BirdyChat Raises €1.7M Seed for External Comms Platform

Riga-based startup BirdyChat has successfully closed a €1.7 million seed funding round, signaling a significant step towards revolutionizing external professional communication. The investment, spearheaded by prominent early-stage venture capital firms DIG Ventures, Change Ventures, and Tiny VC, alongside contributions from angel investors and industry operators, will fuel the company's expansion across Europe and the UK. This funding injection addresses a critical gap in the market for dedicated tools managing client and partner interactions, a space currently dominated by less secure and organized personal messaging applications.

The professional messaging sector is experiencing a notable shift, driven by evolving regulatory environments like the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). BirdyChat is strategically positioned to capitalize on this, having already gained traction by enabling users to message individuals on platforms like WhatsApp directly. This capability, a first for eligible European users, highlights the company's innovative approach to interoperability in a fragmented digital communication ecosystem. The demand for such a solution is underscored by a substantial waitlist of approximately 50,000 users eager for a more professional and compliant communication channel.

Founded in 2025 by seasoned entrepreneurs Rolands Mesters, who previously co-founded a fintech startup acquired by GoCardless, and Martins Spilners, a veteran engineer from FullContact and saas.group, BirdyChat aims to provide a distinct layer for business-to-business external conversations. Unlike internal collaboration suites such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, BirdyChat focuses on the often-overlooked interactions with clients, vendors, and external stakeholders. This focus addresses the growing unease among professionals regarding the use of personal messaging apps for work, with a recent poll indicating that 72% of respondents express reservations about such practices due to compliance and security concerns.

The platform's design emphasizes productivity and organization. Key features include threaded conversations to maintain context, project-based grouping for enhanced clarity, and the utilization of professional email addresses as identifiers, thereby eliminating the need to share personal phone numbers. This user-centric design aims to streamline workflows for professionals, particularly those in roles heavily reliant on external engagement, such as project managers, community builders, and business development specialists, who have shown particularly strong interest in the platform.

Rytis Vitkauskas, General Partner at DIG Ventures, commented on the investment, stating, "The world does need another chat app, one that is purpose-built for external professional communication and with enterprise requirements at heart. Digital Markets Act created an additional tailwind for this need, we are thrilled to be backing Rolands and Martins." This sentiment reflects the broader market recognition of the opportunity BirdyChat is addressing. The company plans to allocate the newly secured capital towards enhancing its product development pipeline and aggressively expanding its market presence throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, onboarding users from its extensive waitlist.

The broader market for business communication tools is substantial, with enterprise collaboration software projected for continued growth. However, the niche of external professional communication has remained largely underserved. BirdyChat's innovative solution, coupled with favorable regulatory tailwinds and strong investor backing from firms like DIG Ventures, Change Ventures, and Tiny VC, positions it as a compelling contender to capture significant market share in this evolving digital landscape.