Climb Global Solutions Sees Growth with Strategic Moves & AI Expansion

Specialized technology distributor Climb Global Solutions posted strong results in the third quarter and is poised to continue that growth through the end of 2024 into 2025. CEO Dale Foster spoke with Channel Insider to share his reflections on the company’s 2024 success and his predictions for Climb and the channel in 2025.

Strong growth the result of strategic acquisitions and DACH expansion

The quarter three growth comes after the August acquisition of Douglas Stewart Services, LLC, which added expertise in the education vertical and new clients to Climb’s network.

Now, that acquisition, paired with Climb’s 2023 acquisition of DataSolutions Holdings Limited, is fueling increases in revenue and partner base. Even without those two additions, though, Climb is still charting growth in North America and its newly expanded European footprint.

Climb Channel Solutions, the wholly owned subsidiary of Climb Global Solutions, launched in the DACH region in October with a regional new leader and the Climb AI Academy. The AI offering brings custom training and support frameworks to Climb’s partners to support their AI selling journeys.

“Climb offers partners an attractive combination of interesting, AI-relevant manufacturers and its own AI Academy,” said Martin Bichler, the newly appointed regional country manager for the DACH expansion. “This gives them the opportunity to specialize, position, and differentiate themselves in the AI environment at an early stage and generate IT projects with real added value and lucrative margins.”

2025 should be ‘more of the same’ in strategy and outcome

As the fourth quarter winds down and businesses start to consider year-end success, Foster is focused on what Climb aims to accomplish every day.

“No matter what quarter of the year we’re in, we’re focused on the same few things,” Foster said. Those areas include strategic vendor acquisition and deepening existing relationships with partners.

Foster said he and the team remain committed to executing their mission. While that will come with new announcements in 2025, the overall approach to business will be very similar to 2024.

“We’re going to just continue our current path and stay committed to what we have been doing, so 2025 should seem like more of the same for us,” Foster said.

Still, Climb will adjust and grow as necessary, depending on market trends and what its partners require to be successful. Moves like the AI Academy and extension into the DACH region are two examples of applying the same business approach to new advancements.

The importance of culture fit and relationships in the channel

Climb Global Solutions is a smaller distributor focused on specific value-driven solutions, a strategy Foster said isn’t going away. So, his goal is not to bring every channel partner but to get the “right” partners that fit the company’s mission.

“I never want to outgrow our culture, no matter how much we grow and expand,” Foster said.

Foster also said Climb’s ability to provide a specialized, high-touch approach to business with their vendor partners also speaks to how distribution can address the needs of vendors and partners alike.

“We have vendors coming to us and saying, ‘we need someone to really focus,’ on particular partner types or customers or certain ways to go to market, and we can do that for them,” Foster said. “Vendors can tell us what to do a little and tell us what they need from us.”

Climb Global Solutions acquired Douglas Stewart Software and Services, LLC earlier this year. Read more about the details of that acquisition and how the organization supports its channel partners.