Today Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) announced a $25M investment in Anaqua, a leading provider of intellectual asset management (IAM) software and services. This investment follows a growth equity investment Anaqua received from Insight Venture Partners in July of this year.

Anaqua's software helps leading global companies grow and protect their intellectual property, including inventions, patents, trade secrets, brands and trademarks, and helps law firms improve their IP practices. Anaqua's SaaS-based platform enables companies to align their intellectual property with their business goals, prosecute and secure it; and create value through more efficient licensing. Companies are further able to pay for IP maintenance in multiple global jurisdictions using Anaqua's payment services platform. More than 20,000 users in over 100 countries are using Anaqua to manage approximately $500 billion in intellectual assets; these include users from Microsoft, Ford, Kimberly-Clark, Eastman Chemical and The Coca-Cola Company.

The shift in law from 'first to invent' to 'first to file' in the US motivates enterprises to improve internal processes for identifying patentable technologies resulting in a greater volume of patent and trademark filings. 'It's always been challenging for businesses to manage IP and trademarks. But these days, it's a strategic advantage to manage them well,' explained Bob Goodman, a partner at BVP who joins Anaqua's Board of Directors. 'Anaqua is a category leader with software that facilitates both the management and filing/renewal of these patents, and goes even further by offering strategies for extending patents. Simply put, Anaqua has identified a critical and growing need and their software gives customers a competitive edge. BVP is excited to fund their continued global expansion.'

'I am delighted that Bessemer has invested in Anaqua. It is a further endorsement of the company's success and future opportunities,' said Priya Iyer, Anaqua's CEO. 'I warmly welcome Bob Goodman to our board, adding his operational and strategic experience with technology growth companies.'

As part of the transaction, BVP Partner Alex Ferrara will also join the board of directors as an Observer.

About Anaqua
Anaqua provides intellectual asset management software and maintenance services to patent and trademark holders worldwide. Anaqua's software helps leading companies grow and protect company value with an advanced, flexible IAM solution used by more than 20,000 users in over 100 countries to manage more than $500 billion in intellectual assets. The ANAQUA Enterprise IAM solution supports the full IA lifecycle from idea to monetization for all IA categories, including inventions, patents, trade secrets, brands and trademarks. Clients include Microsoft, Ford, Kimberly-Clark, Eastman Chemical and The Coca-Cola Company. ANAQUA Express provides IAM best practices configured for smaller IP teams. ANAQUA Element is a quick start, cloud-based solution for small IP portfolios. ANAQUA Essential provides IP Practice Management for law firms.

Anaqua's annuity and renewal services are provided under the ANAQUA Services brand. ANAQUA Services clients include STMicroelectronics, NXP Semiconductors, Peugeot, France Telecom, Samsung and Honeywell.

Anaqua is headquartered in Boston, MA, and has major European offices in London, UK and Pau, France. For additional information please visit http://www.anaqua.com

About Bessemer Venture Partners
Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP) invests in early-stage, hyper-growth startups, partnering closely with entrepreneurs to build durable businesses. BVP is a global firm with offices in Menlo Park, Cambridge, New York, Mumbai, Bangalore, Herzliya and Sao Paolo. With $4 billion under management, BVP invests anywhere from $100,000 to $75 million in innovative companies like LinkedIn, Yelp, Skype, CornerstoneOnDemand, Pinterest, Box and Twilio. Over 100 BVP companies have gone public - last year alone BVP had 5 IPOs, 7 M&A exits, and 20 new investments. Learn more at bvp.com and twitter.com/BessemerVP.