Raleigh-based Pendo is expanding its footprint into the Asia-Pacific.
Despite the on-going pandemic, the cloud tech startup is opening offices in Tokyo, Japan and Sydney, Australia.
The uptick: Pendo will employ more than 20 people in Asia over the next two years, in roles spanning sales, marketing, customer success, and technical support.
The move comes at a critical time in the market.
Global research firm Gartner projects the rate of cloud spending in Japan to rise from 3% in 2019 to 4.4% in 2022.
“Japan and Australia have robust technology ecosystems, aggressive digital transformation plans and impressive talent pools, all of which help make the case for Pendo’s expansion into this region,” said Pendo’s CEO and co-founder Todd Olson, in a statement this week.
“We are excited to continue to champion the product manager as we grow across Asia.”
Pendo has tapped Kiyo Takayama, a former vice president with Box Japan, to head up operations in Japan. A country manager for Australia is expected to be announced in February.
Pendo’s Rise
Founded in 2013 out of the co-working space now known as Raleigh Founded, Pendo has been growing consistently at a rate of “100 percent year over year.”
Last October, it officially achieved “unicorn” status, hitting the rarified $1 billion valuation mark after securing an additional $100 million in its round of funding.
Pendo now counts more than 1,600 customers, including big-name firms like Verizon, Salesforce, and Labcorp.
It also employs 450 people worldwide and is building new a headquarters in Raleigh’s downtown. It plans to hire “hundreds of employees” over the next five years.
Forbes ranked the company No. 54 on its annual list of top privately-held cloud companies, moving up from last year’s No. 95 spot.
