Malaysia's Respond.io Secures $62.5M Series B for Global AI-Powered Customer Conversation Platform

Respond.io was started in Hong Kong in 2017 by Gerardo Salandra, Hassan Ahmed and Iaroslav Kudritskiy. Two years later Respond.io moved its office to Kuala Lumpur. This was a move that really helped the company grow.

Respond.io is a platform that helps mid-size companies talk to their customers on different messaging channels like WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, LINE, Telegram, WeChat voice calls, email and web chat. It brings all these conversations together in one place making it easier for companies to make money from them.

The company is doing well financially. It makes $35 million every year. Has grown 169% from last year. It also makes a profit of 30%. Respond.io is used by than 10,000 businesses in over 180 countries. Some of its clients are Toyota, British Airways, Radisson, Hertz and Decathlon.

Respond.io is special because it was built for messaging channels not like other systems that were made for email and phone calls. This is important because many companies are now using messaging to talk to their customers for big purchases.

The company charges its customers based on how conversations they have not on how many people are using the platform. This is different from companies that charge per user. CEO Gerardo Salandra says this way of charging is good for the company and its customers because it helps them use intelligence more.

Respond.io has been working on messaging for a time so it has a lot of data that helps its artificial intelligence get better. This creates a cycle where the platform gets better which attracts customers and that gives the company even more data to make its artificial intelligence even stronger.

The company can use this intelligence to automatically answer customer questions find new leads and even close sales without any humans involved. CEO Gerardo Salandra says the companys experience and data give it an advantage over new companies that are just starting to use artificial intelligence.

Respond.io is now expanding into areas like North America and Western Europe. It wants to grow in these regions because they are growing fast. The company gets some of its money from Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. It wants to make more money from North America and Europe.

The company is using the money it just raised to grow and to buy other companies that can help it. It does not need the money to survive. It wants to move faster into new markets where social commerce is becoming more popular.

Many investors trust Respond.io. Want to help it grow. They like that the company has been profitable for nine years and has a business model. The companys approach to growth is different from other technology companies that just want to grow fast without making money.

Respond.ios success is also good for the technology ecosystem in Southeast Asia. It shows that companies from this region can build platforms that can compete globally and make money. The companys focus on commerce is also important because more and more companies are using messaging to talk to their customers.

As Respond.io grows in North America and Europe it will be able to help more companies use messaging to talk to their customers. The companys smart way of raising money and growing will also inspire startups, in the region to follow its example.