“When you strip away the genre differences and the technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation.” - Jane McGonigal on Game Theory
Game Theory, an interdisciplinary phenomenon bringing together psychology, mathematics, philosophy, and an exhaustive list of other academic areas was no doubt applied in Brandon Metcalf’s start-up, Place Technology.
Place Technology’s financial software was built upon Metcalf’s risk-tolerance, but also on more than a decade of crunching numbers.
Metcalf spent 10 years in a “proof of work” environment crunching historical financial data to track on P&L statements, and heaven knows how many thousands of hours sifting through massive spreadsheets with siloed data divided among different departments, with multi-national company segmentation. His resources were laser focused on coming up with a solution to the problem that too many small and medium businesses face - having to dig through all that financial data and make sense of it. Business owners can’t make smart decisions about where to spend their money and grow their companies if they don’t know what money is coming in and going out.
Metcalf’s desire to build a software solution came from his own experience building out an answer to financial data reconciliation.
To get the attention of one of the largest staffing agencies in the world, Adecco, you’ve got to build a software that has immense value. But Place Technology didn’t start with this aim. After helping hundreds of small to medium businesses create financial forecasts that actually worked, Metcalf realized he was on to something. He focused on building financial forecasting models for Saas and professional services companies where cash-flow is often the difference between sink or swim.
With 10 years of proof-of-work experience and an early adopter of Salesforce, when that behemoth of a company was still in its infancy, Brandon saw potential. It’s hard to believe now, but there was a time when people were unsure Salesforce would make it. Brandon knew better, and saw an opportunity to integrate with Salesforce to build his financial forecasting company. His early investors were worried that a Salesforce software would fail, but that platform has grown exponentially since its inception and so has Brandon’s brain child - Place Technology.
Metcalf says, “Maybe it was foresight, maybe it was luck,” but when you apply game theory it makes perfect sense.
Most often used in economics, Game Theory models the strategic interaction between two or more players in a situation containing set rules and outcomes. In this case, it's applied between seemingly peculiar players that might pleasantly surprise most people.
By 2023, financial forecasting and other software applications built on Salesforce will enter into a $1.3 - $1.8 trillion dollar market. This gives Place Technology the possibility to “exit” at levels many start-up companies only dream of.
Metcalf already successfully founded and led Talent Rover, now owned by Bullhorn for Salesforce, and utilizing multitudinous skills, he’s on track for a big win with Place Technology too. His exit from Talent Rover was quite lucrative, after raising over $28 million in a series A round with just over a dozen angel investors.
Metcalf’s hunch that the Salesforce ecosystem would grow was spot on, but when married with his penchant for developing financial forecasting models that serve businesses in unprecedented ways, it’s no wonder his company is experiencing staggering success.
To help translate that success into a larger market, Brandon partners with Blended Sense.
As far as an amalgamation of skills goes, Blended Sense is Place Technology’s synesthetic odd couple matched to a well-funded, tightly-run fintech start-up looking for some creative mojo. The pairing doesn’t make sense at first glance until you observe how the innovative and artsy meld perfectly with an analytical, P&L producing powerhouse.
For now, Metcalf is growing his brand and extending education about financial P&L statements that actually work, taking the practice of corporate finance out of the dark ages and into the age of technology. His partnership with Blended Sense gives him his time back, so that he can work on growing his juggernaut, instead of chasing down content.
“Blended Sense allows me the flexibility in pricing with a creative product and a subscription-based plan to create quality digital assets that help me tell people about what we do at Place Technology,” says Metcalf. “I like that they take the time to figure out our brand voice, and produce assets that extend our reach. It’s also super fast.”
With Blended Sense in his back pocket, he can concentrate on making the best financial forecasting software on Salesforce, while we create solid digital assets to elevate his brand. It’s the perfect blend.
