Telstra invests $4 million in cloud communications company

Melbourne cloud company fast tracks expansion.

Adam Bender (Computerworld)
13 December, 2012 10:31
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Telstra completed a $4 million investment in Whispir that will help the cloud-based software company expand into Asia.

Telstra currently sells the Whispir platform to its enterprise and government customers. Whispir specialises in mobile, email, voice and digital communications.

Whispir, based in Melbourne, will use the investment to expand within Australia and into international markets, according to Whispir CEO Jeromy Wells.

“We have already established operations in Singapore, where four full time sales staff are based,” Wells said. “This investment by Telstra will help us fast track our expansion in other markets.”

“With Whispir’s product depth and Telstra’s reach we are focused on continuing to grow our business both domestically and internationally. We have seen significant growth in key vertical markets like banking and finance, utilities, transportation and emergency services.”

The Telstra investment adds to the $2 million grant that Whispir received last year from Commercialisation Australia.

The investment is part of Telstra’s strategy to support emerging companies that want to expand into Asian markets, Telstra applications and ventures group managing director, Deena Shiff, in a statement.

“Whispir provides a leading platform for business critical communication and we see very real growth opportunities for this business,” Shiff said. “This investment will enable Telstra to continue to differentiate our customer offerings by distributing next generation mobile, cloud and media applications.”

Computerworld Australia listed Whispir as an Australian company worth watching back in 2007.

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