MessageBird, a cloud communication platform spanning AI-powered contact center software and APIs for developers, has raised $200 million in a series C round of funding led by Spark Capital. The company has now raised a total of $300 million and is valued at $3 billion.
The Netherlands-based company is perhaps best known for its Twilio-like platform that enables app makers and enterprises to add messaging, voice, SMS, and email functionality to their products through an API (application programming interface). This spares them the resource-intensive task of developing communications infrastructure and makes it easier for companies like Uber to offer text- and voice-based communication features inside their apps.
Omnichannel
MessageBird has also been broadening its horizons. Back in March, the company launched Inbox, a cross-channel contact center platform touted as the “Slack for external communications.” Inbox allows companies to receive inbound customer service requests from messaging apps, SMS, voice, and email from a single interface. The platform also leverages AI and automation to detect sentiment and intent, translate between languages, and more.

Above: Inbox by MessageBird offers companies a unified, “omnichannel” contact center
In the past few years, MessageBird has also launched a chat widget for web pages and apps, enabling customers to contact businesses across WhatsApp, Messenger, Google Business Messaging, Line, WeChat, Telegram, and SMS, among other channels. And it launched a “flow builder” tool for automating tasks such as routing messages or creating auto-replies, as well as programmable conversations, which gives businesses access to all the major messaging platforms through a single API.

Above: MessageBird: An “omnichannel” chat widget
The COVID-19 crisis has presented businesses with challenges and opportunities, and MessageBird appears to be benefiting from the rapid embrace of ecommerce and other digital services. After all, the transition to working and staying at home requires robust digital communication