Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI), a subsidiary of global media conglomerate Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, has made a strategic investment in Madrid, Spain-based Whisbi.
The size of the round was not disclosed, but it brings the total of capital raised by the Spanish e-marketing and online sales technology startup to $2.5 million.
Other investors in Whisbi include Amerigo Innvierte Spain Ventures, managed by Active Venture Partners.
The company will use the BDMI investment and expertise to ‘accelerate international growth’ across Europe, South America and the United States. The funding news comes on the heels of the opening of Whisbi offices in London, UK and São Paulo, Brazil in July.
Whisbi’s technology and video agents help companies (including some big clients like Movistar, Vodafone, Citibank and American Express) increase their online sales by combining e-commerce with live video and telephony.
Its services are based on a real-time combination of computer and phone communication. Whenever someone browses a Web page powered by its technology, he or she can request online assistance at any time.
To do so, the (potential) customer just has to introduce his name and phone number, be it a fixed phone or a mobile phone. Within a few seconds, he or she will receive a phone call from a video agent while also being able to see the person on his computer screen.
Whisbi says its internationally patented technology is particularly suited for companies in sectors like banking, insurance and telecommunications, which typically require high customer trust and a great deal of customer-specific product information. In Spain, Whisbi has already amassed over 1 million users.
(Also see Loogic’s coverage – in Spanish)
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