Communication platform Layer raises $15M and acquires interactive messaging startup Cola


Layer, the messaging platform that received TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield back in 2013, is producing two massive announcement now: It is elevated $15 million in Series B funding, and it’s getting a further startup, Cola.

Layer would make it effortless for businesses to add messaging capabilities to their  iOS, Android and world-wide-web products and solutions — customers include Trunk Club, Staples and Udacity. In fact, the company recently partnered with Microsoft to present messaging in the official application at the Planet Financial Forum in Davos,  with capabilities for instant translation.

Cola, in the meantime, launched a text messaging application final 12 months with interactive capabilities like calendar- and locale-sharing, polling and shared to-do lists. (You can see examples in the screenshot below.) Layer CEO Ron Palmeri explained to me that Cola’s technological innovation was a excellent in good shape for the Layer platform, considering the fact that Cola’s “Bubbles” could help streamline a customer’s interactions with a business enterprise.

Cola Bubbles

“If you have to file an insurance policy declare, or start a house loan procedure, these items call for several, several steps and takes times or months,” Palmeri stated — so consider being connected in the course of all of that with messaging and Cola Bubbles that update to convey to you exactly where you are in the procedure.

So Layer is getting Cola to integrate people capabilities into its broader platform — the Cola technical team, led by CTO Jeremy Wyld, will be operating at Layer to establish these integrations. (The rest of Cola, including CEO David Temkin, won’t be signing up for.) In the long run, Palmeri stated he needs to bring Cola functionality “across world-wide-web and cellular, tying into items like email and SMS channels.”

The economic conditions of the offer ended up not disclosed. Cola experienced elevated $one.3 million in seed funding from traders including Brad Garlinghouse, Steve Circumstance, Naval Ravikant and Tribeca Angels.

And although the team will no lengthier concentrate on building the Cola application, Palmeri said there are no strategies to shut the app down.

As for Layer’s new funding, it was led by Greycroft Companions, with participation from Microsoft Ventures, Salesforce Ventures and other folks. Palmeri stated tLayer will be targeted creating a lot more integrations, continuing to strengthen its open supply person interface frameworks and building technological innovation in parts like artificial intelligence and device finding out.

The startup has now elevated a total of $23 million.



NewsSource


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply