This morning brings big news in the realms of open source and martech – and especially in the world of Mautic. In case you haven’t seen today’s announcement, Acquia, the leader in open source digital experiences, has acquired Mautic, the world’s only open marketing cloud.

Some deals are about acquiring teams and talent; others are about acquiring products and technology; many are about acquiring a customer base and revenue. If you’re lucky, an acquisition checks two of those boxes. In this case, I’m thrilled that this deal is about all three. Mautic’s team, products and customers will all find a great, welcoming home at Acquia.

This marriage between Acquia and Mautic makes sense for many reasons:

• Both companies understand that we now live in the experience economy, and that brands compete on the basis of the digital experiences they create.
• Both organizations are maniacally customer-centric and place a premium on building long-term relationships with clients
• Both firms believe deeply in creating open, modular, flexible products that can keep up with the pace and demands of modern brands
• Both have roots in open source technology, and have built valuable SaaS products alongside those open source projects
• Lastly, and importantly, both recognize that skilled, thoughtful, tenacious employees make all the difference in the world in helping customers and building a great company

In the category of “small, small world:” our two firms have actually known one another since before Mautic came into existence. DB and Dries, Mautic’s and Acquia’s respective founders, have known one another through open source circles for years; I’ve personally known the Acquia team for the past seven years, and even struck up a partnership with them at a previous company. And if that’s not enough, Mautic actually incubated at Acquia’s offices back in 2016 before we struck out on our own.

Even beyond all those connections, perhaps the biggest reason this will be a case of 2+2 = 7 is because Acquia and Mautic share a vision of the present and future world. We think that great content in all forms – displayed and distributed in a personalized, thoughtful way – is how brands create memorable moments. And by orchestrating those moments, companies create great digital experiences that resonate and turn visitors into customers into zealots.

This move brings together Acquia’s suite of products around content management and digital experiences, with Mautic’s marketing automation platform and cross-channel communication capabilities. This combination creates an integrated digital experience platform that is more open, modular and modern than what the market offers today from closed, old-school vendors.

I would be remiss if I didn’t offer sincere thanks to Mautic’s team members, both past and present. It’s been a wild few years of hard work, progress, learning and the roller coaster ride that we’ll simply call “startup bliss.” Just as importantly, I want to thank Mautic’s customers, who joined us in believing that open technology offers a better way to approach modern digital marketing. You entrusting us with your brand and your business is something we take very seriously, and we will continue to partner closely with you.

Finally, it’s important to note that this isn’t the end of anything. Rather, the next stage of Mautic’s journey is just beginning. And in this next phase, we get to tackle bigger challenges and solve bigger problems for our customers, while not letting any of the small things fall through the cracks. We can’t wait to help marketers create a brighter, smarter, more personalized future for their companies and their customers.