Monetate steps toward IPO

In a sign one of Philadelphia's more successful iPhone-era tech companies may be preparing for its initial public stock offering, Monetate, the fast-growing, 220-worker "marketing acceleration software" provider that helps retailers like QVC and Best Buys customize Web site offerings to their customers and reach their mobile devices through the cloud, says it has hired Bob Lawson as its new CFO, and in a statement praised his "proven expertise in helping pre-IPO and public companies" reorganize and boost profits.

Lawson was most recently CFO at RingCentral, a California-based, $160M (sales/yr), $1.2B (market cap) telecom provider that went public at $13 last fall, rose into the $20s and now trades at $18. In a statement, Lawson pronounced himself "eager to help lead the team as we continue to grow the brand." He previously serived as CFO at biofuel maker Codexis as it went public; worked at Intuit (maker of TurboTax and Quicken); and spent 15 years in finance at General Electric.

Lawson's "experience with high growth companies will be critical to Monetate's continued success," added Monetate CEO David Brussin. Monetate is backed by FirstRound Capital and other venture investors. Lawson, a University of Iowa graduate, lives in Palo Alto, Calif.

(Thanks Tom Paine for pointing out that an earlier version of this item wrongly referenced CFO Lawson as "ceo" on first reference.)