DAS Technology acquires assets of Wisconsin automotive software company

Scottsdale-based DAS Technology has acquired Engage to Sell, an automotive software company headquartered in Wisconsin, to expand customer engagement options for its clients.

DAS Technology in December obtained the assets of Engage to Sell, including the company’s software, clients and staff of live chat agents. The Engage to Sell platform enables automotive dealers to follow up on more customer leads and close sales faster.

As part of the acquisition, DAS Technology launched its new AI Engage messaging platform that pairs its patented lead response capabilities with Engage to Sell’s software and “live moderators,” providing its automotive retail customers with an option to message a representative 24 hours a day to gain immediate answers and details for vehicle inventory, reviews, trade-in valuations, service appointments, video content and more, according to the company.

“So far, the results have been really good with clients that have been on different versions of the product, or even clients that have been with Engage to Sell,” Alexi Venneri, cofounder and CEO of DAS Technology, told the Business Journal. “We’re now introducing to them, for example, the AI chatbot, which they didn’t have. So it’s a really nice complement. And we’re excited to now have this broader team that is available to moderate not just these chats, but to potentially do more with all of our products at DAS.”

DAS’ new AI-powered messaging software builds upon the company’s existing consumer data and experience platform, which serves more than 9,500 retailers and original equipment manufacturers.

The decision to acquire Engage to Sell was prompted in part by the company’s complementary operations, allowing DAS Technology to round out a trifecta of communication services consisting of automated AI chatbots, live agents and an ability to reach a dealership directly.

“They were very much like DAS, very focused in the automotive vertical. They know the space. They were similar in terms of client makeup. A majority of their clients were car dealers. They also had power sports and adjacent transportation clients,” Venneri said. “They weren’t a huge operation, but we’re excited to now be able to offer live agents paired with our AI. The fact that we can merge all of this together, I think, is really exciting.”

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Engage to Sell is company’s 10th acquisition

DAS Technology’s acquisition of Engage to Sell marks its 10th since the company was founded in 2010 to provide dealerships and OEM manufacturers with technology to connect with consumers.

The company — formerly known as Digital Air Strike — rebranded to DAS Technology in 2023 to reflect its expanded technology and five client service divisions. Those divisions include: Digital Air Strike, BestRide.com, LotVantage, Autovate and 3 Birds.

As part of the Engage to Sell acquisition, DAS added 50 employees as well as some contractors that worked with the company on product and development.

DAS, however, eliminated or revised fewer than 10 positions across both companies as part of the acquisition “transition process,” Venneri said.

“What we have done — which is super normal in any business, especially when we’re doing acquisitions — is whenever we go through an inflection point like buy[ing] the assets of another company, there’s going to be some overlap in positions,” she said. “We have to look at expenses. So overall, we actually grew the number of team members that work with us, but we did look at some positions and eliminated some roles or revised some roles, but it wasn’t very many.”

DAS Technology has some 170 employees, with a majority of its workers based in Scottsdale.

The company ranks No. 5 among the Valley’s largest software firms, measured by number of employees and years in operation, according to Business Journal research.

In August, DAS Technology moved its headquarters from The Square to a top-floor suite spanning more than 16,200 square feet at Camelback Tower, the Business Journal previously reported.

DAS Technology saw a 120% increase in dealer and original equipment manufacturer subscriptions in 2023, according to the company.

While subscription numbers are not yet available for 2024, DAS has seen an uptick in revenue and clients, Venneri said.

“We’ve consistently grown every year,” she said. “Even when we acquire other companies, our headquarters have remained here in the Valley, which we love.”