The San Francisco-based AI-powered cloud-communications platform obtained its first-ever investment from SoftBank, adding to a US$100-million Series E funding round led by OMERS Growth Equity in October. The additional funds will be used to grow in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. (The Logic)
Talking point: The company, which provides voice-intelligence services, has raised US$250 million to date. The OMERS Growth Equity-led funding round placed the company’s valuation at over US$1.2 billion, and included participation from existing investors like Andreessen Horowitz, GV, Iconiq Capital and Felicis Ventures. OMERS growth equity head Mark Shulgan joined Dialpad’s board as a result of the deal. SoftBank has an existing partnership with Dialpad that commenced in 2016, where the Japanese conglomerate offered Dialpad to its customers—Japan is its second-largest market. SoftBank will help Dialpad expand in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, according to Daichi Nozaki, vice-president of SoftBank’s global business division.
