In-the-wild testing pioneer uTest re-launched with an expanded vision today as Applause, the 360° app quality company. The company also announced its entry into the global market by acquiring top German crowdtesting company, Testhub, which will become the European headquarters for Applause operations.  The multi-million dollar deal consists of a combination of cash and equity and, as part of the acquisition, Berlin Technologie Holding (BTH) becomes a strategic investor in Applause EU.
 
Applause brings together the tightly integrated app quality solutions companies need to earn and measure the loyalty of their users, including:
• In-the-wild testing services – real-world testing for web, desktop and mobile apps across the entire product lifecycle, including functional, usability, load and localization testing
• Mobile SDK – free tool that enables build distribution, crash & bug reporting, and user feedback on iOS, Android and Windows Phone apps
• Mobile analytics – advanced analytics from all the major app stores so companies can listen more effectively to user feedback and sentiment about app quality
• 360° app quality dashboard – ties app quality data together, providing technology leaders with an integrated view of app quality, from pre-launch to post-launch
 
All of these offerings are completely modular, meaning companies can purchase just what they need and expand their solutions as their needs grow.  The company had previously announced it would be expanding its vision and changing its name from uTest to Applause. With today’s re-launch, the move to help companies focus more holistically on app quality is now realized.
 
“Web, mobile and wearable applications – and the quality of these digital experiences  – are the gateway to brands and businesses. This new ideal of 360° app quality is the best way for companies to differentiate themselves, and win in the highly competitive apps economy,” said Applause CEO Doron Reuveni. And modern app quality is no longer just a developer or QA problem; it’s a CIO problem, a marketing problem, a sales problem and a CEO problem.  As Applause, we bring together a range for testing services and app quality tools to enable companies to achieve this.”
 
“Organizations need to constantly gather user feedback and feed that data back into their application lifecycle to continuously enhance quality,” said Peter Marston from research firm, IDC. “Given the importance of quality, this practice of application quality management (AQM) will need specific, efficiently dedicated resources from companies if they wish to stay ahead of competitors.”
 
Since launching as uTest in 2008, Applause has achieved many milestones, including:
• Raising funding of $80MM – including a $43MM E Round, led by Goldman Sachs in January 2014
• Winning awards for innovation and growth from expert sources like Gartner, Forbes, and Inc.
• Growing to 160 employees in North America and Europe
• Increasing its company footprint from its Boston headquarters to locations in San Francisco, New York City and Seattle, as well as the new Applause EU headquarters in Berlin
• Growing 4-year revenues by more than 4000%
 
The re-launch comes the same day that Applause announced its acquisition of Testhub. In the next month, Testhub will transition to Applause EU and make additional hires in several key markets. Then the team will begin marketing, selling and delivering the Applause app quality offerings.
 
“We’re very proud of what Testhub has achieved, and joining forces with uTest – now Applause – is a great scenario and a phenomenal opportunity to combine global reach with European expertise” said Testhub CEO, Jan Wolter.  “We believe in building long-term relationships with our customers to help them launch consistently high-quality apps. That’s what we’ve done as Testhub and what we will do even better as Applause EU.”
 
The decision to acquire Testhub came after several months of discussions, and only after all the EU crowdtesting players had been researched and evaluated.
 
“Testhub stood out because they were building the right way – by focusing on their customers and employees. They’re closely aligned with the values and philosophy that we held in building uTest, and carry forward into Applause,” said Applause Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, Matt Johnston.  “The Testhub team truly understands the European market – including localization, fragmentation and data security – and this move demonstrates our commitment to delivering robust, secure, world-class service to European customers.”
 
In addition to being an investor in Applause EU, Berlin Technologie Holding will serve as an advisor and facilitator, connecting the company with local market expertise and future customer demand.
 
“Testhub is the first crowdtesting startup to successfully exit – and it’s joining the company that created the entire crowdtesting category,” added BTH Managing Partner, Joern-Carlos Kuntze. “This sends a clear message to the EU market about Testhub’s success, and positions Applause as the clear leader in the global crowdtesting space.”
 
Combining their track record with Testhub’s, Applause is the largest, most mature crowdtesting player in the EU. This provides European customers with an unmatched breadth and reliability of testing solutions:
 • 7+ years combined in the market –  Nearly 3X longer than any other crowdtesting players
• 140,000+ testers from 200 countries & territories – More testers and locations covered than all other players combined
• 1,000,000+ test reports – More than 4X the combined total of the other players
• 50K+ test cycles – 4X more than all the other players combined
• Only crowdtesting firm with thousands of customers – Including Google, Amazon, USA Today, Netflix, Box and Runkeeper.
• Only crowdtesting firm that pays out millions of dollar to its tester community each quarter
 
The company also announced the launch of the new uTest, which moves from the customer-facing brand to a community hub for all things related to professional testers and software testing.