LawNext

Ep 254: In the Wake of KKR’s Acquisition of CLM Company Agiloft, CEO Eric Laughlin Discusses Its Past and Future

Jul 31, 2024

Eric Laughlin, CEO of Agiloft, shares insights from his journey in legal tech and the company's growth under his leadership. He discusses KKR's recent investment, marking a transformative moment for Agiloft, and the importance of blending employee experience with customer satisfaction. Laughlin elaborates on Agiloft's innovative use of AI in contract lifecycle management, the evolving competitive landscape, and the strategic implications of their latest technologies and partnerships for future growth.

48:05

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Eric Laughlin

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Quick takeaways

Eric Laughlin's leadership has transformed Agiloft into a recognized leader in the contract lifecycle management space through innovative strategies and AI integration.

The company emphasizes a strong internal culture, believing that employee satisfaction directly enhances customer experience and loyalty.

Deep dives

Leadership Transition and Growth

Eric Laughlin took over as CEO of Agiloft in 2020, succeeding a long-term predecessor and stepping into a pivotal moment for the company. Since then, he has driven significant growth by refocusing the company's mission and expanding its reach within the contract lifecycle management (CLM) market. Agiloft transitioned from being a little-known player to a recognized leader in the CLM space, particularly post-investment from KKR, highlighting its robust performance over the past four years. Laughlin emphasized his goal to serve enterprise customers, leveraging the company’s no-code platform to address complex contract management needs.

Intro

3min

Evolution of Agiloft's Leadership

5min

Navigating Growth and Investment

8min

The Evolving Landscape of Contract Lifecycle Management

2min

Agiloft's AI-Driven Transformation

6min

Innovating Contract Review with AI

9min

Unlocking Growth in Contract Management

14min

Last month, KKR, a major global investment firm, announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Agiloft, the contract lifecycle management company. As part of the deal, the growth equity firm FTV Capital, already an Agiloft investor, is making an additional investment, and another growth equity firm, JMI Equity, is joining as a new investor.

The deal was a feather in the cap for Eric Laughlin, who joined Agiloft as CEO in 2020 after leading the Pangea3 business at Thomson Reuters. When Laughlin stepped into that role, Agiloft had been in business for 30 years, and he succeeded a predecessor who had been CEO for nearly all that time. He came aboard just as the company had raised its first-ever outside funding round, tasked with the mission of taking the company to its next level of growth.

During his tenure, the company has earned a reputation as a leading innovator in the CLM space, including in its development of features based on artificial intelligence, and it has significantly grown both its workforce and its global customer base. Laughlin has also strengthened his own reputation as a leader who believes that employee experience is as important as customer experience.

In March 2021, not long after he joined Agiloft, Laughlin was our guest on this show to talk about his plans for the company. On today’s episode, he returns to discuss how Agiloft has grown during his four-year tenure and to share his thoughts on the contract lifecycle management landscape, now and into the future.

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This episode of LawNext is generously made possible by our sponsors. We appreciate their support and hope you will check them out.

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LawNext

Ep 254: In the Wake of KKR’s Acquisition of CLM Company Agiloft, CEO Eric Laughlin Discusses Its Past and Future

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Leadership Transition and Growth

Investments and Effective Resourcing

Adapting to Market Changes

Culture and Customer Focus

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts