In 2017, Respond.io set out to solve a simple problem: businesses couldn't keep up with customers who had moved to messaging apps. Today Respond, with its customer conversation management software, has become one of the tech success stories of Malaysia.
The startup, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, has raised a $62.5 million Series B round led by Camber Partners, with participation from Endeavor Catalyst and existing investors. It last raised a $7 million Series A in 2022. The company has grown to $35 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), growing 169% year-over-year, at a 30% profit margin.
Founders with Deep Tech Experience
Co-founder and CEO Gerardo Salandra, who worked at IBM and Google before joining Runtastic, a fitness tracking app that was sold to Adidas in 2015, founded Respond in Hong Kong in 2017 alongside Hassan Ahmed (CTO) and Iarw. Kudritskiy (COO). The team relocated the business to Malaysia two years later.
See how other Southeast Asian AI startups are leveraging cloud infrastructure for their growth in our guide to AI infrastructure in emerging markets.
Powering Conversations Across Multiple Channels
The platform helps mid- to large-sized B2C businesses drive revenue from customer conversations across multiple messaging channels including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, Messenger, Line, Telegram, WeChat, voice calls and web chat. It also uses AI agents to automatically handle high volumes of customer inquiries, qualify leads and close sales without human intervention.
For more on how AI agents are transforming customer service operations, see our comprehensive guide to conversational AI.
AI Agents vs. General AI: Respond.io's Strategic Edge
The rise of AI has raised an obvious question for platforms like Respond: Can tools like ChatGPT simply replace what they've built? Salandra thinks his foothold is strong enough to stop such encroachment, should it come. The company is currently processing 2 billion messages per quarter.
See our analysis of why purpose-built AI agents outperform general LLMs for enterprise support.
Expansion Plans and Acquisition Strategy
The new funding will be used to expand Respond.io's presence in North America and Europe, where the company plans to pursue acquisitions to accelerate its market penetration. The startup has already established itself as a leader in Malaysia and is now looking to replicate its success globally by acquiring regional players and integrating their technology into its platform.
See our coverage of Malaysian startup acquisition trends in 2026.
The Future of AI-Powered Customer Service
As businesses increasingly rely on messaging platforms for customer engagement, Respond.io's AI agent capabilities position it at the forefront of a major shift in how companies interact with their customers. The combination of human-like conversational AI with multi-channel support creates a powerful tool for enterprises looking to scale their customer service operations without sacrificing quality.
With $62.5 million in fresh funding and a proven track record of growth, Respond.io is poised to become one of Southeast Asia's next major tech unicorns — and potentially the first Malaysian company to achieve that status in the AI era.