2X acquires The Kiln to scale GTM engineering for enterprise marketers
The Clay partner’s GTM engineering expertise will help 2X serve enterprise clients at scale.
Go-to-market platform 2X just acquired The Kiln, a well-regarded partner in the Clay ecosystem known for its GTM engineering chops. The move signals a shift for 2X—from being a Marketing-as-a-Service (MaaS) player focused on execution to a broader, full-stack GTM orchestrator.
With this deal, 2X adds advanced engineering capabilities into its already wide delivery infrastructure, enabling enterprise clients to run integrated, multi-channel GTM motions without relying on multiple vendors. We unpack what the acquisition means for marketing and RevOps leaders managing increasingly complex tech stacks.
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Here’s a table of contents for quick access:
- What happened: 2X acquires The Kiln
- Why it matters: GTM execution is no longer just a marketing function
- What marketers should know: orchestration, not just optimization
- What’s next: managing the full GTM funnel in-house
What happened: 2X acquires The Kiln
2X, backed by private equity firms Recognize Partners and Insight Partners, announced its acquisition of The Kiln, a Clay-specialized GTM engineering shop headquartered in Brooklyn. The Kiln made a name for itself helping B2B companies unlock high-intent pipeline using Clay’s AI-powered workflows and other sales tech tools.
By joining 2X’s global delivery network—spanning nearly 1,300 professionals across the US, Malaysia, and the Philippines—The Kiln now brings its GTM engineering strengths to enterprise-level clients that need scale, structure, and executional muscle.
The combined company now claims coverage across the full GTM stack, including RevOps, MarTech, outbound automation, and campaign production. It also strengthens 2X’s strategic relationships with platforms like Clay, 6sense, Salesforce, Adobe, HubSpot, and Gong .
Why it matters: GTM execution is no longer just a marketing function
This acquisition reflects a broader market shift: GTM execution is no longer siloed in marketing. Sales tech, revenue intelligence, and automation platforms are now integrated into a single go-to-market system. That demands a new kind of partner—one that can deliver cross-functional strategy and execution.
Clay’s ecosystem of boutique agencies proved out GTM engineering for SMBs. But as enterprise clients look to scale these strategies, they often hit a wall. They need repeatable frameworks, delivery infrastructure, and platform-level governance—areas where most Clay-focused shops fall short.
2X wants to fill that gap. By bringing The Kiln in-house, it can now engineer, deploy, and manage GTM systems across marketing, sales, and revenue operations—all under one managed service model.
Enricko Lukman
What marketers should know: orchestration, not just optimization
Here’s how this deal could change what’s expected of modern marketing teams and their tech stacks:
1. Expect more full-funnel integration
Enterprise marketing teams will increasingly be expected to manage not just campaigns, but full-funnel systems that span from account identification to personalized outreach and revenue capture. 2X is betting that buyers want fewer vendors and more integration.
2. Clay’s use case is going enterprise
Clay, once considered a scrappy tool for outbound and enrichment, is growing up. The Kiln’s success with SMBs helped prove its value, but enterprise teams need scale, security, and results. 2X now offers a way to adopt Clay and similar tools at scale without cobbling together point solutions.
3. Managed service models are gaining ground
Marketing-as-a-Service isn’t just about content or email ops anymore. This deal shows that MaaS can stretch across the full GTM funnel—especially if backed by private equity and strong delivery infrastructure. The implication? In-house teams may get leaner, with more orchestration outsourced to specialists.
What’s next: managing the full GTM funnel in-house
For RevOps and marketing leaders, this acquisition is a signal to look beyond channel performance or campaign metrics. The market is moving toward integrated GTM systems—and vendors like 2X are positioning themselves to own that orchestration end to end.
It also raises the bar for agencies and consultancies trying to move upmarket. Without infrastructure or platform-level integration capabilities, boutique firms may struggle to compete with scaled players that can deliver both strategy and execution under one roof.
For marketers juggling fragmented tools and siloed teams, the trend is clear: orchestration is the next battleground. Whether you build it in-house or partner with a firm like 2X, the time to rethink your GTM architecture is now.
