Manchester-based tech startup Versori has been acquired by US tech giant Avalara.
Versori, which was founded in 2022 by Sean Brown and Daniel Jones, is a next-generation integration platform specialist.
The deal size has not been disclosed but the acquisition includes Versori’s technology and its team of 23 staff.
Both Brown and Jones are staying with the business, which will operate as Versori, by Avalara.
Brown told BusinessCloud: “We want Versori to connect the world’s systems. That was the mission statement from day one.
“As we were going through a period of growth we were facing doing another investment round.”
Versori has previously raised investment of $10.5m but were approached by Avalara, an agentic tax and compliance leader, over a possible acquisition.
“Avalara were a customer of Versori and want to be involved in every transaction in the world,” said Brown. “We align very closely.”
Versori graduated from the famous Y Combinator accelerator in March 2023 and has since worked with companies like Frasers Group, Macy’s and the MoD.
Brown, who has previously worked at Mercarto and Social Chain, said the deal was good news for Manchester.
“It’s proof that Manchester can grow companies like Versori,” he said. “Hopefully it will bring more investment into Manchester and more talent.
“Versori has built game-changing technology. I’ve never done it for the rewards. I love building things and I’m looking forward to keep building things with Versori. I’ve got a lot of unfinished business.”
The acquisition strengthens Avalara’s ability to scale integrations across thousands of systems while advancing its long-term strategy to deliver real-time, always-on, audit-ready compliance as part of every transaction worldwide.
Versori brings a modern, automation-first approach to integration, enabling faster deployment, simplified maintenance, and global scalability across enterprise systems, including ERPs, ecommerce platforms, marketplaces, and financial applications, without compromising accuracy or reliability.
Scott McFarlane, CEO and co-founder of Avalara, said: “Compliance at global scale depends on seamless, reliable integration
“Versori’s technology and team significantly accelerate our ability to connect into the world’s commerce systems quickly, at scale using intelligent, AI-driven automation that meets the reliability and accuracy standards global compliance demands.
“This acquisition strengthens our unified platform and advances Avalara’s vision of AI-native compliance that operates continuously, intelligently, and at scale across the world’s most trusted commerce systems.”
For more than two decades, Avalara has developed one of the most expansive libraries of tax content and integrations in the industry, supporting over 200,000 direct and indirect customers across more than 75 countries.
The company’s purpose-built AI agents automate end-to-end compliance processes with greater precision, from tax calculations and return filings to exemption certificate management and beyond.