Amsterdam’s Talk360 raises €1.2M to connect African migrant communities with their families back home

Amsterdam-based Talk360, an international calling app from South Africa and the Netherlands, announced that it raised $1.4M (approximately €1.27M) in a pre-Series A round of funding.

The funding will support the company’s next growth phase, aiming to reach seven million people and achieve profitability.

The round was led by “long-standing investor” Havaic. The pre-Series A funding round, maintaining Talk360’s $30+M valuation from 2022, included $1M from Havaic and $400K from other investors.

The pre-Series A funding round, led by long-standing investor Havaic, maintained Talk360’s $30+M valuation from 2022. It included $1M from Havaic and $400K from other investors.

Before this round, in 2022, the company raised $7M in seed funding from investors across Africa and Europe, including executives from Adyen and Mollie, and the founders of Tyme Bank.

Capital utilisation

Talk360 aims to expand its user base among the African diaspora in the UK, US, and South Africa, and explore creating a payment aggregator to streamline transactions and address failed payment challenges in the “fragmented” African market.

Hans Osnabrugge, co-founder and CEO of Talk360, says, “We’re incredibly proud of Talk360’s growth. Over the past two years, we’ve gone from connecting 2.3 million users to 4 million in 2023. This funding will help us continue our mission of connecting African migrant communities with their families back home.”

Affordable calls to any mobile or landline worldwide

Talk360 offers affordable international calls to any mobile or landline. Committed to making reliable communication accessible to everyone, especially in emerging African markets, Talk360 plans to launch the world’s first single checkout platform for Africa.

This platform will integrate local payment methods, currencies, and over 1 million cash points, enabling 500 million African consumers to access digital services. 

With offices in South Africa, Nigeria, India, and the Netherlands, Talk360 aims to connect people and bridge distances globally.

Hans Osnabrugge, co-founder and CEO at Talk360, says, “This payment platform has been exclusively used in-house to establish a strong foundation. The results have been exceptional, with an average 25 per cent increase in payment conversion. We are strongly considering opening the platform to external merchants before Christmas 2024.”

Localising into more African languages

With the new funding, Talk360 plans to localise into more African languages and establish additional partnerships with remittance companies, retailers, and brands.

Dean Hiine, co-founder and MD Africa at Talk360, says, “A better understanding of our audiences will also see the upcoming releases supporting languages such as Amharic and Portuguese. This talks to the significant demand of our Ethiopian customers and highlights our willingness to localise our solution where needed.”

“Talk360 has built trust within underserved communities by offering a solution that resonates with their unique needs. This new funding will help the business capitalise on that trust to create even more tailored solutions that deliver value at a local level.”

Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at Havaic, adds, “Talk360’s ability to navigate and succeed in challenging economic conditions speaks to the strength of its business model and clear vision. We are confident this latest round of funding will empower them to deepen their impact, especially in underserved communities across Africa.”