Salesforce agrees to buy customer engagement platform Braze
The all-cash deal puts Braze’s cross-channel messaging and AI decisioning alongside Salesforce’s Marketing Cloud, with completion expected in Salesforce’s fiscal 2028 subject to shareholder and regulatory approval
- Braze has about 2,770 customers, including Canva, Dairy Queen, Equinox, Instacart, Urban Outfitters and Venmo
- Braze is headquartered in New York and has 15 offices, London among them
- Advisers: J.P. Morgan for Salesforce; Qatalyst Partners for Braze
- Klaviyo sells to ecommerce brands through integrations with Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce, with pricing tied to profile counts, Investing.com reported
Mid-market companies that run Braze alongside a CRM from another supplier will be buying their messaging from Salesforce once the deal closes, leaving fewer large engagement platforms outside the main CRM suites. The announcement is silent on pricing, contract terms and packaging for existing Braze customers, including whether Braze will continue to be sold apart from Marketing Cloud.
“Salesforce shares our commitment to marketers, and we’ll continue building as Braze and investing in the Braze community of customers and partners who built this company with us.”Bill Magnuson, chief executive and co-founder, Braze
Salesforce signed a definitive agreement on 20 October to acquire Braze, the Nasdaq-listed customer engagement company, at an enterprise value of about $5.66bn (£4.27bn). Braze Class A shareholders will receive $47.50 (£35.82) a share in cash.
Investing.com reported that the price is a premium of about 58% to Braze’s previous close of $30.04 (£22.65) and that Salesforce shares fell 3% after the announcement. Shares in Klaviyo, which Investing.com described as a Braze rival, rose 8% on the news.
Where Braze fits
Braze sends real-time messages to consumers across mobile apps, web, email, SMS and WhatsApp, and sells an AI layer, BrazeAI, which the companies say helps marketers optimize content, offers, channels and timing. In their joint announcement, the companies said Braze is expected to complement all four layers of Salesforce’s architecture – Data 360, Customer 360, Agentforce and SIForce – and to strengthen Marketing Cloud’s cross-channel personalization.
Braze, led by co-founders Bill Magnuson and Jon Hyman, would bring expertise in mobile experiences, data engineering and customer engagement to Marketing Cloud, the release said. Salesforce said it does not expect the acquisition to change its fiscal 2027 guidance. It has not issued guidance for fiscal 2028 and made no change to its long-term targets.
Sources
- Salesforce and Braze, “Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Braze”, press release (Braze Form 8-K, exhibit 99.2), 20 October 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001676238/000095010326015850/dp254600_ex9902.htm
- Investing.com, “Salesforce to buy Braze for $5.7 billion, CRM shares slide 3%”, 20 October 2026. https://uk.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/salesforce-to-buy-braze-for-57-billion-crm-shares-slide-3-4919839
- Investing.com, “Klaviyo shares jump 8% as Salesforce moves to acquire rival Braze for $5.7 billion”, 20 October 2026. https://ng.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/klaviyo-shares-jump-8-as-salesforce-moves-to-acquire-rival-braze-for-57-billion-2746134
- Braze, “Contact”, company offices page, accessed 20 October 2026. https://www.braze.com/company/contact
