Adding AI marketing firepower to Agentforce! Salesforce, Inc. (CRM.US) acquires Braze (BRZE.US) at a 58% premium, with an enterprise value of nearly $5.7 billion

Salesforce, Inc. (CRM.US) has agreed to acquire Braze (BRZE.US)an AI-driven platform for marketersat an enterprise value of nearly $5.7 billion. Salesforce, Inc. said in a statement on Tuesday that it will pay $47.50 per share to Braze investors. That price represents a 58% premium to Braze's closing stock price on Monday. It is understood that New York-based Braze collects customer data in real time and uses AI to generate personalized messages for different media and communication channels, such as mobile apps, websites, email, and SMS. According to the statement, the company serves about 2,770 customers, including Canva, Equinox, Instacart, Venmo, and others. The deal will integrate Braze's real-time customer engagement and AI-driven personalization technology into Salesforce, Inc.'s marketing and customer relationship management products. The transaction is expected to close in Salesforce, Inc.'s fiscal 2028 year, which begins in early February next year, subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearance. After the news was announced, Salesforce, Inc.'s stock fell about 3% in premarket trading. Braze's stock surged more than 51%. As of Monday's close, Braze's stock had fallen 12% year to date and was down 54% since its listing in November 2021. Salesforce, Inc. said it will use Braze's technology to strengthen several of its products, including Data 360, Customer 360, SIForce, and the company's flagship AI tool Agentforce. Patrick Stokes, President of Applications and Marketing at Salesforce, Inc., said in the announcement: "Combining this capability with Salesforce Marketing Cloud, CRM, and Data 360 will deliver amazing experiences in every customer interaction." On the Customer 360 front, Salesforce, Inc. said Braze "is expected to strengthen Marketing Cloud's cross-channel personalization capabilities, helping brands turn deeper customer insights into richer experiences and optimize in real time at the scale needed to reach hundreds of millions of users." Salesforce, Inc. said the transaction is not expected to change its fiscal 2027 guidance. The company has not yet provided fiscal 2028 guidance and said its long-term targets have not been updated.