Global chat platform Clickatell announced Tuesday that it raised $91 million in fresh financing. The Series C round, led by Arrowroot Capital, will help the company expand its market reach in the U.S.
Clickatell operates as a chat platform for global banks and telecommunications companies. With Clickatell, consumer brands can reach over 90 percent of the world’s population through mobile messaging, according to the company.
“We believe brands want to avoid placing their customers on hold and it is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to download their apps; our platform enables brands to serve their customers where they are,” Pieter de Villiers, co-founder and CEO of Clickatell, said in a statement.
Those signed on to Clickatell can opt to engage with their customers through an automated or live agent approach. Unlike other chat platforms, Clickatell’s interface also includes a payment tool.
“Chat commerce is the future of digital commerce and engagement – it’s already happening at scale in markets such as China — and soon every consumer in the U.S. will engage family and friends via chat plus connect, interact and transact with the brands they love through their favorite chat platform,” de Villiers continued.
The multi-channel SaaS messaging platform supports both SMS and WhatsApp. All told Clickatell delivers up to 10 billion messages per year, according to the company.
The latest raise couldn’t have come at a better time, either. Clickatell says it has delivered double-digit profitable growth over the last several years.
Following the latest raise, Clickatell plans to accelerate the development of its chat commerce offering and scale its sales and marketing efforts. With plans to expand its U.S. footprint, there’s a surefire bet Clickatell will be hiring. Although the company only has three jobs listed now, one could expect to see many more popping up in the near future.
Clickatell was founded in Cape Town, South Africa and is now headquartered in San Francisco. The company has raised $109 million in venture capital financing to date, according to Crunchbase.
