Top 10: Omnichannel communication platforms

2021. MessageBird acquires SparkPost for $600M



MessageBird, a communications platform out of the Netherlands, had a busy day today with two huge announcements. For starters, the company got an $800 million extension on its $200 million Series C round. It then applied $600 million of the extension to buy email marketing platform SparkPost. MessageBird had an email component prior to the acquisition, but the chance to pick up the largest email provider in the world was too good to pass up. With the company in the fold, it enables MessageBird, which has mostly been in Europe and Asia, to get a stronger foothold in the U.S. market.


2021. Messaging platform Gupshup raises $100 million



Conversational messaging platform Gupshup has raised $100 million in its Series F financing round. The startup operates a platform, which is used by over 100,000 businesses and developers today to build their own messaging and conversational experiences to serve their users and customers. Gupshup’s mission is to build the tools that help businesses better engage customers through mobile messaging and conversational experiences.

2020. MessageBird acquires real-time notifications and in-app messaging platform Pusher



MessageBird, the omnichannel cloud communications platform has acquired real-time web technologies company Pusher for $35M. The Pusher product will be kept independent for existing customers, while Pusher’s tech, with its focus on in-app notifications and a developer-friendly API and SDKs built around “push,” will help plug a gap in MessageBird’s own communication platform, which is stronger in SMS and messaging-first channels such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Line and WeChat, etc. Specifically, Pusher is said to bring features like in-app messaging, push notifications and location tracking.


2018. Twilio acquired email API platform SendGrid



Communications platform Twilio acquired the API-centric email platform SendGrid for about $2 billion. Twilio’s current focus is on omnichannel communication, and email is obviously a major part of that. And while it offers plenty of services around voice, video and chat, email hasn’t been on its radar in the same way. This acquisition now allows it to quickly build up expertise in this area and expand its services there.


2015. Oracle acquired cloud-based marketing provider Maxymiser



Oracle has acquired Maxymiser, a provider of cloud-based marketing tools. Maxymiser has over 400 employees and offers a range of cloud-based marketing tools that help its users improve customer experience and user retention through omnichannel analysis and marketing automation. Some of its higher profile customers include EasyJet, HSBC and French clothing retailer Lacoste. Its offerings will be integrated into the Orcale Marketing Cloud, which is itself made up of a range of tools formerly acquired by the firm (Eloqua and Responsys for instance), following the acquisition.