Latest news with #AppDirect
National Post
5 days ago
- Business
- National Post
AppDirect Expands Innovative Technology Marketplace to Own Energy Procurement With Acquisition of Broker Online Exchange
Article content As AI-driven energy demands surge, AppDirect's forward-thinking acquisition reinforces its role as the everything store for businesses to buy, sell, and manage all critical services with the support of an experienced advisor Article content Article content SAN FRANCISCO — AppDirect, the world's leading B2B commerce platform, today announced a first-of-its-kind move to power the next era of AI-driven business services: the acquisition of Broker Online Exchange (BOX), North America's leading retail energy network. Through this acquisition, AppDirect is continuing to expand and redefine how their partner network can sell, manage and optimize the critical services their customers rely on. Article content According to Gartner®, 'The long-term view is unshakable: electricity demand is projected to grow 42% by 2035. Affordable, accessible energy is a core enabler of economic competitiveness and an essential hedge against climate driven instability.' 1 This acquisition will enable AppDirect to broaden its portfolio of solutions—which currently includes cloud, telco, mobility, hardware, AI and now, energy—that its advisor community can offer their end business clients. Article content With energy demand projected to grow dramatically over the next 10 years, BOX provides over 2000 independent energy brokers access to the widest range of top electricity and gas suppliers, instant pricing, back office support and expansive industry expertise. Its My Service Cloud (MSC) platform supplies brokers with an energy broker CRM that assists in creating contracts and providing pricing, commissions and automated contract renewal management. Through this acquisition, AppDirect will add these capabilities to its expansive solution portfolio, which technology advisors can offer to their clients. Similarly, BOX brokers will gain access to AppDirect's technology solutions to sell and provide to their end clients to enable them to expand their share of wallet. Article content 'AppDirect's deep commitment to its technology advisors mirrors BOX's commitment to our energy broker community, so partnering with the team is a natural fit, providing incredible opportunities,' said Arthur Gruen, CEO of BOX. 'AppDirect has a diverse catalog of services and procurement platforms to manage those services ongoing. This, in turn, gives our energy broker community an entirely new set of solutions to add even more value to their customers, expand their share of wallet and quickly grow revenue.' Article content AppDirect's acquisition of BOX, following its recent acquisitions of Builtfirst, Firstbase and its impending acquisition of vCom, is another strategic enhancement that supports its vision of becoming the everything store for businesses through its advisors. By adding BOX's energy expertise to its catalog, AppDirect further solidifies its position as a marketplace and unified IT lifecycle management platform that supports a wide range of services—expanding its dedication to ease the lives of business leaders and offering additional value to technology advisors and brokers. Article content 'Business is entering a new era where technology alone isn't enough; it also needs the infrastructure that powers it,' said Nicolas Desmarais, AppDirect's Chairman and CEO. 'By bringing energy into our marketplace, AppDirect is setting a new standard for how businesses buy and manage the critical services they need to succeed, powered by our advisor and broker community. We believe the future belongs to companies that control the foundation, and we are proud to be the first to take this step.' Article content This acquisition is expected to provide an upside opportunity for both BOX and AppDirect customers and partners. A&D Global Advisors LLC/M&A Securities Group Inc. served as exclusive financial advisors to Broker Online Exchange LLC in this transaction. The BOX brand will continue to operate in the market and provide the same level of quality support its partners have come to expect. Article content To learn more about AppDirect, connect with our team or head to To learn more about BOX, go to Article content Gartner, Inc. 7 Trends Shaping the Future of Electricity, Lauren Wheatley, Sarah Watt, Lloyd Jones, Shanna Grafeld, Tsuneo Fujiwara, Chet Geschickter, Sabu Mathai, 1 May 2025 GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Article content About AppDirect Article content AppDirect is a B2B subscription commerce platform company that brings together technology providers, advisors, and businesses to simplify how they buy, sell, and manage technology. More than 1,000 providers, 10,000 advisors, and 5 million subscribers rely on the AppDirect ecosystem of subscription marketplaces to power their innovation, growth, and success. For more information, visit and follow us on LinkedIn. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
AppDirect Expands Innovative Technology Marketplace to Own Energy Procurement With Acquisition of Broker Online Exchange
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AppDirect, the world's leading B2B commerce platform, today announced a first-of-its-kind move to power the next era of AI-driven business services: the acquisition of Broker Online Exchange (BOX), North America's leading retail energy network. Through this acquisition, AppDirect is continuing to expand and redefine how their partner network can sell, manage and optimize the critical services their customers rely on. 'Business is entering a new era where technology alone isn't enough; it also needs the infrastructure that powers it,' said Nicolas Desmarais, AppDirect's Chairman and CEO. According to Gartner®, 'The long-term view is unshakable: electricity demand is projected to grow 42% by 2035. Affordable, accessible energy is a core enabler of economic competitiveness and an essential hedge against climate driven instability.' 1 This acquisition will enable AppDirect to broaden its portfolio of solutions—which currently includes cloud, telco, mobility, hardware, AI and now, energy—that its advisor community can offer their end business clients. With energy demand projected to grow dramatically over the next 10 years, BOX provides over 2000 independent energy brokers access to the widest range of top electricity and gas suppliers, instant pricing, back office support and expansive industry expertise. Its My Service Cloud (MSC) platform supplies brokers with an energy broker CRM that assists in creating contracts and providing pricing, commissions and automated contract renewal management. Through this acquisition, AppDirect will add these capabilities to its expansive solution portfolio, which technology advisors can offer to their clients. Similarly, BOX brokers will gain access to AppDirect's technology solutions to sell and provide to their end clients to enable them to expand their share of wallet. 'AppDirect's deep commitment to its technology advisors mirrors BOX's commitment to our energy broker community, so partnering with the team is a natural fit, providing incredible opportunities,' said Arthur Gruen, CEO of BOX. 'AppDirect has a diverse catalog of services and procurement platforms to manage those services ongoing. This, in turn, gives our energy broker community an entirely new set of solutions to add even more value to their customers, expand their share of wallet and quickly grow revenue.' AppDirect's acquisition of BOX, following its recent acquisitions of Builtfirst, Firstbase and its impending acquisition of vCom, is another strategic enhancement that supports its vision of becoming the everything store for businesses through its advisors. By adding BOX's energy expertise to its catalog, AppDirect further solidifies its position as a marketplace and unified IT lifecycle management platform that supports a wide range of services—expanding its dedication to ease the lives of business leaders and offering additional value to technology advisors and brokers. 'Business is entering a new era where technology alone isn't enough; it also needs the infrastructure that powers it,' said Nicolas Desmarais, AppDirect's Chairman and CEO. 'By bringing energy into our marketplace, AppDirect is setting a new standard for how businesses buy and manage the critical services they need to succeed, powered by our advisor and broker community. We believe the future belongs to companies that control the foundation, and we are proud to be the first to take this step.' This acquisition is expected to provide an upside opportunity for both BOX and AppDirect customers and partners. A&D Global Advisors LLC/M&A Securities Group Inc. served as exclusive financial advisors to Broker Online Exchange LLC in this transaction. The BOX brand will continue to operate in the market and provide the same level of quality support its partners have come to expect. To learn more about AppDirect, connect with our team or head to To learn more about BOX, go to Gartner, Inc. 7 Trends Shaping the Future of Electricity, Lauren Wheatley, Sarah Watt, Lloyd Jones, Shanna Grafeld, Tsuneo Fujiwara, Chet Geschickter, Sabu Mathai GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. About AppDirect AppDirect is a B2B subscription commerce platform company that brings together technology providers, advisors, and businesses to simplify how they buy, sell, and manage technology. More than 1,000 providers, 10,000 advisors, and 5 million subscribers rely on the AppDirect ecosystem of subscription marketplaces to power their innovation, growth, and success. For more information, visit and follow us on LinkedIn. About Broker Online Exchange Broker Online Exchange (BOX) is the largest, most flexible retail energy network in North America. It meets the needs of commercial customer advisors, energy brokers and referral partners by providing direct access to North America's top energy suppliers and markets. Broker Online Exchange also provides personalized support and flexible payment plans to its network of energy brokers and partners.
National Post
13-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
AppDirect Appoints Carl Emond as the General Manager of ITCloud
Article content Article content MONTRÉAL — AppDirect, the world's leading B2B commerce platform, today announced the appointment of Carl Emond as General Manager of ITCloud. Emond succeeds ITCloud founder Mirco Cristoni, who is retiring after nearly 30 years of dedicated leadership and innovation. Article content Since joining the company in 2018, Emond has been a cornerstone of ITCloud's growth, particularly following its acquisition by AppDirect. With a strong technical background and a deep understanding of partner needs, Emond brings a unique blend of expertise and passion to his new role. As General Manager, he will spearhead key initiatives focused on enhancing partner enablement and support, evolving the ITCloud platform to meet the ever-changing requirements of managed service providers, and broadening the company's portfolio of cloud solutions. Article content 'ITCloud has always been the leader in highly technical support and training for partners — values that align perfectly with my vision for IT in the SMB sector,' said Emond. 'Having worked closely with our partners over the past seven years, I understand their challenges firsthand. My focus as General Manager is to ensure ITCloud remains the most trusted and innovative partner in the Canadian IT channel.' Article content Prior to joining ITCloud, Emond served as Head of Service Delivery for one of Quebec's largest technology consulting firms. His leadership has been fundamental in ITCloud's repeated wins as Best Cloud/SaaS Distributor in Canada, as recognized by the Reseller Choice Awards — an honor voted on by partners. Article content 'Carl has been a key leader at ITCloud for many years, and we are thrilled to have him step into this role,' said Renée Bergeron, COO of AppDirect. 'ITCloud continues to distinguish itself as a leading cloud distributor in Canada, and under Carl's guidance, it will continue to empower our partners with outstanding support, deep technical expertise and the tools they need to succeed in an evolving digital landscape.' Article content To learn more about ITCloud, join the team at Altitude 2025 — the must-attend event for cloud resellers, tech professionals and organizations shaping the future of the cloud — held on May 22-23 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Business Wire
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
AppDirect Appoints Carl Emond as the General Manager of ITCloud
MONTRÉAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AppDirect, the world's leading B2B commerce platform, today announced the appointment of Carl Emond as General Manager of ITCloud. Emond succeeds ITCloud founder Mirco Cristoni, who is retiring after nearly 30 years of dedicated leadership and innovation. 'ITCloud has always been the leader in highly technical support and training for partners — values that align perfectly with my vision for IT in the SMB sector,' said Emond. Since joining the company in 2018, Emond has been a cornerstone of ITCloud's growth, particularly following its acquisition by AppDirect. With a strong technical background and a deep understanding of partner needs, Emond brings a unique blend of expertise and passion to his new role. As General Manager, he will spearhead key initiatives focused on enhancing partner enablement and support, evolving the ITCloud platform to meet the ever-changing requirements of managed service providers, and broadening the company's portfolio of cloud solutions. 'ITCloud has always been the leader in highly technical support and training for partners — values that align perfectly with my vision for IT in the SMB sector,' said Emond. 'Having worked closely with our partners over the past seven years, I understand their challenges firsthand. My focus as General Manager is to ensure ITCloud remains the most trusted and innovative partner in the Canadian IT channel.' Prior to joining ITCloud, Emond served as Head of Service Delivery for one of Quebec's largest technology consulting firms. His leadership has been fundamental in ITCloud's repeated wins as Best Cloud/SaaS Distributor in Canada, as recognized by the Reseller Choice Awards — an honor voted on by partners. 'Carl has been a key leader at ITCloud for many years, and we are thrilled to have him step into this role,' said Renée Bergeron, COO of AppDirect. 'ITCloud continues to distinguish itself as a leading cloud distributor in Canada, and under Carl's guidance, it will continue to empower our partners with outstanding support, deep technical expertise and the tools they need to succeed in an evolving digital landscape.' To learn more about ITCloud, join the team at Altitude 2025 — the must-attend event for cloud resellers, tech professionals and organizations shaping the future of the cloud — held on May 22-23 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. To learn more about AppDirect, connect with our team or head to About AppDirect AppDirect is a B2B subscription commerce platform company that brings together technology providers, advisors, and businesses to simplify how they buy, sell, and manage technology. More than 1,000 providers, 10,000 advisors, and 5 million subscribers rely on the AppDirect ecosystem of subscription marketplaces to power their innovation, growth, and success. For more information, visit and follow us on LinkedIn.
