Twilio buys email startup Zipwhip for $ 850m

Cloud communications API specialist Twilio is no longer trying it out. The announcement of the takeover of the startup Zipwhip for 850 million dollars proves its desire to strengthen its messaging capabilities. Last October, the San Francisco firm had already acquired the publisher Segment for $ 3.2 billion. “Messaging is becoming a preferred way for consumers to interact with brands, so offering multiple messaging options is critical,” said Simon Khalaf, senior vice president and general manager of Twilio Communications Platform. “By bringing together our cloud communications platform and a trusted partner in the messaging ecosystem, we are able to deliver more secure, high-quality toll-free traffic at scale.”

Zipwhip, launched ten years earlier in a Seattle garage by its founder, now has more than 30,000 customers around the world. The developed solution allows American companies to send free SMS to their customers from landlines, VoIP services and toll-free numbers. Users simply activate their landline or VoIP service to send text using Zipwhip’s customizable APIs.

The firm strengthens its messaging services

The startup had raised nearly $ 100 million, including a Series D of $ 51.5 million in January 2019. Since the start of the pandemic, its services had experienced strong growth. The solutions offered by Zipwhip will strengthen all of Twilio’s communication channels. The firm now offers cloud-based APIs “for SMS, WhatsApp and chat and continues to strengthen its messaging products, services and reach”, notably through new offerings such as Frontline and other acquisitions. recent.

Twilio sends and receives over 105 billion messages per year and has sent and received over 592 million messages in a single day. “By combining Zipwhip’s expertise in free and fixed SMS spaces with the scale and resources of Twilio, we will provide the world with a robust communications solution,” concludes John Lauer, CEO of Zipwhip. Twilio said the merger in its dedicated messaging division is expected to take place before the end of the year.