UPSTACK, a full-service technology brokerage, has acquired Breakwater Cloud Advisors, a Vancouver, Wash.-based CX consulting firm. The acquisition is intended to strengthen UPSTACK’s advisory and execution expertise in the expanding AI-driven CX solutions market and introduces the next phase of the company’s CX + AI practice, the company said.
Founded in October 2021 by Brendan Paulin and Andrew Millard, Breakwater helps midmarket and enterprise organizations design and deploy next-generation CX solutions. The firm has expertise across contact center as a service (CCaaS), conversational AI, workforce and quality management, analytics, automation and related solutions, with an established presence in the financial services, healthcare and hospitality industries.
The Breakwater team also has an established history of working with longtime UPSTACK partner and CX expert Michael Leonardi, officials said.
As part of the acquisition, Paulin and Millard will join UPSTACK, along with Star Toups, Breakwater’s business development director. The trio will collaborate with Leonardi as well as Adam Gottfried, UPSTACK’s director of advisory services, CX solutions, to drive UPSTACK’s CX + AI practice.
“Breakwater and its founders are exceptional additions to UPSTACK’s expanding CX + AI capabilities,” said Christopher Trapp, founder and CEO of UPSTACK. “Brendan and Andrew have built a results-oriented consultancy that complements our mission to help customers modernize their CX environments and harness AI for measurable business outcomes. Together, with Mike’s deep experience, innovative approach and track record of success, they’ll deliver a new level of value for our clients.”
“This acquisition represents a doubling down on UPSTACK’s investment in CX and AI,” said Leonardi, who will lead the company’s CX + AI practice. “Bringing together Breakwater’s expertise with our proprietary technology and scale positions us to deliver powerful, data-driven results for clients.”
As Breakwater team members transition into the UPSTACK organization, they will be able to leverage the company’s platform, vendor network and technical resources, officials said.
“From the beginning, we built Breakwater to help clients move faster and make smarter CX investments,” Paulin said. “Joining UPSTACK lets us keep doing what we do best, while gaining access to resources, data and operational scale that take our impact to the next level.”
“We’ve worked closely with UPSTACK’s CX leaders from day one and we’ve seen the culture and vision up close,” added Millard. “This move gives our clients expanded support and gives us a bigger platform to grow with them.”
