Mavenlink and Kimble Applications Announce Formation of Kantata, a Global Supplier of Purpose-Built Technology for Professional Services Organizations

The launch of Kantata marks a new era of vertical technology solutions designed to meet the opportunities and rapidly changing challenges facing professional services organizations

IRVINE, Calif. and LONDON – MAY 16, 2022 – Mavenlink and Kimble Applications today announced the launch of Kantata, formed through the successful merger and integration of the two companies. Kantata was created to accelerate the development and delivery of the most comprehensive range of vertical SaaS solutions purpose-built to help professional services organizations optimize and elevate operational performance to build thriving businesses.  Kantata immediately announced powerful new product functionality, including new capabilities designed to help professional service organizations optimally map resources to project portfolios while expanding the ability to leverage and manage external talent networks. 

The name Kantata was inspired by “cantata” – a classical music composition that intricately and beautifully combines multiple voice and instrumentation elements. This style of classical music is a metaphor for the collaborative creation that is the foundation of all successful professional services organizations. Kantata endeavors to deliver technology solutions that enable its users to focus on the successful delivery of client projects, while reducing the multitude of administrative burdens involved in running a successful professional services organization. 

“We are now one organization with a portfolio of category-leading products that provide people-powered businesses the clarity, control, and confidence they need to meet their clients’ high expectations and accelerate their own growth,” said Michael Speranza, CEO of Kantata. “We have broken new ground for our industry by creating a global company with a unique purpose-built vertical platform that serves the needs of professional services organizations of all sizes and specialities.” 

Kantata also announced the availability of several new product features, including Talent Network which makes it easy for professional services organizations to add external partners and independent contractors to their resource pools. More than a tool for assigning individuals to current projects based on their skillsets and credentials, Talent Network enables resource managers to conduct scenario planning to anticipate how to build teams of internal and external personnel that are optimized for future projects.

“To deliver an exceptional experience for our clients, we rely on exceptional talent. Our success is a result of working with the best creatives available; both on staff and freelancers,” said Colin Davis, Head of Digital Production & Executive Producer, Nexus Studios. “Talent Network has played an integral part in helping us navigate our pool of talent so we can confidently deliver the best outcomes for our clients in the entertainment, branded and immersive worlds. Working across three continents and managing talent worldwide requires meticulous planning and rigorous organization. We are just at the start of tapping the full potential but already it’s streamlined and unified many processes, radically improving visibility and access to the talent.” 

Talent Network is just one of many new product innovations that address the need for professional services organizations to connect, share information and collaborate with their workforces, which include partners and independent contractors. For example, new tighter integration with Slack allows users to work within Slack to complete timesheets, collaborate on status reports and manage risks. Important project updates are surfaced to team members in the appropriate channels so team members can review and make their updates without switching to other applications. 

Other new features and capabilities that are available now or scheduled for release in June 2022 include:

  • Kantata’s RightResource enables businesses to streamline how they show their clients that they have the best people for a project – users can easily generate resumes for resources using configurable templates that populate using data from Kantata, creating resource profiles that can then be shared with internal or client stakeholders. 
  • The Delivery Analyzer extends Kantata’s Business Intelligence capabilities, surfacing complex business performance information to users through embedded Tableau dashboards. This Tableau-based analyzer, which focuses on providing actionable insights on project risks, status, and forecast performance against baseline, builds on the recent releases of Financial Analyzer and Resourcing Analyzer.

“As a leading Digital Performance Marketing agency, DAC is excited to see what innovative professional services solutions will evolve from the formation of Kantata,” said Christy Del Savio, Senior Director PMO & Operations, DAC Group. “Mavenlink has helped us significantly in our development and to support our talented teams. We are excited at the opportunities for further innovation and development that the creation of Kantata presents.”

“The innovative new capabilities we are announcing today clearly demonstrate how quickly the Kantata team has come together and their commitment to delivering remarkable client experiences,” added Speranza. “We are now one company with nearly 600 employees serving more than 2,000 clients and over half a million services professionals with a breadth of product capabilities wide enough to scale across the entire spectrum of client requirements.”

Visit the Kantata website to learn more about how the company is accelerating the development and adoption of purpose-built Vertical SaaS solutions for professional services organizations. 

About Kantata:
Kantata takes professional services automation to a new level, giving people-powered businesses the clarity, control, and confidence they need to optimize resource planning and elevate operational performance. Our purpose-built cloud software is helping over 2,000 professional services organizations in more than 100 countries focus and optimize their most important asset: their people. By leveraging the Kantata Industry Cloud for Professional Services™, professionals gain access to the information and tools they need to win more business, ensure the right people are always available at the right time, and delight clients with project delivery and outcomes.