Global biz acquires NWA tech startup

A global business has acquired a Northwest Arkansas tech startup that focuses on fundraising.

Gratavid, a video platform that helps organizations increase donor retention through personalized videos, has merged with Graduway + Gravyty. A Tuesday (May 31) news release did not disclose the deal’s financial terms.

Will Trapp, a former director at Saatchi & Saatchi X, founded Gratavid in 2019. All of the company’s three employees work remotely, including Trapp, but the business is headquartered in Fayetteville.

Graduway + Gravyty joined forces in 2021, and are headquartered in the U.K., with operations in the U.S., Canada and Israel.

“This acquisition is an integral part of Graduway + Gravyty’s client strategy, providing a human feel and personalization in an extremely digital world,” Daniel Cohen, CEO and founder of Graduway, said in a statement. “We are empowering and enabling people to connect more personably with a mission close to their hearts – allowing us to deliver on the promise to energize, mobilize and steward communities.”

Gratavid works with Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, United Way, Texas A&M University and others. By integrating with CRMs in the industry, such as Blackbaud, DonorPerfect, Salesforce, Zapier, and Microsoft, Gratavid allows clients to filter and segment their audience based on donor information, gift amounts and milestones to make every interaction personal.

“Given Graduway + Gravyty’s proven track record of innovation and customer success, we couldn’t be more excited to start the next chapter of Gratavid by joining forces with their team,” Trapp said in the release. “We’ve always been proud of our commitment to customer support and success, but now we can offer even more help and resources to our existing and new customers. We’ve never been more excited to get to work helping our customers fulfill their goals and objectives through personalized video.”

Combined, Graduway + Gravyty + Gratavid now works with more than 2,500 schools, colleges, nonprofits and healthcare organizations globally.

Cal Rose with Rogers law firm Wright Lindsey Jennings worked as Gratavid’s legal counsel in the business transaction.