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WFH boosts cloud-calling startup Aircall as it raises $120m from Goldman Sachs and others

Olivier Pailhes, co-founder and CEO of Aircall. Photo: Aircall
Olivier Pailhes, co-founder and CEO of Aircall. Photo: Aircall

Aircall, a European-headquartered cloud-based communications system that helps teams to connect, raised $120m (£85m) in a Series D funding round as the pandemic saw a meteoric rise in employees working from home.

This is the company’s biggest fundraiser to date, bringing total money raised to $226m and taking its valuation to $1bn, which means it now has "unicorn" status.

The news comes ahead of a planned IPO, the timing of which is as yet unclear. The company said it will be "in a couple of years".

The round was led by Goldman Sachs (GS) Asset Management, and joined by investment management group DTCP, Gaia Capital Partners and UK'sDraper Esprit among others.

Christian Resch, managing director at Goldman Sachs, said: "The past 12 months have been a catalyst for Aircall’s cloud based SaaS [software as a service] communication solution."

“In a hybrid work environment, users are looking to Aircall to provide an easy-to-use experience that is highly integrated into their workflows, thereby making the most out of every customer interaction.”

With the new funds, Aircall plans to open up new offices in London and Berlin by the end of 2021 as well as improve its app ecosystem.

Read more: Brits sick of working from home as vast majority want partial return to office

It has 450 employees and wants to hire 260 more by the end of the year.

It also intends to partner with major telecommunications companies and improve its tech with artificial intelligence.

“Over the past year, remote workforces accelerated digital transformation for companies of all sizes and, at the same time, their customers increased their expectations around personalised and convenient services,” the company said in a statement.

“Aircall helps businesses meet those objectives by integrating its cloud-based solution into leading business softwares like Salesforce [CRM], HubSpot [HUBS], Zendesk [ZEN], Slack [WORK], Intercom and many others.”

The company saw more than 65% total customer growth year on year in 2020, and now has more than 8,500 customers worldwide.

Olivier Pailhes, co-founder and CEO, said: “Now that hybrid, on-site or remote teams are likely here to stay, we’ll continue to work to achieve our vision, and empower every professional to have richer conversations."

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