Marketo, an SaaS company focused on providing marketing automation software for B2B companies, has launched a bigger, better version of its sales and marketing optimization application. The software allows web-based marketing and sales teams collaborate on a single revenue cycle, turning web visitors and sales leads into customers using tools like email marketing, lead nurturing, lead scoring, sales lead insight. The software is up and running for the client within an hour, saving clients time and money. What’s fascinating is that Marketo has partnered with Salesforce.com to provide seamless integration in the cloud of the two systems, helping enterprises work efficiently and easily between two cloud-based applications.

With over 140 customers and $1 million in revenue in less than a year in operation, including Thomson Reuters and Demandbase, Marketo is gaining traction in the web-based marketing cloud. Marketo closed a Series B round last summer from Storm Ventures and Tae Hea Nahm, bringing total investment to $13.5 million. Marketo was founded by executives from Epiphany, a marketing automation firm that sold to SSA Global for $300 million.

Marketo’s upgraded software includes over 200 new features (all customer requested) including improved Salesforce.com integration, real time alerts and advanced data quality. CEO Phil Fernandez think Marketo’s technology is “disruptive” in the web-based marketing spaces; calling the software “the first sophisticated marketing application in the cloud.” Fernandez said Marketo is trying to “help companies spread their brands across the web” efficiently and consistently. While Marketo has competitors, like vTrenz, Ferndandez said that no other similar company has seen such rapid growth in a small amount of time. Fernadez also said that Marketo is looking to expand its cloud integration partnerships later this year. It looks like cloud computing has spread to the marketing space.

<img src=http://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/marketo.png