Mobile firm Pulsate in scaling mode as investment reaches $3m

3 Jul 2018

Pulsate CEO Sarah Martin. Image: Pulsate

New CEO and investment will enable Irish start-up Pulsate to scale up and define mobile-first shopping experiences.

Dublin mobile marketing technology company Pulsate has appointed Sarah Martin as its new CEO and the company has just raised $250,000 in funding, bringing total funding so far to $3m.

The investment comes from e-commerce giant and existing investor PayPal as well as data science player Dunnhumby, with involvement from the Delta Partners’ Bank of Ireland Seed and Emerging Sectors Fund, Enterprise Ireland and various private investors.

The company, a previous Siliconrepublic.com Start-up of the Week, was founded in 2013 by tech entrepreneur Patrick Leddy.

Pulsate leverages the power of mobile to help brands build deep and meaningful customer relationships using proximity-based marketing technologies such as beacons.

Mobile momentum

Martin previously led start-up MamaBud and also held senior roles with Unilever and Digicel.

Speaking with Siliconrepublic.com, Martin said that mobile engagement is becoming pivotal to the retail experience.

“Our technology enables brands to have complete mobile engagement, gather insights and use that change behaviour effectively to make more sales,” she explained.

Pulsate’s customers typically experience uplifts of more than 30pc in key performance metrics including mobile revenue, user retention and engagement.

The company has retail customers that use the platform to drive offline engagement online all over the world including Europe, South America and Brazil.

Global brands such as SITA, Amadeus, NCR, Heineken, Dunnhumby, Boyle Sports and Miami Airport rely on Pulsate to build long-term customer relationships.

Martin said her ambition is to lead Pulsate to scale.

John Lunn of PayPal said: “As the shift to mobile-first experiences continues, consumers are demanding customised content on their devices.

“Pulsate is a true innovator in mobile and we look forward to Martin’s leadership as she continues to advance the company’s mission.”

Kyle Fugere, head of ventures for Dunnhumby, added: “Pulsate delivers meaningful results for its customers.  We’re excited to further deepen our commitment and support the company’s next wave of growth and innovation.”

Updated, 8.19am, 3 July 2018: This article was updated to clarify that Pulsate was founded in 2013, not 2014.

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com