Participated · Series B · Nov 2018

Eko Communications builds a mobile-first enterprise messaging platform aimed at companies with large mobile-first staffs in retail, hospitality and services, offering APIs to integrate with legacy systems. The product is positioned to replace ad hoc tools like WhatsApp and email with a more secure, company-managed messaging solution. The company has localized products for target European markets including the U.K., Ireland, Benelux and the DACH region. Eko says its revenues more than tripled in the past year and it now has more than 500,000 recurring paid users. To support growth it opened offices in London (its new commercial headquarters), Amsterdam and Berlin as part of a European expansion push. The Series B proceeds are earmarked for broader expansion into the European Union and the United States. Eko Communications operates a mobile messaging app targeted at businesses, with productivity and employee development tools baked in. It was founded five years ago by Thai student Korawad Chearavanont while he was studying in New Jersey and offers both paid and free services. The business reports over 150,000 active monthly paying subscribed licenses and says most paying clients are in Asia, with around 30–40% from China. The company disclosed that sales grew 630% over the last year but did not reveal revenue figures. Eleven of its clients have market caps above $2 billion, and Eko says 80% of its expenditure to date has been on product. It has opened sales offices in the U.S. and UK and plans to push further into Japan, Europe, and the U.S., with a planned Series B next summer. Eko Communications builds a mobile-centric messaging and communication platform available on iOS, Android and web, aimed at large-scale companies. The product includes broadcast and alert features that can message entire employee bases or target staff by location or job title, white-labeling, motivational feedback features and a company directory. The service is sold per seat via tiered pricing that tops out at $10 per user, with bespoke packages available for clients. Eko began in New York (founded by Korawad Chearavanont in his college dorm in New Jersey) and is relocating operations to Bangkok to be closer to major clients; it also plans to open an office in Beijing. Major clients include True, Radisson and 7-Eleven, and the company reports $1.2M in annual recurring revenue, with the majority coming from China. Eko says it is already profitable but is taking funding to ramp up spending and expand its product into vertical services for banks, hospitals and other enterprise use cases as it pursues a broader mobile enterprise platform strategy. Eko Communications is a Bangkok, Thailand and New York-based company that creates mobile-oriented workplace communications solutions for large enterprises. Launched last September by Korawad Chearavanont (then 19) and CTO/co-founder David Zhang, the company’s platform aims to streamline communications, productivity, and workflow. Eko reports adoption by companies representing a total of $3.3 billion in revenue and has deployment plans with companies representing over $20 billion in total revenue. The company completed a $1M seed financing with backers including 500 Startups and unnamed angel investors. Eko intends to use the funds to hire additional staff to continue developing its platform. The product is targeted at large enterprises seeking mobile-first internal communications and workflow tools.