Respond Raises US$62.5 Million in Series B to Scale Global Footprint Across Europe and North America

Respond chief executive and co-founder Gerardo Salandra

Kuala Lumpur-based customer conversation management platform Respond has announced a successful funding round led by the New York City growth equity firm Camber Partners, with additional participation from Endeavor Catalyst and existing shareholders.

The capital injection follows a period of significant growth for the company, which currently reports US$35 million in annual recurring revenue, a 169 per cent year-over-year growth rate, and a 30 per cent profit margin. Respond intends to use the new funds to drive expansion into the European and North American markets, while also exploring strategic merger and acquisition opportunities in these regions.

Designed for mid-market B2C companies, Respond allows businesses to manage and monetize vast volumes of customer interactions across a variety of messaging platforms. The software consolidates channels—including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, WeChat, LINE, Messenger, email, voice, and web chat—into a unified interface powered by AI agents, automation, and CRM integrations.

The platform is particularly effective for sectors where customers typically engage in a conversation before committing to a purchase or booking, such as travel, retail, automotive, healthcare, and education. Currently, Respond processes roughly two billion messages per quarter for over 10,000 businesses across 180 countries, serving high-profile clients including Decathlon, Hertz, Radisson, British Airways, and Toyota.

Since its founding in 2017, Respond has evolved from a tool for managing fragmented customer inquiries into a robust infrastructure for autonomous AI agents capable of managing entire sales cycles. Chief executive and co-founder Gerardo Salandra noted that the company’s nearly decade-long experience in high-volume markets provides a distinct competitive edge over newer competitors.

“We have case studies showing AI agents are handling 600 per cent more leads with conversation rates as high as 84 per cent,” Salandra stated.

The company’s industry standing is further reinforced by its status as an official Meta Business and TikTok Marketing Partner, having been chosen by both platforms for the early deployment of the TikTok Business Messaging and WhatsApp Business Calling APIs.

Scott Irwin, founder and partner at Camber, highlighted the company’s operational maturity and profitability as primary drivers for the investment, praising the team’s ability to leverage AI for rapid acceleration.

Reid Hoffman, chairman of Endeavor Catalyst and LinkedIn co-founder, noted that Respond serves as a prime example of founders who have successfully built profitable infrastructure in emerging markets and scaled those solutions into the world’s largest economies.

The move into Western markets aligns with the rising popularity of social commerce on Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok. With ISO 27001 certification and full GDPR compliance, Respond is well-positioned to meet the strict regulatory standards of the European Union.

According to Salandra, the expansion is timed to coincide with a global shift where North American and Western European businesses are increasingly viewing conversational commerce as a critical revenue driver and competitive advantage.

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