Ex-Zipwhip leaders back Ambassador, a ‘conversational commerce’ software startup
Ambassador, a Seattle startup that helps brands acquire customers via “conversational commerce” software, recently added former Zipwhip leaders to its team to fuel growth.
Ambassador targets brands who use its software to offer customer referral and rewards programs. The idea is to help companies build better relationships with customers and encourage more spending.
The 25-person company has more than 200 customers, including Verizon, H&R Block, and Kaplan. Its annual recurring revenue is around $3 million.
Investors backing Ambassador include former leaders at Zipwhip, the business messaging startup that was acquired by Twilio for $850 million.
- Hank Skorny, former chairman at Zipwhip, and John Larson, co-founder of Zipwhip, have invested in Ambassador.
- James Lapic, co-founder and former CTO at Zipwhip, is an investor and technical advisor.
- Ravi Angadi, former chief product officer at Zipwhip, is the interim chief product officer at Ambassador.
Larson, who has also taken an operating role at Ambassador, said the startup is capitalizing on the AI boom and the latest messaging technology.
“Ambassador has a strong customer-led growth model with referrals at the center of our offering, and we’re positioned to lead the industry with a three-sided marketplace where customers have the tools to share their positive experiences of a product/brand, and get rewarded, just as true influencers do,” he said.
Geoff McDonald, who previously co-founded and led Seattle startup Element Data, is CEO of Ambassador.
McDonald acquired Ambassador from Intrado in 2021.
McDonald previously ran ContextLink, but has since shifted focus to Ambassador.
The company is wrapping up a $4.5 million convertible note, McDonald told GeekWire.
Other backers of Ambassador include Seattle investors Paul Stahura, Geoff Entress, Archibald Cox, Jr., Andrew Bennett, Steve Hamerslag, and Henry Albright.
The company has raised $9.5 million to date, including the new convertible note.