After 29 years of serving Columbus and beyond, Delta Data has reached a new milestone: partnering with their first institutional investor. Executive VP Burton Keller shares that the strategic partnership was crucial “to take the company to the next level. We have gone the family and friends route up until now. Not only can [Accel-KKR] provide serious capital infusion, but they can also help advise us.” 

This decision wasn’t made lightly as Delta Data has prided themselves on being one of the few privately held software companies in the US that has three decades under their belt. “That in itself is an accomplishment,” says Burton. Although they’ve been approached by several investment firms over the years, Accel-KKR “felt like a really good fit for us, as well as being one of the most respected growth capital firms in the country. Their investment will strengthen our balance sheet, allow us to build out our product suite and help us execute on our strategic plan,” he shares.

Delta’s claim to fame in Burton’s eyes is the impact their small software company founded and based in Columbus, Georgia has had on the mutual fund industry. “The Delta Data name is known by every major mutual fund company, broker dealer firm, 401(k) recordkeeping firm and most of the largest banks in the US. Our clients hold more than one trillion dollars in mutual funds on our mutual fund trading software, more than any other similar system in the country,” Burton says. 

The Delta Data Software team loves being based in Columbus, specifically Burton who was born and raised here. “I am biased, but I do think it is a great place to do business. It has a great quality of life and is a great place for raising a family. From a human resource perspective, both Columbus State and Auburn provide us a good source of both technologist as well as business analysts. There are also a lot of individuals employed in the technology field locally that sometimes want to be part of a smaller company where their individual contributions are more important to the overall success of the company. When you are 1 of 60, your position is critical to the success of the organization. I am not saying that when you are 1 out of 1,000 you are not critical, but I think you know what I mean,” Burton says.

Columbus will also benefit from this new partnership. Burton explains, “We are currently members of the Chamber of Commerce, and our employees are strong supporters of United Way—we have helped sponsor various local events over the years. Hopefully, now we can do even more.” Since Delta Data Software doesn’t have any local clients and only one client in Georgia, they welcome the chance to integrate into the community more and share their story. 

Speaking of more, Burton says that 2015 is shaping up to be a banner year for Delta Data. “Over the last three years, we have developed two new software products for the mutual fund industry. Our first clients on these products will be going live at the end of this year. In 2015, we plan on landing several more key new clients for these products and establish them as the market leaders in their respective categories,” he says, adding, “We also have a new product in development that helps firms create and manage proprietary investment products, like fund of funds and target date funds. This new product could revolutionize and streamline the process of creating and rolling out wrapped investment products that are created from existing products, usually in Collective Investment Trusts or insurance separate accounts. We will be rolling out this new product in 2015, so we expect 2015 to be a busy year for us.”

And if Burton can give any insight into their success, it’s to keep persevering. “We have had to re-invent ourselves several times over the years when either the industry changed or technology changed. We never quit, even when people said we should just give it up. Of course, if not for the financial and moral support of our family and friends and employees, we might not have had a choice to keep going. So a big thanks to all who have helped us over the years,” he says.