South African Talk360 VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) company was created in 2016 by co-founders Hans, Jorne and Dean. The Talk360 international calling app allows reliable and affordable phone calls to any offline landline or mobile phone globally.
Image credit: Talk360
Talk360 is an easy app that allows people to call their friends, family and loved ones over the phone. The receiving party does not need the internet, the Talk360 app, or a smartphone to receive calls. However, the calling party calls at a fee using the Talk360 app, a smartphone and the internet.
“Our mission is to bridge distance and connect lives by offering reliable, affordable and easy-to-use digital services, delivered in a localised manner to all communities, particularly emerging countries, so they can connect to the world,” said Hiine.
The startup also has a network of agents, Including Flash in South Africa, and PesaPoint in Kenya, which enable users to purchase airtime vouchers from more than 750,000 physical points of sale.
“But we’re not just solving socio-economic issues: We’re also offering micro-entrepreneurship and income-generating opportunities to our growing network of agents across the country.”
The company said its internet calling app has connected 2.3 million people worldwide so far this year and attained 167% growth in customers and 130% in revenues. The app has active users in more than 170 countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh.
Talk360 Seed Funding
Months after the initial close of its seed round, Talk360 has raised an additional $3 million, bringing the total investment raised in the round to $7 million.
Talk360’s latest investors include E4E Africa, Endeavor, Allan Gray E2 Ventures (AGEV), Kalon Venture Partners, existing lead investor HAVAÍC and several angel investors, including Tjaart van der Walt and Coenraad Jonker.
The company intends to use the new funding to launch a pan-African payment platform next year and grow its VoIP market share. Talk360’s payment platform will integrate “all payment options” in the continent — creating a diverse pool of localized payment options, making it easy for international and local businesses to sell to buyers residing in Africa.
Image credit: Talk360
“We invested more into Talk360 based on its strong progress in the South African market to date, as well as its potential in the rest of Africa. Since our first investment, the company has shown spectacular growth, and a genuine ability to crack the challenge of distribution in Africa. We’ve seen the company convert users to paying customers by offering them relevant services, and making this accessible in an easy, affordable, reliable, and trustworthy way,” said HAVAÍC Managing Partner Ian Lessem.
The Talk360 app is not only efficient in allowing people to make calls around the globe, but it is also cost-effective and reliable.