'They've built something real, a solution designed not for headlines but to solve actual problems MSPs face every day. It's rare to see such alignment between product, purpose and opportunity,' says Michael Evers, Thread's new CEO.
Thread, an AI-powered service desk vendor focused on MSPs, has raised $8 million in new funding and tapped Michael Evers as its new CEO.
The investment will be used to scale its platform, accelerate AI innovation in dispatching and real-time resolution workflows and strengthen its support infrastructure.
Evers, who joined the company in late July, brings decades of experience in SaaS, data and conversational AI, including leadership roles at companies that scaled to hundreds of millions in revenue.
"What drew me to Thread was the clarity of their mission and the depth of understanding the founders have of this space," Evers told CRN in an exclusive interview. "They've built something real, a solution designed not for headlines but to solve actual problems MSPs face every day. It's rare to see such alignment between product, purpose and opportunity."
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Co-founders Mark Alayev and Matt Linn will remain deeply involved in the business. Alayev said the CEO search focused on finding someone who could enhance what the company had already built without disrupting the culture.
"Most companies bring in a CEO when something is broken. That's not us," Alayev told CRN. "Michael stood out because he thrives in companies where the founders stay involved. He's operationally excellent and, more importantly, he trusts us. This is not a handoff, it's an uplevel."
Linn added that Evers' arrival helps position Thread, which is named on CRN's 2025 AI 100 list, for long-term leadership in a market that thrives on innovation.
"MSPs are technologists at heart," Linn said. "They want to stay on the cutting edge and with Michael on board, we're doubling down on giving them the tools to do that."
Since launching its AI service desk in late 2024, the New York-based vendor has added 250 new partners, bringing the total to around 475. The company also more than doubled its revenue, while saving MSPs over 15,000 hours of non-billable labor, according to Linn.
With the new funding, Thread plans to invest primarily in research and development and continued product innovation, along with scaling its commercial and customer success teams. The company currently employs 43 people and expects to nearly double that by mid-2026.
The round was led by Integr8d Capital and channel veteran David Bellini with participation from Headline, channel legends Adam Slutskin and Vince Kent, and leading MSPs. As part of the financing, Bellini joined the Board of Thread.
"There's not going to be some meteoric change in Thread," said Evers (pictured). "What our partners should expect is more of the same: relentless focus on customer value delivered through product innovation. Any change the market sees will be because the product keeps getting better."
The new CEO's first 100 days will be focused on listening, learning and embedding himself into the company's operations without disruption.
"The culture here is unique, there's a real commitment to staying close to the customer," he said. "Mark and Matt have built a model where everyone participates in feedback loops, not for PR but to truly inform the roadmap. That's not something I'm looking to change, it's something I want to help scale."
Looking ahead, Alayev and Linn hinted that the next major focus is tackling the phone, which still accounts for 40 percent of support requests and remains one of the most expensive service channels.
Alayev emphasized that the team's focus remains simple: empower MSPs to do their best work.
"Our goal is to get the doctor back to doctoring, the accountant back to accounting, not stuck dealing with IT issues. That's what we're building toward.
"Michael is going to uplevel Thread," he added. "And in doing so, Thread will be able to put in that much more effort into our partner base, and we have a fanatical partner base."
And as the company scales, Evers said he sees his role as additive, not transformative.
"Thread is already a category leader," the new CEO said. "My job is to help us grow without losing the things that made us special, and with this team and this community behind us, I believe we're just getting started."
