A startup with Pakistani roots has secured major new funding as global investors continue to back tools shaping the future of customer communication. Respond.io, co-founded by Pakistani-origin entrepreneur Hassan Ahmed (CTO), has raised $62.5 million in Series B funding led by Camber Partners, marking one of its biggest financing milestones to date.
The company, which is now based in Malaysia after shifting its operations from Hong Kong in its early years, has grown into a notable player in the fast-expanding conversational commerce space. The funding round also included participation from Endeavor Catalyst and existing investors, reflecting continued confidence in the startup’s long-term growth.
The raise comes at a time when businesses are rapidly moving away from traditional customer support channels and shifting toward messaging-first communication across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and TikTok. This shift has created strong demand for platforms that can manage conversations across multiple apps in one system.
From a Cross-Border Startup to a Global Messaging Platform
Respond.io did not begin as a typical SaaS success story from Silicon Valley. Instead, it was built across regions and markets, with its early foundation laid in Hong Kong in 2017 under the name Rocketbots. The startup was originally focused on chatbot automation, but the direction changed as messaging behavior evolved globally.
The company later relocated its headquarters to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where it expanded its engineering and operational base. Over time, it shifted from simple chatbot tools to a full customer conversation management platform, designed to help businesses centralize communication across multiple messaging channels.
While the platform itself has expanded globally, its founding team reflects a diverse international background. Among them is Hassan Ahmed, a Pakistani-origin co-founder and CTO, whose role highlights the growing presence of Pakistani engineering and startup talent in global SaaS infrastructure companies.
Pakistani Co-Founder’s Role in the Global SaaS Push
A key part of Respond.io’s foundation is its technical leadership. Hassan Ahmed, a Pakistani-origin entrepreneur and co-founder, has played an important role in shaping the company’s product direction and engineering strength. His involvement reflects the increasing presence of Pakistani talent in global SaaS and AI-driven startups, particularly in leadership roles across distributed tech teams.
Alongside him, Gerardo Salandra and Iaroslav Kudritskiy helped evolve the company from a chatbot-focused startup into a full-scale customer conversation management platform. The combination of diverse technical and entrepreneurial backgrounds helped the company build a product aimed at global markets from the beginning, rather than a single-region solution.
Why Investors Are Betting Big on Messaging Infrastructure
The latest funding round signals rising investor interest in conversational commerce platforms that sit between businesses and their customers. Instead of focusing on traditional CRM systems, these platforms are designed around messaging apps, where customer interactions increasingly take place.
Respond.io operates in this layer by helping companies manage conversations from multiple channels in a single interface. The platform brings together WhatsApp Business, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, TikTok, email, and web chat into one system, allowing teams to respond faster and track customer journeys more effectively.
The company’s positioning reflects a broader shift in how businesses now operate. Customer acquisition, support, and sales are increasingly happening through chat-based interactions rather than websites or call centers.
The $62.5 million Series B round is also expected to support further development in AI-driven communication tools, automation systems, and deeper integrations with major messaging platforms.
The rise of Respond.io reflects a larger shift in global software trends. Businesses are moving away from fragmented communication tools and toward unified platforms that reflect how customers actually interact today.
