An ecommerce applications developer that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help online sellers do a better job with personalized digital marketing just enjoyed a big pay day. And the organization investing $20 million in Connectly is global marketplace operator Alibaba.

“At Connectly, we are vigorously working to bring AI-powered conversational commerce to brands around the world to create more personalized interactions at scale,” says CEO Stefanos Loukakos. “Support from Alibaba, one of the largest retailers on the planet, is profoundly impactful to our potential, and will enable us to continue to invest in our proprietary AI models and scale our business.”

Connectly hosts a platform for businesses to create messaging campaigns and automate conversations with customers across messaging apps.

Most interactions between brands and consumers are through one-way communication channels, like SMS & e-mail that produce limited engagement and read rates, Connectly says.

The company’s AI-enabled cloud platform integrates with WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. “Connectly’s products simplify how businesses deliver personalized marketing campaigns, time sensitive notifications, CSAT surveys and more, all within the customer’s message thread of choice,” the company says.

Founded in 2020, Connectly has raised $132 million in working capital, including its latest round of funding from Ailbaba and participation from Unusual Ventures, Volpe Capital, RX Ventures, Falabella Ventures and Philippos Kourkoulos Latsis.

“At Alibaba, we look to partner with innovative companies that are paving the way in their industry,” says Alibaba. “Connectly is doing just that with AI-powered conversational commerce. The company has already accomplished a great deal since it was founded, and we look forward to following the company’s future journey and seeing the impact it has on brands around the globe.”

Alibaba owns the world’s two largest online marketplaces by gross merchandise value (GMV), Taobao and Tmall. Taobao ranks No. 1 in the Global Online Marketplaces Database, Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of the largest such marketplaces by GMV. Tmall ranks No. 2. Both operate in China.

About 30,000 businesses on the B2B marketplace use Alibaba’s AI tools to increase product exposure in targeted markets.

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