Tiger Global-backed Indian unicorn Gupshup acquires Dotgo

Gupshup has acquired US-based Dotgo, a rich communication services platform (RCS), as the India-based business communications app looks to leverage the latter’s presence to expand into new markets including Africa.

A spokesperson from Gupshup told Tech in Asia it was a majority stock deal but did not disclose its size.

Beerud Sheth, CEO of Gupshup / Source: Gupshup

The acquisition will add another messaging channel to Gupshup’s platform, adding to the 30 other channels available to customers through Gupshup’s single application programming interface (API) for messaging.

In April, Tech in Asia reported that the company was looking to acquire businesses that are complementary to its own.

Dotgo operates a communication protocol between telecom operators, original equipment manufacturers, and messaging partners for application-to-person messaging. It allows enterprises to send text messages that can contain videos, audios, images, gifs, and map locations. Over 600 million monthly active customers use the service globally, including about 20% of India’s smartphone users, according to the company.

Dotgo’s services allow brands and developers to build messaging services that can help with customer interaction, and help mobile operators launch, manage, and monetize business messaging.

“Conversational experiences are becoming the key to business-customer interactions, and the RCS messaging channel is a critical enabler,” said Beerud Sheth, co-founder and CEO of Gupshup, which helps businesses and developers build messaging platforms for their apps.

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The Indian tech firm, headquartered in California, also provides chatbot services and competes with Twilio, Sinch, and other similar businesses in the enterprise messaging space.

In July, Gupshup raised US$240 million in follow-on funding from a group of investors, which included Fidelity Management and Research Company, Tiger Global, Think Investments, and Malabar Investments.