WhatsApp is utilized by greater than two billion around the globe, and is a crucial software for a lot of small companies. However as they scale up, even WhatsApp for Enterprise won’t have the ability to sustain with their wants. That’s the place WATI (WhatsApp Staff Inbox) steps in. Constructed on WhatsApp for Enterprise’ API, WATI has buyer gross sales and engagement instruments created for the messaging app. Right now the Hong Kong and Malaysia-headquartered startup introduced it has raised $23 billion in Collection B funding to scale its workforce and product.
The spherical was led by Tiger International with participation from returning traders Sequoia Capital India & Southeast Asia, and new traders DST International Companions and Shopify (marking the e-commerce platform’s first enterprise funding in a startup working within the Southeast Asia area). WATI’s final spherical of funding was an $8.3 million Collection A introduced 10 months in the past, and its new spherical brings its complete raised to greater than $35 million since 2020.
WATI founders Bianco Ho and Ken Yeung started working collectively in 2016, constructing Clare.AI, an omnichannel AI digital assistant for big Asia enterprises. In 2020, they launched WATI to present SMBs a self-service, low-code product on the WhatsApp for Enterprise API. The startup at present has greater than 6,000 clients in 75 nations, together with SMBs in areas like home cleansing, colleges, training facilities, edtech, fintech, medical amenities, D2C manufacturers and Shopify shops.
Ho instructed TechCrunch that whereas she and Yeung have been engaged on Clare.AI, “our assumption was that solely bigger enterprises had the assets to deploy a profitable digital assistant with synthetic intelligence.” After a couple of years of working with their shoppers, nonetheless, the 2 realized many have been in search of an easier resolution, so WATI was created. A part of the explanation for its launch was the digital acceleration brought on by the pandemic, as many companies rushed to get on-line.
WATI founders Ken Yeung and Bianca Ho
In lots of rising markets, and mature markets like Europe, WhatsApp is the popular communication channel between clients and companies. WATI helps non-technical companies scale their buyer help, buyer engagement and acquisition via its CRM.
WATI’s buyer engagement software program is constructed on WhatsApp for Enterprise’ API and lets shoppers ship customized notifications. The platform features a collaborative workforce inbox utilized by a number of brokers, and options like good routing, canned responses, knowledge tagging and analytics. Interactions could be automated via low-code workflows and chatbots, and linked to e-commerce platforms and CRMs. WATI additionally has integrations with platforms like Zoho, Shopify and Google Sheets.
An instance of how WATI is used is a big e-commerce firm that depends on its to handle campaigns like Prime Day. The corporate often will get 60 to 100 messages a day from clients via WATI’s workforce inbox, the vast majority of which come from its web site’s WhatsApp chat, and sends about 30,000 messages daily when campaigns are lively.
One other instance is an edtech consumer that has used WATI for nearly two years. They depend on about 50 templates a month for lead era, nurturing, cost reminders and sophistication updates, and ship 20,000 to 30,000 messages a day. WATI additionally helps them get high-quality natural leads via a WhatsApp widget on their web site.
Ho mentioned WATI’s closest competitor is the native WhatsApp for Enterprise app, which most SMBs begin off utilizing, however WATI is an acceptable match for them as their companies scale.
Funding might be used on hiring and investing in WATI’s product stack for low-code automation. The corporate additionally has go-to-market plans for rising markets, like Latin America and Southeast Asia
