Receptionist
Venture Round in 2023
Receptionist is a media firm that provides consulting and operational services aimed at enhancing business communication. The company has developed a reception system that replaces traditional messaging tools reliant on internal landlines. This innovative system allows for direct notifications to smartphones, informing users of the person in charge without the need for telephone staff. By streamlining communication processes, Receptionist helps businesses reduce meeting start times, ultimately creating more efficient work environments.
Community
Venture Round in 2023
Community is a social engagement platform that enables effective two-way communication between influencers and their audiences. It provides a unique 10-digit phone number that connects businesses, brands, public figures, and creators directly to their consumers. By facilitating interactions without the challenges of commercial interests, toxicity, and data privacy issues commonly found on social media, the platform allows a diverse range of users—including global brands, sports teams, artists, and small businesses—to engage with their audience on a personal level. This approach enhances communication and fosters meaningful relationships between influencers and their followers.
Front is a communication hub that centralizes customer interactions across various digital channels to enhance relationship management. The platform focuses on streamlining conversations by integrating collaboration tools and contextual data from multiple systems, allowing teams to provide timely, accurate, and personalized communications. Over 7,500 businesses, including notable names like Shopify, Airbnb, and Hulu, utilize Front to improve their customer engagement. The company's multi-channel inbox platform specializes in consolidating communication, facilitating internal discussions, and incorporating social features, thus enabling users to chat effectively and save time. By placing customer conversations at the forefront, Front empowers organizations to build stronger relationships through each interaction.
Zeals is a prominent conversational commerce company based in Japan, catering to over 400 large domestic and multinational enterprises. The company specializes in providing automated conversational engagement through its ZEALS Chatbot Commerce platform, which operates on messaging applications. This service aims to enhance customer interaction by mimicking the experience of a human sales representative, thereby transforming the way commerce is conducted and improving overall customer engagement.
Community
Venture Round in 2021
Community is a social engagement platform that enables effective two-way communication between influencers and their audiences. It provides a unique 10-digit phone number that connects businesses, brands, public figures, and creators directly to their consumers. By facilitating interactions without the challenges of commercial interests, toxicity, and data privacy issues commonly found on social media, the platform allows a diverse range of users—including global brands, sports teams, artists, and small businesses—to engage with their audience on a personal level. This approach enhances communication and fosters meaningful relationships between influencers and their followers.
SameSky Health
Series B in 2020
SameSky Health is a provider of multicultural engagement and navigation solutions tailored for health plans, providers, and states. The company specializes in connecting payers, providers, and health systems with diverse Medicare patient populations through a patient engagement platform. This platform offers integrated services that include multi-channel messaging, care navigation, and data insights and consultancy. By addressing the unique needs of culturally diverse populations, SameSky Health aims to enhance patient engagement, reduce unnecessary emergency room visits, and ultimately improve health outcomes and the quality of care provided.
Slack Technologies, Inc. operates a cloud-based communication and collaboration platform designed to enhance organizational communication. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Slack enables users to exchange messages, share files, and integrate with a variety of business tools and services. The platform is utilized by teams across multiple industries, from startups to large enterprises, promoting increased efficiency and productivity. Slack's offerings are provided under a software-as-a-service model, and the company also manages the Slack Fund, which invests in teams developing innovative products aimed at improving workplace productivity.
Receptionist
Series C in 2020
Receptionist is a media firm that provides consulting and operational services aimed at enhancing business communication. The company has developed a reception system that replaces traditional messaging tools reliant on internal landlines. This innovative system allows for direct notifications to smartphones, informing users of the person in charge without the need for telephone staff. By streamlining communication processes, Receptionist helps businesses reduce meeting start times, ultimately creating more efficient work environments.
Bonobo AI
Acquisition in 2019
Bonobo AI is a Tel Aviv-based platform established in 2017, specializing in marketing automation and behavioral insights for conversational human-machine interactions. The company focuses on analyzing customer interactions across various channels, consolidating fragmented data to provide actionable insights. By leveraging artificial intelligence, Bonobo AI enables organizations to enhance their understanding of customer behavior, facilitating improved relationships and personalized experiences. The platform aims to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing tools that support conversion, retention, and upselling efforts throughout the customer journey.
Hustle, Inc. operates a peer-to-peer text messaging platform that allows organizations to communicate directly with their contacts. Founded in 2014 and based in San Francisco, the company offers a software-as-a-service solution that supports personal text messaging for various purposes, including event attendance, fundraising, admissions, recruiting, advocacy, and sales and marketing. Hustle's platform emphasizes two-way conversations, enabling users to engage in meaningful dialogues with large audiences. It also provides tools for tracking goals, managing contacts, and viewing conversation histories, which help clients strengthen relationships and enhance their outreach efforts. Through this approach, Hustle aims to connect organizations with a broader demographic in an efficient and effective manner.
Hustle, Inc. operates a peer-to-peer text messaging platform that allows organizations to communicate directly with their contacts. Founded in 2014 and based in San Francisco, the company offers a software-as-a-service solution that supports personal text messaging for various purposes, including event attendance, fundraising, admissions, recruiting, advocacy, and sales and marketing. Hustle's platform emphasizes two-way conversations, enabling users to engage in meaningful dialogues with large audiences. It also provides tools for tracking goals, managing contacts, and viewing conversation histories, which help clients strengthen relationships and enhance their outreach efforts. Through this approach, Hustle aims to connect organizations with a broader demographic in an efficient and effective manner.
Claire is a U.S.-based company established in 2015 by Marta Jamrozik and Misha Laskin, specializing in market survey and advertising services through a Facebook Messenger bot. This innovative platform enables brands and retailers to test consumer products effectively by identifying top and underperforming items before they go into production. Through interactive surveys, Claire helps businesses optimize their products and advertising campaigns. The bot facilitates consumer engagement by sending emails with links to chat and rewarding participants with loyalty points and giveaways. Additionally, Claire analyzes consumer interactions to provide brands with valuable insights, enhancing their decision-making processes.
Layer, Inc. is a communications platform company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2011. It specializes in enabling developers to integrate rich messaging, voice, and video capabilities into their applications. The company offers a range of products including Atlas, a customizable user interface kit designed for messaging functionalities, and software development kits (SDKs) for both iOS and Android platforms. Additionally, Layer provides a Client API for web-based applications to incorporate chat and communication services, as well as a Platform API that allows developers to automate, extend, and integrate their applications with other services. Through these offerings, Layer facilitates enhanced interactions between businesses and their customers.
HeyWire
Acquisition in 2016
HeyWire provides the LiveText messaging channel that today’s customers prefer, and businesses need in order to increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs. HeyWire’s award-winning solutions for Salesforce-powered businesses directly connect customers to brands by LiveText-enabling existing 1-800 and business phone numbers. Available in the AppExchange, these solutions support conversational text messaging, either initiated by the customer or business, from start to completion. HeyWire’s proven full-stack, messaging cloud solution supports both SMS and other mobile messaging formats, and has delivered 8 billion messages and counting. HeyWire is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Quip is a living document platform that integrates documents, spreadsheets, and communication tools to enhance team collaboration and productivity. Founded in 2012 by Bret Taylor and Kevin Gibbs, Quip is designed for modern workflows, allowing users to create and iterate on documents seamlessly across various devices and locations. Its user-friendly interface merges documents and messaging into a single chat-like thread, facilitating immediate collaboration. Quip serves a diverse clientele, including notable companies such as Facebook, New Relic, and Pinterest. Headquartered in San Francisco, Quip aims to streamline workflows by focusing on collaboration among individuals rather than managing separate files.
RedKix is an Israeli company that develops and markets enterprise software focused on enhancing workplace communication and collaboration. As a subsidiary of Facebook, RedKix offers a unified communication application that integrates real-time messaging, group channels, and email, aiming to streamline team interactions and eliminate friction in collaboration. Its solutions are designed to facilitate seamless communication among teams, customers, and partners, ultimately creating a more efficient and anxiety-free work environment.
Helpshift
Series B in 2016
Helpshift, Inc. is a company that specializes in mobile customer service software, providing a support platform designed for both mobile and web applications. Established in 2012 and headquartered in San Francisco, Helpshift addresses the specific needs of the mobile era by offering an in-app help experience. Its platform features functionalities such as in-app FAQs, chat, a comprehensive CRM ticketing system, campaigns, and surveys, all aimed at enhancing customer engagement. Helpshift pioneered in-app messaging for support, allowing users to resolve issues without leaving their apps. Utilizing automation through bots, the platform can handle up to 90% of user inquiries, significantly improving response times and lowering costs. Helpshift serves a wide range of prominent clients, including Supercell, Tencent, and Microsoft, and is installed on two billion devices worldwide, reaching over 820 million active consumers each month.
Netomi develops a conversational artificial intelligence platform designed to enhance customer experiences for brands and businesses. The platform enables seamless interactions on mobile messaging applications, allowing users to make product recommendations, inquire about product availability, and receive assistance with purchases. Additionally, it automates routine customer service tasks across various sectors, including retail, e-commerce, gaming, telecommunications, and travel. Netomi's solutions support multiple channels, such as messaging, chat, email, and voice, and are designed to be easily integrated with popular tools like Zendesk, Salesforce, and Shopify. Founded in 2015 and based in San Mateo, California, with additional offices in New York and Gurugram, India, Netomi has established itself as a leader in customer experience AI, emphasizing operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. Its no-code deployment model allows for quick implementation and scalability, enabling businesses to meet evolving customer expectations effectively.
Twilio is a cloud-based communications platform that provides developers and businesses with the tools to create customized communication experiences. By offering a range of application programming interfaces (APIs), Twilio allows users to integrate voice, video, messaging, and authentication features directly into their applications. This enables enhanced customer engagement and more contextual communications. The company utilizes its global network of carrier relationships, known as the Super Network, to ensure efficient and cost-effective communication solutions. Additionally, Twilio supports startups in Europe through its dedicated fund, which encourages the use of its web service APIs to foster innovation in various business sectors.
Layer, Inc. is a communications platform company based in San Francisco, California, founded in 2011. It specializes in enabling developers to integrate rich messaging, voice, and video capabilities into their applications. The company offers a range of products including Atlas, a customizable user interface kit designed for messaging functionalities, and software development kits (SDKs) for both iOS and Android platforms. Additionally, Layer provides a Client API for web-based applications to incorporate chat and communication services, as well as a Platform API that allows developers to automate, extend, and integrate their applications with other services. Through these offerings, Layer facilitates enhanced interactions between businesses and their customers.
Flotype
Seed Round in 2012
Flotype Inc. is a venture-backed company building a suite of enterprise technology for real-time messaging. Flotype takes a unique approach by building developer-friendly technologies focused on ease-of-use and simplicity, while still exceeding enterprise-grade performance expectations. Flotype licenses enterprise-grade middleware, Bridge, to customers ranging from social web and software enterprises to financial and fleet management groups. Other offerings include NowJS, a free, open-source framework, for developers seeking real-time interactivity on Node.js and JavaScript browsers. NowCluster is available for companies seeking scalability and reliability for NowJS applications. Established in 2010 and based in Berkeley, California, Flotype is venture-backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Ignition Partners, InterWest Partners, and Salesforce.com.
Zorap enables real-time participatory events, activities, ad-hoc meetings and calls on the internet. The company's media-agnostic multi-point sharing and communication service enables sharing of live media - including photos, music, videos, and other types of files — either from their computer, or from sources on the internet. The services also allow users to share webcams, microphones, and text. Up to 50 people can participate simultaneously. Zorap integrates with social media sites (iMeem or YouTube as examples), social networks (Ning or Facebook as examples) and user presence info (multiple sources). Additional integrations will facilitate shared game experiences and product "show and tell." The company has raised $1M in funding from private investors.