Media Strategies to Customer Journey Orchestration in February 2022.


• Piano have recognized as a Grand Winner in the 9th Annual 2021 CEO World Awards in 2021.

News and Press Releases

• MAY10,2023: How Piano Helped Polaris Media Sør Increase Their Offer Value (Read)


• MAY5,2023: How the BBC Doubled Reader Engagement with Piano Analytics (Read)


• DEC13,2022: Piano Broadens Global Footprint and Social Media Publishing Capabilities (Read)


• May16,2022: Piano Software Relocates Global Headquarters to Amsterdam to Reflect Steadfast Commitment to European Data Protection (Read)

Competitors

Blueconic

This is a customer data platform (CDP) that enables businesses to collect, analyze, and activate customer data for personalized marketing experiences. It provides similar data-driven capabilities as Piano.io, with a focus on customer data management and personalization.

OneTrust

OneTrust is a privacy management software platform that helps businesses comply with global privacy regulations. While not a direct competitor in terms of product offerings, OneTrust may overlap with Piano.io’s solutions in terms of data privacy and compliance management.

Optimizely

Optimizely is an experimentation platform that allows businesses to test and optimize their digital experiences. While it may have some overlap in terms of personalization capabilities, Optimizely’s primary focus is on experimentation and A/B testing.

Lytics

Lytics is a customer data platform (CDP) that focuses on helping businesses collect, analyze, and activate customer data to deliver personalized marketing experiences. It provides companies with the tools and insights necessary to understand their customers and engage with them effectively.

Corporate Responsibility

Piano, a leading digital experience platform, demonstrates a strong commitment to corporate responsibility as it expands its global reach and enhances its social media publishing capabilities. The company’s dedication to responsible business practices is evident through its focus on serving clients worldwide, introducing advanced functionality to benefit users, and optimizing engagement for social media teams. By prioritizing customer satisfaction, Piano showcases its commitment to understanding and influencing customer behavior in an ethical and responsible manner.

Through its Digital Experience Platform, Piano empowers organizations to make informed decisions by unifying data, analyzing behavior metrics, and creating personalized customer journeys. This approach not only drives business success but also emphasizes Piano’s commitment to sustainable and responsible practices. With a global presence and a diverse clientele, including renowned brands like Air France, BBC, and The Wall Street Journal, Piano’s corporate responsibility efforts contribute to building long-term partnerships and fostering positive relationships with clients and stakeholders alike.