Talk360, a South African software that allows users to call any landline or mobile phone in the globe at a reasonable rate, has received the additional US $3 million in seed funding, bringing its total seed funding to US $7 million after its first close in May.
Founded in 2016 by Dutch businessmen Hans Osnabrugge and Jorne Schamp and South African venture builder Dean Hiine, Talk360 offers international calls to any landline or mobile phone that is not connected to the internet. With headquarters in South Africa, the Netherlands, India, and Nigeria, it is the most popular international calling app in Africa and connected more than two million users in 2021.
The money will be used to increase the company’s market share in South Africa, propel its expansion throughout the rest of the continent, and introduce its industry-first pan-African payment platform in 2023. Talk360 has experienced a 16% increase in subscribers, a 13% increase in income, and a nearly doubling of calling minutes to and from South Africa during the last year.
“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. “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 Talk360 team, according to Clive Butkow, CEO of Kalon Venture Partners, had a “wealth of expertise” in the communications industry in South Africa and across the continent.
“We’re excited to add this investment to the Kalon portfolio, and believe it has the potential to rapidly scale across Africa,” he said.
