How Much Did Bird Raise? Funding & Key Investors

Bird has successfully raised significant funding through multiple rounds, with notable investors such as Eurazeo and Accel. The company offers a unified CRM platform that integrates marketing, service, and payment functionalities.

Keep reading to explore the intricacies of Bird's fundraising journey and the investors backing this innovative platform.

What Is Bird?

Bird, also known as MessageBird B.V., is a cloud communications platform that connects enterprises to their global customers. Founded in 2011, the company is headquartered in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands.

The company was established by Adriaan Mol, Bob Violier, and Robert Vis. Bird offers a unified CRM platform that integrates marketing, service, and payment functionalities, enabling businesses to connect with their customers across various channels.

Bird employs between 501 and 1000 people, providing a range of communication solutions including Communication APIs, AI-first CRM, Marketing Automation, Omnichannel Conversations, Payments, and AI Call Summaries.

How Much Funding Has Bird Raised?

1. Pre-Seed Round
   • Amount Raised: $120K
   • Date: August 2016
   • Lead Investors: Y Combinator
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To kickstart the company's operations and develop its initial product offerings.
2. Series A
   • Amount Raised: $60M
   • Date: October 2017
   • Lead Investors: Accel
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To expand the team and scale the platform's capabilities.
3. Series B
   • Amount Raised: $40M
   • Date: February 2019
   • Lead Investors: Not publicly disclosed
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To enhance product features and enter new markets.
4. Series C
   • Amount Raised: $200M
   • Date: October 2020
   • Lead Investors: Spark Capital
   • Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To accelerate growth and invest in strategic acquisitions.
5. Series C
   • Amount Raised: $800M
   • Date: April 2021
   • Lead Investors: Eurazeo, Tiger Global, Owl Rock Capital, BlackRock Inc.
   • Valuation at Round: $3 billion
   • Motivation Behind the Round: To fund the acquisition of SparkPost and prepare for a potential IPO.

Total Amount Raised: $1.1 billion. Current Valuation: $3 billion.

Key Investors

• Eurazeo
  • Details: Eurazeo is a leading global investment company with a diversified portfolio. They provide long-term investment strategies and support to companies across various sectors.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Technology, healthcare, consumer goods.
  • Notable Investments: Farfetch, Doctolib, Back Market.
• Accel
  • Details: Accel is a venture capital firm that invests in early and growth-stage technology companies. They have a strong track record of backing successful startups.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Software, internet, mobile.
  • Notable Investments: Facebook, Dropbox, Slack.
• Tiger Global
  • Details: Tiger Global is an investment firm focusing on private and public companies in the global internet, software, consumer, and financial technology industries. They are known for their aggressive investment strategies.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Technology, internet, software, consumer, financial technology.
  • Notable Investments: Facebook, LinkedIn, Spotify.
• Owl Rock Capital
  • Details: Owl Rock Capital is a division of Blue Owl, specializing in direct lending and providing capital solutions to middle-market companies. They offer flexible financing options.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Direct lending, middle-market companies.
  • Notable Investments: Epicor Software, Caliber Collision.
• BlackRock Inc.
  • Details: BlackRock is a global asset management firm with a broad range of investment strategies. They manage assets for clients worldwide.
  • Investment Focus Areas: Equities, fixed income, alternatives, multi-asset strategies.
  • Notable Investments: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon.

What's Next for Bird?

Bird's acquisition of SparkPost opens up significant opportunities in the North American market, enhancing its email marketing capabilities and positioning it against major competitors like Twilio. This expansion is expected to be substantial, increasing Bird's U.S. workforce from 20 to about 300 employees. The integration of SparkPost's technology will allow Bird to offer advanced email marketing and analytics tools, leveraging SparkPost's client base, which includes JPMorgan Chase, PayPal, LinkedIn, and Adobe.

With the potential for an initial public offering (IPO) on the horizon, Bird is well-positioned to continue accessing substantial capital from investors. The rapid $800 million fundraise demonstrates the company's ability to secure funds quickly, which will be crucial for future growth and acquisitions. However, Bird will face challenges such as intense competition from established U.S. companies and the integration of SparkPost's technology and workforce into its existing operations.

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