LEHI, Utah — Customer communications platform provider Podium has been named to the Forbes 2018 Cloud 100, the definitive list of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in collaboration with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures.

This award comes on the heels of Podium being ranked No. 13 on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies for 2018 and being named the 2018 “Best SaaS Product for Small Business/SMBs” by The SaaS Awards.

“The power of the cloud has transformed the way people do business and we are honored to be recognized by Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes and Salesforce Ventures for our innovative technology solutions that benefit both local businesses and their end-consumers,” said Eric Rea, CEO and co-founder of Podium. “We help any businesses with a physical location improve their customer interactions and drive purchase decisions better than anyone, and this award is a testament to the talent and hard work of our team in creating our platform.”

As part of the rigorous selection process for the Forbes 2018 Cloud 100, Bessemer Venture Partners received submissions from the top cloud startups. The Forbes Cloud 100 judging panel, including top public cloud company CEOs, reviewed the data to select, score and rank the top 100 cloud companies from all over the world. The evaluation process involved four factors: market leadership (35%), estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), and people & culture (15%).

“For the past three years, the Cloud 100 list has identified the top cloud companies that are reshaping their respective industries,” said Alex Konrad, Forbes editor of The Cloud 100. “I am consistently impressed by the caliber of companies honored on the Cloud 100 list. It is an exciting time to be a cloud company and founder.”