US-based MessageGears snaps up Dublin’s Swrve

13 Jan 2023

Image: © oatawa/Stock.adobe.com

Founded in 2010, Swrve helps big brands such as Ryanair, Emirates and Telefónica to engage with customers using mobile app marketing.

Irish mobile marketing company Swrve has been acquired by US-based customer engagement platform MessageGears for an undisclosed sum.

Headquartered in Atlanta, MessageGears has developed a platform that helps big consumer brands use data to engage with their customers in highly personalised ways across a variety of media including email, SMS and mobile apps.

“For years, marketers have been stuck using archaic platforms that limit their ability to truly connect with their customers,” said Roger Barnette, CEO of MessageGears.

“In the next few years, we’re going to see a wave of enterprise brands adopting new technologies that free them from those limitations.”

Some of the brands MessageGears serves includes Expedia, Indeed, OpenTable, Party City, Rakuten and T-Mobile.

The company hopes that its acquisition of Dublin-based Swrve will help it cater to enterprise brands wanting to engage with customers across a wider range of platforms, including web and TV, as well as use the Irish base to expand its business in Europe.

Founded in 2010 by Hugh Reynolds and Steven Collins (who previously co-founded Havok in 1998), Swrve is a major industry player in delivering bespoke mobile experiences for big brands looking to engage with customers.

Some of the brands that have used Swrve for mobile app experiences include Playrix, Emirates, Ryanair and Telefónica.

“The combination of Swrve’s mobile push, in-app and embedded content has made them a world leader in mobile app marketing,” Barnette said.

“Now, as part of MessageGears, we’ve created the preeminent end-to-end customer engagement platform for modern enterprises, where brands can unlock the power of their data and activate it across every digital channel. It’s an exciting day for enterprise marketers!”

According to an Irish Times report, Swrve – which has been running on a loss – will become part of the MessageGears company group while its staff stay on under the new ownership. The business will also continue to use the Swrve brand name for the foreseeable future.

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Vish Gain is a journalist with Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com