Thrive Holdings & ZBS Partners have launched Shield Technology Partners (STP), an AI-enabled managed IT service platform.
Starting with initial funding of over $100 million, the platform aims to redefine technology services through innovation and customer service. STP will expand its U.S. network and bring IT services to market that empower local businesses with access to national-scale resources and technological and operational expertise.
Launch focuses on ‘seamless customer experience’ MSPs need to deliver
The platform is launching with a foundational portfolio of partnerships that includes: ClearFuze Networks, IronOrbit, Delval Technology Solutions (DTS), and OneNet Global.
“The market for IT services is over $700 billion and evolving rapidly, but the experience for customers has not kept up,” said Jake Sloane, co-founder of Shield Technology Partners. “Our partners stay awake at night thinking about their customers and we want to give them the tools to grow their business while preserving what makes them unique.”
STP’s national platform will support its foundational partners by amplifying their efforts as they continue operations.
STP will be led by cofounders Sloane, Frank Zhang, and Casey Botts, focusing on growth operations, integrations, and mergers and acquisitions.
“The engineering team at Thrive Holdings is working closely with STP’s partners to build and embed technology that delivers a seamless and personalized customer experience,” said Anuj Mehndiratta, the head of portfolio impact, data science, and product at Thrive Capital. “Equipped with smarter, context-rich tools, technicians can anticipate issues, act proactively, and play a greater role in driving customer roadmaps.”
Mehndiratta told the Wall Street Journal that STP will embed software engineers into each of its IT portfolio businesses, with the goal of building an AI-driven solution that all the portfolio companies will utilize.
“We’ve studied all of the ways in which MSPs have perhaps been on their back foot to date with customers,” Mehndiratta said, adding that AI is “incredibly well-suited” to streamline IT services work.
Q2 has been a strong quarter for investments in IT platforms, particularly as the amount of IT spending grows. Read more about a recent Series B funding round for Cynomi to help scale its security platform with new features.