Seismic to Acquire Highspot in Sales Software Consolidation Play

Two of the largest players in sales enablement software announced a merger Tuesday, as the sector grapples with proving return on investment amid the AI transformation of revenue teams.

Seismic and Highspot signed a definitive agreement to combine operations, with the merged entity operating under the Seismic name and led by Seismic CEO Rob Tarkoff, according to a statement released February 12. Robert Wahbe, Highspot's founder and CEO, will join the combined company's board of directors.

The deal marks a significant consolidation in the enablement platform market, where vendors have struggled to demonstrate clear ROI despite widespread adoption across enterprise sales organizations. For CFOs evaluating these platforms, the challenge has always been the same: the software's effectiveness depends almost entirely on whether sales teams actually use the features consistently—a behavioral problem that no amount of technology can solve on its own.

Permira, which has backed Seismic through funds it advises since 2020, will remain the controlling shareholder after the transaction closes. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The merger comes as the enablement category itself is undergoing an identity crisis. What started as sales enablement—focused on content management, training readiness, workflow guidance and analytics for sales teams—has evolved into what analysts now call "revenue enablement." The shift reflects the reality that modern go-to-market strategies require coordination across marketing, sales, customer success and business development roles, not just the sales organization in isolation.

That expansion creates its own complications. In large, global organizations, these platforms must navigate local governance requirements and manage multilingual, multicultural content needs—operational complexity that multiplies the integration challenges CFOs worry about when evaluating enterprise software investments.

The integration question looms particularly large in this category. Enablement platforms need to connect with a sprawling ecosystem of other tools, though the source material cuts off before detailing which specific integrations matter most.

For finance leaders, the merger raises a familiar question: does consolidation in a software category signal maturity and stability, or does it suggest the standalone business model wasn't working? The answer likely depends on whether the combined company can finally crack the ROI problem that has plagued the category—proving that the platforms drive measurable revenue outcomes, not just provide a repository for sales collateral that may or may not get used.

The shift toward "AI-driven revenue enablement" mentioned in the announcement suggests the companies believe artificial intelligence will be the unlock. Whether AI can solve the fundamental adoption problem—getting busy salespeople to consistently use the platform—remains to be seen. Technology has never been the bottleneck in sales enablement. Human behavior has.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. No timeline for completion was provided.