Whatslly raises $11 million Seed funding to facilitate customer engagement over instant messaging

Whatslly, which has developed a conversational sales platform that facilitates one on one customer engagement over instant messaging channels, announced on Tuesday an $11 million financing round. The Seed funding is led by early-stage venture fund Zeev Ventures and includes participation by base partners and additional strategic investors.

With instant messaging growing rapidly, and more customer-facing interactions taking place via WhatsApp, a large portion of customer-facing interactions happens outside the reach of CRM systems. Whatslly aims to bridge the gap between companies and customers with a no-code plug-and-play solution that enables companies to track interactions with customers and surface the right insights at the right time. The platform’s AI-backed data processing features ensure a personalized customer experience that is more effective and fully compliant for enterprise use.

Whatslly was founded in late 2019 by tech entrepreneurs Israeli Yanir Calisar and Brazilian Deborah Palacios Wanzo. The two of the founders initially never met in person due to the pandemic and relied, somewhat ironically, on popular messaging platforms to communicate. Whatslly has grown ten-fold in year-on-year revenue, with more than 70 paying customers and users in 35 countries - including Volkswagen, Subaru, XP Investimentos, Toro by Santander Bank, Edenred, and Great Place to Work. Launched on Salesforce’s AppExchange in 2020, Whatslly has already helped enable the growth of numerous startups and provided an effective platform to stay connected with customers now and in an increasingly connected post-pandemic world.

“We saw the opportunity of connecting to customers on WhatsApp early and developed a platform to solve a critical pain point for businesses the world over,” said Whatslly Co-founder and CEO Yanir Calisar. “Raising this round from a top-notch set of investors, including Oren Zeev, who has taken nearly a dozen companies to unicorn status, is a massive validation of our vision and potential. This investment will allow us to continue our rapid expansion, build on our first-mover advantage, and most importantly, continue building the most all-inclusive conversational sales platform to date.” “The disconnect between the universal popularity of WhatsApp and its utilization by businesses as a customer channel is really astounding,” said Oren Zeev, Founding Partner at Zeev Ventures. “Whatslly is the first comprehensive platform to bridge the gap, enabling businesses to utilize the same powerful Conversational Sales features they rely on daily across social. This will be the next big development in terms of customer relationships and is a win-win for customers and businesses alike.”