Veteran Exhibition Industry Executive Kerry Gumas to Invest in Balluun’s Success

Sunnyvale, CA - Kerry Gumas, a veteran executive in the exhibition and trade show industry, has entered a definitive agreement to invest in Balluun Inc, a B2B software startup based in Silicon Valley, and collaborate on growth. Balluun provides Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology connecting B2B buyers and sellers through vertical market networks that can be white-labeled for specific industries. Trade show organizers and trade associations can use Balluun’s solution to create a branded digital marketplace to engage their audience 24/7/365.

Kerry Gumas, President of Metacomet LLC, has held senior executive positions throughout his distinguished career in global trade show organizations such as Questex, Reed Exhibitions, IDG World Expo and Advanstar Communications. He sees a strong fit between the industry’s needs and what Balluun provides. "As an investor and owner-operator of hundreds of trade shows worldwide serving tens of thousands of companies in dozens of industries, I've gained a deep understanding of B2B commerce and market operations. Trade shows and exhibitions have always been vital physical marketplaces for buyers and sellers to exchange information, gather, network and conduct commerce. Balluun's B2B Marketplace solution provides exhibition organizers and trade association producers the most powerful set of tools available to enable their customers and members to network and drive business year-round.” Kerry noted also that “the product has an intuitive interface. The ease-of-use could facilitate rapid adoption. It also provides a range of monetization features to drive organizer's revenue.”

“We are extremely excited and fortunate to have Kerry joining force with us. Kerry brings wealth of industry experience, insights and resources that can help accelerate our growth,” said Deepak Gupta, CEO of Balluun.

Kerry sees additional market opportunities for Balluun's product beyond the trade show space. “Deepak and his team have developed a state-of-the-art engagement and commerce platform. The SaaS-based platform is not only feature-rich, scalable, interoperable and mobile-optimized for trade show and remote environments, but also Enterprise-ready for companies seeking to activate their own private B2B Marketplaces. It's a pleasure to invest alongside them and collaborate in bringing this important solution to market."