University spin-out Apromore acquired by tech giant Salesforce
Tech giant Salesforce has announced a definitive agreement to acquire the university spin-out and process intelligence company Apromore P/L.
Apromore was co-founded by University of Melbourne Professor Marcello La Rosa (Apromore CEO) and Professor Marlon Dumas of the University of Tartu, with their former University of Melbourne PhD student Dr Ilya Verenich and Apromore's Chief Architect, Dr Simon Raboczi. Its software is built on a decade of research at the University of Melbourne, Queensland University of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonia, and several other universities worldwide.
Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Professor Ben Rubinstein said the acquisition marks the latest step “in a huge entrepreneurial wave” for the School of Computing and Information Systems and was particularly timely, given the University is celebrating 70 years of computing teaching and research.
“Apromore’s success is built upon the entrepreneurial spirit of co-founders and their perseverance to deliver impact through translation of their research,” Professor Rubinstein said.
“This success confirms our vision to support entrepreneurialism and translate research into impact. A suite of initiatives such as commercialisation programs, capability-building and funding opportunities, and facilitating access to entrepreneurial resources and networks is leading to achievements such as this.
“It follows recent success for the global financial platform Airwallex, which was established by University of Melbourne alumni and achieved the backing of three venture capital firms in June."
Apromore founders, from left: Prof Marcello La Rosa, Prof Marlon Dumas, Dr Simon Raboczi and Dr Ilya Verenich.
Head of the School of Computing and Information Systems, Professor Uwe Aickelin noted the substantial growth of Apromore.
“Apromore has gone from small spin-out a few years ago to a top Gartner-rated company in its field,” Professor Aickelin said. “This acquisition signifies another milestone in its immense growth, of which I am exceptionally proud.”
The company helps businesses gain deeper insights into their operations and optimise their performance and compliance by providing clear, real-time digital transparency of process data.
“What began in a university research lab over 15 years ago has grown into a global mission,” said CEO Professor Marcello La Rosa. “Our vision has always been to unlock the power of process intelligence for everyone, fuelled by relentless innovation and cutting-edge research.
"Now, by joining Salesforce, we are accelerating that vision on a scale once unimaginable. With our technology already embedded across many Salesforce customers, together we can help enterprises everywhere see their operations with new clarity, eliminate blind spots and unleash measurable transformation at unprecedented speed and impact.”
The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal year 2026, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.