Nigerian Simpu, a software company that integrates communication channels into one inbox has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding round from a number of angel investors and early-stage venture capital firms.
According to reports, the funds will be used to push out more customer-friendly features and generate revenue.
Simpu was co-founded in 2020 by Collins Iheagwara, Kolawole Balogun and Tioluwani Kolawole to bridge the communication gap between businesses and customers.
The customer engagement platform synchronises communication channels including WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Messenger, SMS, iMessage, Website Chat, Telegram. By delivering Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions through an omnichannel, Simpu helps merchants to keep a tab on customers.
Simpu’s comprehensive dashboard integrates various communication channels to give a unified data profile of clients. Its web app also facilitates payments on a Simpu account, track transactions, request quick loans or purchase airtime.
The startup makes money by selling a subscription per user, billed monthly or yearly. Since coming out of closed beta in November 2021, the company claims to have hit over US$80,000 in SaaS revenues.
“The average online business has to combine at least eight apps daily and up to 36 apps to achieve some sync. Apps that usually don’t talk or sync well with each other,” said Collins Iheagwara, Simpu’s CEO and co-founder.
Iheagwara added that “there is an explosion of communication apps among consumers. Consumers want to be reached on their preferred channels, posing a massive problem for businesses. We have been asked countlessly by businesses – how do they effectively communicate with their customers, clients, and friends across all the channels and apps? For us, that was the gap.”
The startup has over 90 businesses on its platform, with over 300 active users, and is preparing for a full launch in May.
