Message Systems is a San Francisco-based email infrastructure provider that builds and operates SparkPost, a public cloud email service launched in November 2014. SparkPost makes available to developers and companies of all sizes the email platform used by the world’s largest email senders. The company serves customers including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Groupon, Salesforce, Marketo, Oracle, Comcast, Time Warner, AT&T and American Express. Led by CEO Phillip Merrick, Message Systems plans to use the new capital to expand adoption of SparkPost through accelerated development and expanded sales and marketing. The company raised $27M in the round and also secured an $8M line of credit for working capital from Hercules Technology Growth Capital. Message Systems has raised a total of $65M to date. Message Systems builds a suite of digital messaging and customer engagement software used by hundreds of enterprises, including social networks, financial services providers, payment processors, daily deal sites, telcos and Internet brands. Its technology delivers billions of unique messages daily across email, SMS/MMS and other channels, touching many millions of consumers every day. The company emphasizes real-time messaging policy, personalization, deliverability optimization and support for new monetization strategies. Message Systems plans to use new capital to strengthen and further develop its customer engagement software and to expand into additional industry sectors. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. Message Systems is a Columbia, Maryland–based provider of message management solutions and services for email service providers (ESPs), ISPs, social networks and large enterprises handling high volumes of business-critical email. The company offers software and services aimed at managing large-scale email delivery and infrastructure. Founded in 1997, Message Systems has established an international presence with offices or operations in Singapore, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Canada. The company recently signed several contracts with large brands across social networks, wireless carriers, ESPs and hosting companies. Management says the capital infusion will be used to accelerate product development and to expand abroad. No financial metrics (revenue, users) were disclosed in the article.

Total raised

$35M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Feb 2015