MessageBird acquires US-based SparkPost for $600m, extends Series C and raises $1B to become world's largest omnichannel provider

Singapore--(Antara/Business Wire)- MessageBird, the world’s leading global omnichannel communication platform, today announces it has entered into definitive documentation to acquire US-based SparkPost, the world’s largest, first and only predictive email intelligence platform. The deal values SparkPost at US$600 million, and the transaction is expected to close in Q2 following receipt of customary regulatory approvals and satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

The acquisition represents another important step for MessageBird in building a global omnichannel platform to make communicating with a business as easy and natural as talking to your friends.

“The future of communications isn’t siloed — it’s omnichannel,” said Robert Vis, CEO of MessageBird. “Our acquisition of SparkPost will further strengthen our ability to serve customers through email as a powerful value channel, and with the most contextual, relevant information. We’re also enthusiastic to expand our APAC footprint and leverage the acquisition as a logical and exciting next step in our mission to be the leading platform of choice for businesses to communicate with their customers on any channel, globally.”

“By joining forces with MessageBird, we will be able to bring broader, deeper value to all of our customers through any digital communications channel,” said Rich Harris, CEO of SparkPost. “Our companies are a great cultural fit, having both built teams that pride themselves on serving the enterprise and helping customers craft compelling, flexible solutions to challenging business problems.”

“Eurazeo is proud to back Robert and the team,” said Nathalie Kornhoff-Brüls, Managing Director at Eurazeo Growth. “MessageBird continues to revolutionise communication between businesses and their customers with an uncompromising focus on quality. With the success of the new Inbox and workflow automation tools and now the acquisition of SparkPost, we see MessageBird at an inflection point, further strengthening its position as the world’s leading omnichannel platform-as-a-service.”

MessageBird’s market-leading platform allows businesses to communicate seamlessly with customers on the channels they use every day. Options for customers include out-of-the-box “lego blocks” solutions – such as customer service-focussed Inbox, marketing communications tool Campaign Builder, and Video for physical to digital – as well as a full API suite for developer teams.

Channels that customers can access via the platform already include Live-chat, Video, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Business Messages, Apple Business Chat, Voice, Messenger, WeChat, RCS, Line, and Telegram. Globally, email remains the largest business communication channel by volume, and this acquisition will bring the industry's most trusted email sending and deliverability platform into this already-extensive suite.

MessageBird’s extended US$1bn Series C now becomes the largest Series C round in Europe to date and second largest on either side of the Atlantic. The transaction was financed by Eurazeo, Tiger Global, Owl Rock, and funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, with participation from all existing investors. Nathalie Kornhoff-Brüls from Eurazeo will also join the MessageBird board.

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MessageBird powers communication between businesses and their customers — across any channel, always with the right context, and on every corner of the planet. Its products and solutions are the foundational building blocks to business communications across preferred channels, like live-chat, Video, E-mail, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Business Messages, Apple Business Chat, Voice, Messenger, WeChat, RCS, Line, and Telegram. Founded in Amsterdam in 2011, MessageBird connects to billions of devices and is trusted by nearly 20,000 customers. It operates across nine worldwide hubs and is proud to be a “Work Anywhere” company. www.messagebird.com

SparkPost is the industry’s most trusted email optimization platform. SparkPost helps senders reliably reach the inbox with powerful solutions to help them plan, execute and optimize their email programs. The SparkPost platform is powered by the industry’s largest data network, a team of email experts to help brands elevate every aspect of their email program, and a security and compliance posture to support even the most regulated industries. SparkPost is the world’s largest sender sending 4-5 trillion sends annually – and also boasts the world’s largest data footprint to help enterprise-level brands make data-driven decisions to improve their email performance. The world’s most sophisticated senders, including The New York Times, Zillow, Adobe and Booking.com trust SparkPost to elevate their email. Learn more at www.sparkpost.com or connect via Twitter, LinkedIn or the SparkPost blog.

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Media Enquiries

Tom Edwards

messagebird@archetype.co

Source: MessageBird