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{{Short description|Email delivery service}} |
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{{Infobox company |
{{Infobox company |
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| name = SendGrid |
| name = SendGrid |
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| logo = SendGrid_2016_Logo.png |
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| image = File:SendGridDenver.jpg |
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| image_caption = SendGrid headquarters in Denver |
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| type = [[Subsidiary]] |
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| founder = Isaac Saldana, Jose Lopez, Tim Jenkins |
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| key_people = Sameer Dholakia ([[Chief executive officer|CEO]])<ref>{{cite press release |
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| url = http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sendgrid-appoints-sameer-dholakia-as-new-ceo-277609291.html |
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| title = SendGrid Appoints Sameer Dholakia as New CEO |
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| website = www.prnewswire.com |
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| access-date = 2016-04-25}}</ref> |
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| industry = Technology |
| industry = Technology |
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| foundation = 2009 |
| foundation = 2009 |
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| revenue = $111.9 million (2017)<ref>{{Cite news |
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| title = SendGrid Company Profile |
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| url = https://craft.co/sendgrid |
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| accessdate = 27 September 2019}}</ref> |
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| parent = [[Twilio]] |
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| location_country = [[United States]] |
| location_country = [[United States]] |
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'''SendGrid''' (also known as '''Twilio SendGrid''') is a [[Denver, Colorado]]-based customer communication platform for transactional and marketing [[email]].<ref name="Tcrunch4">{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/03/09/sendgrid-sends-7-5-billion-emails-brings-former-oracle-exec-as-ceo/ |title=SendGrid Sends 7.5 Million Emails, Brings Former Oracle Exec As CEO |author=Leena Rao |date=March 9, 2011 |publisher=TechCrunch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Tcrunch09">{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/08/06/techstars-incubator-hatches-10-new-companies/ |title=TechStars Incubator Hatches 10 New Companies |author= |date=August 6, 2009 |publisher=TechCrunch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="REWT">{{cite web |url=http://readwrite.com/2009/09/30/techstars-investor-day-hits-a#awesm=~obNWKNcC2fuEQE |title=TechStars Investor Day Hits a Home Run |author=Dana Oshiro |date=September 30, 2009 |publisher=ReadWrite |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="DENBIZ">{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2012/01/17/sendgrid-raises-21m-in-vc-microsoft.html |title=SendGrid raises $21M in VC; Microsoft to partner |author= |date=January 17, 2012 |publisher=Denver Business Journal |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="TECHR">{{cite web |url=http://www.techrockies.com/how-sendgrid-makes-sure-those-app-emails-go-through-with-jim-franklin/s-0046191.html |title=How SendGrid Makes Sure Those App Emails Go Through, With Jim Franklin |author= |date=November 13, 2012 |publisher=TechRockies |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="SOC">{{cite web |url=http://www.socaltech.com/ten_of_southern_california_s_top_software_companies/s-0046284.html |title=Ten of Southern California's Top Software Companies |author=Ben Kuo |date=November 16, 2012 |publisher=socalTECH |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> The company was founded by Isaac Saldana, Jose Lopez, and Tim Jenkins in 2009, and incubated through the [[Techstars]] [[Business incubator|accelerator]] program.<ref name="BFP">{{cite web |url=http://business.financialpost.com/2012/10/31/just-do-it-ideas-are-worthless-unless-you-execute-them-startup-founder-says/ |title=Just do it: Ideas are worthless unless you execute them, startup founder says |author=Sprouter |date=October 31, 2012 |publisher=Financial Post |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="DAC">{{cite web |url=http://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_19929854?IADID=Search-www.dailycamera.com-www.dailycamera.com |title=From unlimited burritos to on-site yoga, Boulder firms pile on perks |author=Sarah Kuta |date=February 12, 2012 |publisher=Boulder Daily Camera |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="NEXT2">{{cite web |url=https://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2013/05/16/startup-stories-sendgrid-shares-its-passion-for-fixing-email-video/ |title=Startup Stories: SendGrid shares its passion for fixing email |author=Brad McCarty |date=May 16, 2013 |publisher=The Next Web |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Tcrunch6">{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/01/17/bessemer-leads-21m-round-in-cloud-based-email-delivery-and-management-service-sendgrid/ |title=Bessemer Leads 21m Round In Cloud-Based Email Delivery And Management Service SendGrid |author=Leena Rao |date=January 17, 2012 |publisher=TechCrunch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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'''SendGrid''' is a [[Boulder, Colorado]]-based transactional [[email]] delivery and |
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As of 2017, SendGrid has raised over $81 million and has offices in [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]]; [[Boulder, Colorado]]; [[Irvine, California]]; [[Redwood City, California]]; and [[London]].<ref name=SOC /><ref name=Tcrunch6 /><ref name=Vent2013>{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/02/18/top-10-boulder-startups/ |title=10 Boulder startups we're excited about |author=Sean Ludwig |date=February 18, 2013 |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=DPNov12>{{cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_21922566?source=pop_neighbors_arvada |title=Could downtown Denver be the next Silicon Valley? |author=Andy Vuong |date=November 5, 2012 |publisher=The Denver Post |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Vent2012>{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/07/25/sendgrid-partners-heroku-engine-yard-cloudbees/ |title=SendGrid partners with Heroku, Engine Yard, & others on email management |author=Sean Ludwig |date=July 25, 2012 |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=VentTw>{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2012/12/04/sendgrid-twilio-partners/ |title=Cloud tag team: SendGrid and Twilio partner on email, SMS, and voicemail solutions for the enterprise |author=Sean Ludwig |date=December 4, 2012 |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=DENBIZ2>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2012/08/10/boulders-sendgrid-opens-denver-office.html |title=Boulder's SendGrid opening Denver office |author=Greg Avery |date=August 10, 2012 |publisher=Denver Business Journal |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2016/11/30/sendgrid-33-million/|title=Email delivery platform SendGrid raises $33 million ahead of IPO in 2017|date=2016-11-30|work=VentureBeat|access-date=2018-08-01|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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As of 2013, SendGrid has raised over $27 million and has offices in [[Boulder, Colorado|Boulder]], [[Denver]], [[Anaheim]], and [[London]], and operations in [[New York City]] and [[San Francisco]].<ref name=SOC /><ref name=Tcrunch6 /><ref name=Vent2013>{{cite web |url=http://venturebeat.com/2013/02/18/top-10-boulder-startups/ |title=10 Boulder startups we're excited about |author=Sean Ludwig |date=February 18, 2013 |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=DPNov12>{{cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_21922566?source=pop_neighbors_arvada |title=Could downtown Denver be the next Silicon Valley? |author=Andy Vuong |date=November 5, 2012 |publisher=The Denver Post |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Vent2012>{{cite web |url=http://venturebeat.com/2012/07/25/sendgrid-partners-heroku-engine-yard-cloudbees/ |title=SendGrid partners with Heroku, Engine Yard, & others on email management |author=Sean Ludwig |date=July 25, 2012 |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=VentTw>{{cite web |url=http://venturebeat.com/2012/12/04/sendgrid-twilio-partners/ |title=Cloud tag team: SendGrid and Twilio partner on email, SMS, and voicemail solutions for the enterprise |author=Sean Ludwig |date=December 4, 2012 |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=DENBIZ2>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2012/08/10/boulders-sendgrid-opens-denver-office.html |title=Boulder's SendGrid opening Denver office |author=Greg Avery |date=August 10, 2012 |publisher=Denver Business Journal |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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The company went public with a debut in the [[New York Stock Exchange]] on November 16, 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Chuang |first=Tamara |url=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/11/12/sendgrid-public-offer-debut-stock-exchange/ |title=As SendGrid preps for public debut, the IPO market appears receptive |work=[[The Denver Post]] |date=2017-11-12 |accessdate=2017-11-13 }}</ref> [[Twilio]] acquired SendGrid in February 2019. |
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SendGrid provides a [[cloud computing|cloud-based]] |
SendGrid provides a [[cloud computing|cloud-based]] service that assists businesses with email delivery.<ref name=TECHR /><ref name=BFP /><ref name=BIZI>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/sendgrid-2011-8 |title=SendGrid Is Sending 2 Billion Emails Per Month And Just Getting Started |author=Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry |date=August 2, 2011 |publisher=Business Insider |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Tcrunch7>{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/06/29/inbox-alert-sendgrid-sends-45b-emails-for-60000-customers-20b-in-2012-alone/ |title=Inbox Alert: SendGrid Sends 45B Emails For 60,000 Customers, 20B In 2012 Alone |author=Ingrid Lunden |date=June 29, 2012 |publisher=TechCrunch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> The service manages various types of email including shipping notifications, friend requests, sign-up confirmations, and email [[newsletters]]. It also handles [[Internet service provider]] (ISP) monitoring, [[DomainKeys|domain keys]], the [[sender policy framework]] (SPF), and [[feedback]] loops.<ref name=Vent2013 /><ref name=Tcrunch2>{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2009/12/08/sendgrid-raises-750k-for-email-delivery-software/ |title=SendGrid Raises $750K for Email Delivery Software |author=Leena Rao |date=December 8, 2009 |publisher=TechCrunch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Appv12>{{cite web |url=http://www.appvita.com/2012/08/01/sendgrid-reliable-email-delivery-for-businesses/ |title=SendGrid: Reliable Email Delivery for Businesses |author=Stephanie Miles |date=August 1, 2012 |publisher=AppVita |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=BIZI2>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/all-those-e-mails-from-pinterest-are-very-good-for-this-guy-2012-3 |title=All Those Emails From Pinterest Are Very Good For This Guy |author=Julie Bort |date=March 1, 2012 |publisher=Business Insider |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> Additionally, the company provides link tracking and [[open rate]] reporting.<ref name=Tcrunch2 /> It also allows companies to track email opens, unsubscribes, bounces, and spam reports.<ref name=TECHR /><ref name=Tcrunch2 /><ref name=Tcrunch3>{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2010/04/20/sendgrid-raises-5-million-sends-a-bajillion-e-mails/ |title=SendGrid Raises $5 Million, Sends A Bajillion Emails |author=Evelyn Rusli |date=April 20, 2010 |publisher=TechCrunch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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Beginning in 2012, the company integrated [[SMS]], voice, and [[push technology|push notification]] abilities |
Beginning in 2012, the company integrated [[SMS]], voice, and [[push technology|push notification]] abilities into its service through a partnership with [[Twilio]].<ref name=Vent2012 /> |
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SendGrid offers a [[freemium]] version and a Lite Plan (pay-as-you-go), as well as |
SendGrid offers a [[freemium]] version and a Lite Plan (pay-as-you-go), as well as three expanded levels of service: Essentials, Pro, and Premier.<ref name=TECHR /><ref name=Whir2011>{{cite web |url=http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/web-host-rackspace-partners-with-email-infrastructure-provider-sendgrid |title=Web Host Rackspace Partners with Email Infrastructure Provider SendGrid |author=Nicole Henderson |date=May 19, 2011 |publisher=TheWhir |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Tcrunch5>{{cite web |url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/10/email-delivery-system-sendgrid-announces-new-pricing-model-now-you-can-pay-as-you-go/ |title=Email Delivery System SendGrid Announces New Pricing Model, Now You Can Pay-As-You-Go |author=Rip Empson |date=May 10, 2011 |publisher=TechCrunch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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SendGrid's clients include [[Uber]], [[Twilio]], [[Foursquare City Guide|Foursquare]], [[Pandora radio|Pandora]], and [[Airbnb]].<ref name=Vent2013 /><ref name=Tcrunch7 /><ref name=BIZI2 /><ref name=Va21m>{{cite web |url=http://vator.tv/news/2012-01-17-sendgrid-gets-21m-in-capital-led-by-bessemer |title=SendGrid gets $21m in capital, led by Bessemer|author=Bambi Francisco Roizen |date=January 17, 2012 |publisher=Vator |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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==Controversy== |
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The controversial firing of Adria Richards in March 2013 and the surrounding circumstances became known as [[Donglegate]].<ref name="guardianjonronson">{{cite news|work=The Guardian|title=The Internet Shaming of Lindsey Stone|date=21 February 2015 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/21/internet-shaming-lindsey-stone-jon-ronson|last1=Ronson |first1=Jon }}</ref><ref name="ycombinator-hackernews">{{cite web|title=Comment to Hacker News article 'Inappropriate comments at pycon 2013 called out'|url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5398681}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Techie Adria Richards fired after tweeting about men's comments|publisher=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/techie-adria-richards-fired-after-tweeting-about-mens-comments/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Why Asking What Adria Richards Could Have Done Differently Is The Wrong Question|work=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/deannazandt/2013/03/22/why-asking-what-adria-richards-could-have-done-differently-is-the-wrong-question/ | first=Deanna|last=Zandt}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite news|url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22863310/sendgrid-employees-tweet-sets-off-firestorm|title=SendGrid employee's tweet sets off firestorm|publisher=The Denver Post|first=Andy|last=Vuong|date=March 25, 2013|accessdate=September 18, 2015}}</ref> |
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In 2013, the company fired Adria Richards after she tweeted a picture of two developers who made jokes that offended her during a conference. Her firing initiated a Change.org petition and caused international press coverage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22863310/sendgrid-employees-tweet-sets-off-firestorm |title=SendGrid employee's tweet sets off firestorm|author=Alan Shimel |date= |publisher=Denver Post |accessdate=Sep 25, 2013}}</ref> |
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==Funding== |
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⚫ | Before SendGrid was called Twilio SendGrid, they named the project ''smtpapi.com''.<ref name="Duskic">{{Cite news|url=https://whoapi.com/blog/3217/sendgrid-became-one-of-largest-api-companies-in-the-world-isaac-saldana-interview/|title=How SendGrid became one of the largest API companies in the world - Isaac Saldana Interview - WhoAPI blog|last=Duskic|first=Goran|date=2017-12-13|work=WhoAPI blog|access-date=2017-12-13|language=en-US}}</ref> After founding SendGrid in [[Riverside, California]], in July 2009, Saldana, Lopez, and Jenkins enrolled the startup in the TechStars accelerator program and moved the company to Boulder, Colorado.<ref name="BFP" /><ref name="NEXT2" /><ref name="Nwwd">{{cite web |url=http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/bouldere-startup-spotlight-sendgrid-american-success-story |title=Boulder Startup Spotlight: SendGrid, an American success story |author=Alan Shimel |date=July 11, 2013 |publisher=NetworkWorld |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="CLOUD11">{{cite web |url=http://cloudtimes.org/2011/03/19/the-top-100-cloud-computing-private-companies/ |title=The Top 100 Cloud Computing Private Companies |author=Martin Tantow |date=March 19, 2011 |publisher=CloudTimes |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Feld09">{{cite web |url=http://www.feld.com/wp/archives/2009/12/techstars-boulder-companies-sendgrid-and-retel-announce-financings.html |title=Techstars Boulder Companies SendGrid and Retel Announce Financings |author= |date=December 10, 2009 |publisher=Feld |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> By December 2009, the company announced it had raised $750,000 in a funding round led by Highway 12 Ventures.<ref name="Tcrunch2" /> Other participating investors included [[SoftTech VC]], FF Angel, and TechStars founder [[David Cohen (entrepreneur)|David Cohen]].<ref name=Tcrunch2 /> |
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⚫ | In April 2010, the email [[software as a service|software-as-a-service]] (SaaS) company received $5 million in [[Series A round]] funding from Foundry Group, SoftTech VC, and Highway 12 Ventures, as well as individual investors including David Cohen, Scott Petry, [[Dave McClure]], and [[Matt Mullenweg]].<ref name=Tcrunch3 /><ref name=Reut2010>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-peweek-earlystage-roundup-idUSTRE6435OH20100504 |title=TechStars startup SendGrid raises $5 million |author=Alastair Goldfisher |date=May 4, 2010 |publisher=Reuters |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> Ryan McIntyre, the co-founder of Foundry, joined SendGrid's board of directors at this time as well.<ref name=Tcrunch3 /> |
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⚫ | After founding SendGrid in [[Riverside, |
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In January 2012, SendGrid raised $21 million in Series B funding.<ref name=FinFo2012>{{cite web |url=http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/01/18/venture-capital-deals-60/ |title=Venture capital deals |author=Dan Primack |date=January 18, 2012 |publisher=CNN Money |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> The funding round – led by [[Bessemer Venture Partners]] and previous investors Highway 12 Ventures, Foundry Group, [[500 Startups]], and TechStars – occurred concurrently with a new partnership between SendGrid and [[Microsoft]]’s Windows Azure platform.<ref name="Gig2012">{{cite web |author=Ryan Kim |date=January 17, 2012 |title=Email is still hot: Why SendGrid got $21M in VC funds |url=http://gigaom.com/2012/01/17/sendgrid-rides-transactional-email-boom-raises-21m/ |accessdate=August 13, 2013 |publisher=Gigaom}}</ref> |
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⚫ | In April 2010, the email [[software as a service|software-as-a-service]] (SaaS) company received $5 million in [[Series A round]] funding from Foundry Group, SoftTech VC, and Highway 12 Ventures, as well as individual investors including David Cohen, Scott Petry, [[Dave McClure]], and [[Matt Mullenweg]].<ref name=Tcrunch3 /><ref name=Reut2010>{{cite web |url= |
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In December 2014, SendGrid raised $20 million in Series C funding. The series C round was led by a new investor [[Bain Capital Ventures]]. Current investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Foundry Group also participated.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2014-12-02|title=SendGrid Caches $20M Series C for Email Technology|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/DJFVW00120141202eac2anpf0|access-date=2020-12-21|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> |
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In January 2012, SendGrid raised $21 million in Series B funding.<ref name=Tcrunch6 /><ref name=Vent2012 /><ref name=Va21m /><ref name=DP21>{{cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_19762829 |title=Boulder startup SendGrid raises $21 million |author=Alicia Wallace |date=January 18, 2012 |publisher=The Denver Post |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=FinFo2012>{{cite web |url=http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2012/01/18/venture-capital-deals-60/ |title=Venture capital deals |author=Dan Primack |date=January 18, 2012 |publisher=CNN Money |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=AllD2012>{{cite web |url=http://allthingsd.com/20120117/sendgrid-raises-21m-to-send-even-more-emails/ |title=SendGrid Raises $21M to Send Even More Emails |author=Liz Gannes |date=January 17, 2012 |publisher=AllThingsD.com |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Gig2012>{{cite web |url=http://gigaom.com/2012/01/17/sendgrid-rides-transactional-email-boom-raises-21m/ |title=Email is still hot: Why SendGrid got $21M in VC funds |author=Ryan Kim |date=January 17, 2012 |publisher=Gigaom |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> The funding round – led by [[Bessemer Venture Partners]] and previous investors Highway 12 Ventures, Foundry Group, 500 Startups, and TechStars – occurred concurrently with a new partnership between SendGrid and [[Microsoft]]’s Windows Azure platform.<ref name=DAC /><ref name=Vent2012 /><ref name=BIZI2 /><ref name=Va21m /><ref name=Gig2012 /> |
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In November 2016, SendGrid raised $33 million in Series D funding. The round was led by Bain Capital Ventures, with participation from Bessemer Ventures and the Foundry Group.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Former [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] executive Jim Franklin joined SendGrid as the CEO in March 2011.<ref name=Tcrunch4 /><ref name=EMX>{{cite web |url=http://emailexpert.org/jim-franklin-joins-sendgrid-from-oracle/ |title=Jim Franklin Joins SendGrid from Oracle |author=Andrew Bonar |date=March 16, 2011 |publisher=EmailExpert |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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{{Prose|section|date=March 2022}} |
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The company announced in May 2011 that it had sent |
The company announced in May 2011 that it had sent over 9 billion emails to more than 23,000 companies since its founding.<ref name=Tcrunch5 /> In the same month, SendGrid announced a partnership with web host service [[Rackspace]] Hosting that allows Rackspace users to launch email campaigns using SendGrid's software.<ref name=TECHR /><ref name=BIZI2 /><ref name=Whir2011 /> |
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By January 2012, the service reported |
By January 2012, the service reported sending out 2.6 billion personalized emails monthly.<ref name=Tcrunch6 /><ref name="DP21">{{cite web |author=Alicia Wallace |date=January 18, 2012 |title=Boulder startup SendGrid raises $21 million |url=http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_19762829 |accessdate=August 13, 2013 |publisher=The Denver Post}}</ref><ref name="AllD2012">{{cite web |author=Liz Gannes |date=January 17, 2012 |title=SendGrid Raises $21M to Send Even More Emails |url=http://allthingsd.com/20120117/sendgrid-raises-21m-to-send-even-more-emails/ |accessdate=August 13, 2013 |publisher=AllThingsD.com}}</ref> By March, the company was experiencing 10% monthly growth.<ref name=BIZI2 /> |
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SendGrid announced in June 2012 that it was working with 60,000 businesses and had sent out |
SendGrid announced in June 2012 that it was working with 60,000 businesses and had sent out 45 billion emails since its start in 2009.<ref name=Tcrunch6 /> |
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On July 25, 2012, the company reported it had partnered with [[Platform as a service| |
On July 25, 2012, the company reported it had partnered with [[Platform as a service|platform-as-a-service]] (PaaS) companies [[CloudBees]], [[Heroku]], and [[Engine Yard]].<ref name=Vent2012 /> The company opened its Denver office the following October.<ref name=BFP /><ref name=DPNov12 /><ref name=DENBIZ2 /> |
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In December 2012, SendGrid |
In December 2012, SendGrid partnered with Twilio to incorporate [[short message service|SMS]] and push notification services to its platform.<ref name=Vent2012 /><ref name=NEXT>{{cite web |url=https://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/12/04/sendgrid-and-twilio-team-up-to-create-a-multi-messaging-platform-for-the-enterprise/?fromcat=all |title=SendGrid and Twilio team up to offer email, SMS, voice and push notifications for the enterprise market |author=Harrison Weber |date=December 4, 2012 |publisher=The Next Web |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> The company announced integrations with Parse, [[Windows Azure]], and StackMob the same month.<ref name=Gig20122>{{cite web |url=http://gigaom.com/2012/12/13/sendgrid-launches-parse-stackmob-azure-integrations-for-mobile-email-ubiquity/ |title=SendGrid adds Parse, Stackmob, Azure integrations |author=Barb Darrow |date=December 13, 2012 |publisher=Gigaom |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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In April 2013, SendGrid announced it had sent over 100 billion emails.<ref name=FOUR>{{cite web |url=http://www.fourthsource.com/email-marketing/9-best-practice-tips-for-marketing-emails-14094 |title=9 Best practice tips for marketing emails |author=Denise Hulce |date=April 29, 2013 |publisher=FourthSource |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> That June, the company released its new email marketing service.<ref name=Vent3>{{cite web |url= |
In April 2013, SendGrid announced it had sent over 100 billion emails.<ref name=FOUR>{{cite web |url=http://www.fourthsource.com/email-marketing/9-best-practice-tips-for-marketing-emails-14094 |title=9 Best practice tips for marketing emails |author=Denise Hulce |date=April 29, 2013 |publisher=FourthSource |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> That June, the company released its new email marketing service.<ref name=Vent3>{{cite web |url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/06/18/sendgrid-email-marketing/ |title=SendGrid launches email marketing service that undercuts MailChimp & Constant Contact |author=Sean Ludwig |date=June 18, 2013 |publisher=VentureBeat |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=Gig2013>{{cite web |url=http://gigaom.com/2013/06/18/sendgrid-picks-fight-with-heavyweight-mailchimp-in-email-marketing/ |title=SendGrid picks fight with heavyweight MailChimp in email marketing |author=Barb Darrow |date=June 18, 2013 |publisher=Gigaom |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=BizR>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizreport.com/2013/06/sendgrid-launches-email-service.html |title=SendGrid launches email service |author=Kristina Knight |date=June 18, 2013 |publisher=BizReport |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> The service allows marketing professionals and non-technical users to create emails using various newsletter templates and features a drag-and-drop template to fill in the content.<ref name=Gig2013 /><ref name=BizR /> |
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Former Citrix executive Sameer Dholakia joined SendGrid as the [[CEO]] in September 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/blog/boosters_bits/2014/09/sendgrid-replaces-franklin-as.html|title=SendGrid replaces Franklin as CEO|website=Denver Business Journal|first1=Greg|last1=Avery|date=September 30, 2014}}</ref> |
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== Awards and recognition == |
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In October 2017, SendGrid was ranked #13 in [[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'s list of The 50 Best Workplaces in Southern California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2017/10/31/best-companies-southern-california/|title=The 50 Best Workplaces in Southern California|website=Fortune|language=en|access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref> |
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AlwaysOn announced its OnDemand Ones to Watch 2011 in March 2011, and featured SendGrid among the 16-company list.<ref name=CLOUD11 /> |
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In December 2017, SendGrid announced that they are processing around 36 billion monthly emails.<ref name="Duskic"/> |
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In June 2012, SendGrid was a winner in the [[Red Herring (magazine)|Red Herring]] Top 100 [[North America]] and made the [[Colorado]] Companies to Watch 2012 list.<ref name=COLW>{{cite web |url=https://colorado.companiestowatch.org/index.ctw?page=honorees&honoreeYear=2012 |title=2012 Colorado Companies to Watch Awardees |author= |year=2012 |publisher=Colorado Companies to Watch |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref><ref name=RedH>{{cite web |url=http://www.redherring.com/events/red-herring-americas/americas-2012-top-100-winners/ |title=America's 2012 Top 100 |author= |year=2012 |publisher=Red Herring |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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CEO Jim Franklin won the Colorado Technology Association’s Technology Community Connector of the year award in October 2012.<ref name=ColT>{{cite web |url=http://www.coloradotechnology.org/news/107239/ |title=Jim Franklin, CEO of SendGrid Wins 2012 Technology Community Connector of the Year |author=Catharine Lurie |date=October 31, 2012 |publisher=Colorado Technology Association |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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The company made [[The Denver Post]]’s Top 10 Places to Work, Small Employers list in 2013.<ref name=DenTop>{{cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/topworkplaces |title=Colorado Top Workplaces 2013 |author= |year=2013 |publisher=The Denver Post |accessdate=August 13, 2013}}</ref> |
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In October 2018, [[Twilio]] announced plans to acquire SendGrid for $2 billion.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/twilio-to-acquire-email-api-platform-sendgrid-for-2-billion/|title=Twilio to acquire email API platform SendGrid for $2 billion|last=Condon|first=Stephanie|date=15 October 2018|work=[[ZDNet]]|access-date=8 November 2018}}</ref> |
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In December 2018, a SendGrid [[shareholder]] filed a lawsuit in [[Colorado]] federal court in response to the planned acquisition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1108690/shareholder-sues-sendgrid-over-2b-twilio-deal|title=Shareholder Sues SendGrid Over $2B Twilio Deal - Law360|last=Jones|first=Diana Novak|date=6 December 2018|website=www.law360.com|language=en|access-date=2019-01-07}}</ref> |
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⚫ | |||
Twilio completed its acquisition of SendGrid on February 1, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.twilio.com/press/releases/twilio-completes-acquisition-sendgrid|title=Twilio Completes Acquisition of SendGrid|date=1 February 2019|website=www.twilio.com|language=en|access-date=2 June 2020}}</ref> |
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*[http://www.sendgrid.com Official Company Website] |
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Since the acquisition in 2019, a growing number of customers have complained about support response time, leading to a large number of negative reviews.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trustpilot.com/review/sendgrid.com|title=SendGrid Reviews|date=2 September 2020|website=www.trustpilot.com|language=en|access-date=2 September 2020}}</ref> |
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* {{Official website|https://sendgrid.com/}} |
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[[Category:Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange]] |
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[[Category:Email]] |
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[[Category:Email marketing software]] |
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[[Category:Companies based in Denver]] |
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[[Category:2017 initial public offerings]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:11, 1 September 2024
Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Technology |
Founded | 2009 |
Founder | Isaac Saldana, Jose Lopez, Tim Jenkins |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Sameer Dholakia (CEO)[1] |
Revenue | $111.9 million (2017)[2] |
Parent | Twilio |
Website | sendgrid |
SendGrid (also known as Twilio SendGrid) is a Denver, Colorado-based customer communication platform for transactional and marketing email.[3][4][5][6][7][8] The company was founded by Isaac Saldana, Jose Lopez, and Tim Jenkins in 2009, and incubated through the Techstars accelerator program.[9][10][11][12] As of 2017, SendGrid has raised over $81 million and has offices in Denver, Colorado; Boulder, Colorado; Irvine, California; Redwood City, California; and London.[8][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
The company went public with a debut in the New York Stock Exchange on November 16, 2017.[19] Twilio acquired SendGrid in February 2019.
General
[edit]SendGrid provides a cloud-based service that assists businesses with email delivery.[7][9][20][21] The service manages various types of email including shipping notifications, friend requests, sign-up confirmations, and email newsletters. It also handles Internet service provider (ISP) monitoring, domain keys, the sender policy framework (SPF), and feedback loops.[13][22][23][24] Additionally, the company provides link tracking and open rate reporting.[22] It also allows companies to track email opens, unsubscribes, bounces, and spam reports.[7][22][25] Beginning in 2012, the company integrated SMS, voice, and push notification abilities into its service through a partnership with Twilio.[15]
SendGrid offers a freemium version and a Lite Plan (pay-as-you-go), as well as three expanded levels of service: Essentials, Pro, and Premier.[7][26][27]
SendGrid's clients include Uber, Twilio, Foursquare, Pandora, and Airbnb.[13][21][24][28]
Controversy
[edit]The controversial firing of Adria Richards in March 2013 and the surrounding circumstances became known as Donglegate.[29][30][31][32][33]
Funding
[edit]Before SendGrid was called Twilio SendGrid, they named the project smtpapi.com.[34] After founding SendGrid in Riverside, California, in July 2009, Saldana, Lopez, and Jenkins enrolled the startup in the TechStars accelerator program and moved the company to Boulder, Colorado.[9][11][35][36][37] By December 2009, the company announced it had raised $750,000 in a funding round led by Highway 12 Ventures.[22] Other participating investors included SoftTech VC, FF Angel, and TechStars founder David Cohen.[22]
In April 2010, the email software-as-a-service (SaaS) company received $5 million in Series A round funding from Foundry Group, SoftTech VC, and Highway 12 Ventures, as well as individual investors including David Cohen, Scott Petry, Dave McClure, and Matt Mullenweg.[25][38] Ryan McIntyre, the co-founder of Foundry, joined SendGrid's board of directors at this time as well.[25]
In January 2012, SendGrid raised $21 million in Series B funding.[39] The funding round – led by Bessemer Venture Partners and previous investors Highway 12 Ventures, Foundry Group, 500 Startups, and TechStars – occurred concurrently with a new partnership between SendGrid and Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform.[40]
In December 2014, SendGrid raised $20 million in Series C funding. The series C round was led by a new investor Bain Capital Ventures. Current investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Foundry Group also participated.[41]
In November 2016, SendGrid raised $33 million in Series D funding. The round was led by Bain Capital Ventures, with participation from Bessemer Ventures and the Foundry Group.[18]
Growth and development
[edit]The company announced in May 2011 that it had sent over 9 billion emails to more than 23,000 companies since its founding.[27] In the same month, SendGrid announced a partnership with web host service Rackspace Hosting that allows Rackspace users to launch email campaigns using SendGrid's software.[7][24][26]
By January 2012, the service reported sending out 2.6 billion personalized emails monthly.[12][42][43] By March, the company was experiencing 10% monthly growth.[24]
SendGrid announced in June 2012 that it was working with 60,000 businesses and had sent out 45 billion emails since its start in 2009.[12]
On July 25, 2012, the company reported it had partnered with platform-as-a-service (PaaS) companies CloudBees, Heroku, and Engine Yard.[15] The company opened its Denver office the following October.[9][14][17]
In December 2012, SendGrid partnered with Twilio to incorporate SMS and push notification services to its platform.[15][44] The company announced integrations with Parse, Windows Azure, and StackMob the same month.[45] In April 2013, SendGrid announced it had sent over 100 billion emails.[46] That June, the company released its new email marketing service.[47][48][49] The service allows marketing professionals and non-technical users to create emails using various newsletter templates and features a drag-and-drop template to fill in the content.[48][49]
Former Citrix executive Sameer Dholakia joined SendGrid as the CEO in September 2014.[50]
In October 2017, SendGrid was ranked #13 in Fortune's list of The 50 Best Workplaces in Southern California.[51]
In December 2017, SendGrid announced that they are processing around 36 billion monthly emails.[34]
In October 2018, Twilio announced plans to acquire SendGrid for $2 billion.[52]
In December 2018, a SendGrid shareholder filed a lawsuit in Colorado federal court in response to the planned acquisition.[53]
Twilio completed its acquisition of SendGrid on February 1, 2019.[54]
Since the acquisition in 2019, a growing number of customers have complained about support response time, leading to a large number of negative reviews.[55]
References
[edit]- ^ "SendGrid Appoints Sameer Dholakia as New CEO". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2016-04-25.
- ^ "SendGrid Company Profile". Craft. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- ^ Leena Rao (March 9, 2011). "SendGrid Sends 7.5 Million Emails, Brings Former Oracle Exec As CEO". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ "TechStars Incubator Hatches 10 New Companies". TechCrunch. August 6, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Dana Oshiro (September 30, 2009). "TechStars Investor Day Hits a Home Run". ReadWrite. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ "SendGrid raises $21M in VC; Microsoft to partner". Denver Business Journal. January 17, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "How SendGrid Makes Sure Those App Emails Go Through, With Jim Franklin". TechRockies. November 13, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Ben Kuo (November 16, 2012). "Ten of Southern California's Top Software Companies". socalTECH. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Sprouter (October 31, 2012). "Just do it: Ideas are worthless unless you execute them, startup founder says". Financial Post. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Sarah Kuta (February 12, 2012). "From unlimited burritos to on-site yoga, Boulder firms pile on perks". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Brad McCarty (May 16, 2013). "Startup Stories: SendGrid shares its passion for fixing email". The Next Web. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Leena Rao (January 17, 2012). "Bessemer Leads 21m Round In Cloud-Based Email Delivery And Management Service SendGrid". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c Sean Ludwig (February 18, 2013). "10 Boulder startups we're excited about". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Andy Vuong (November 5, 2012). "Could downtown Denver be the next Silicon Valley?". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Sean Ludwig (July 25, 2012). "SendGrid partners with Heroku, Engine Yard, & others on email management". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Sean Ludwig (December 4, 2012). "Cloud tag team: SendGrid and Twilio partner on email, SMS, and voicemail solutions for the enterprise". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Greg Avery (August 10, 2012). "Boulder's SendGrid opening Denver office". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b "Email delivery platform SendGrid raises $33 million ahead of IPO in 2017". VentureBeat. 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
- ^ Chuang, Tamara (2017-11-12). "As SendGrid preps for public debut, the IPO market appears receptive". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry (August 2, 2011). "SendGrid Is Sending 2 Billion Emails Per Month And Just Getting Started". Business Insider. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Ingrid Lunden (June 29, 2012). "Inbox Alert: SendGrid Sends 45B Emails For 60,000 Customers, 20B In 2012 Alone". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Leena Rao (December 8, 2009). "SendGrid Raises $750K for Email Delivery Software". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Stephanie Miles (August 1, 2012). "SendGrid: Reliable Email Delivery for Businesses". AppVita. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Julie Bort (March 1, 2012). "All Those Emails From Pinterest Are Very Good For This Guy". Business Insider. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c Evelyn Rusli (April 20, 2010). "SendGrid Raises $5 Million, Sends A Bajillion Emails". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Nicole Henderson (May 19, 2011). "Web Host Rackspace Partners with Email Infrastructure Provider SendGrid". TheWhir. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Rip Empson (May 10, 2011). "Email Delivery System SendGrid Announces New Pricing Model, Now You Can Pay-As-You-Go". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Bambi Francisco Roizen (January 17, 2012). "SendGrid gets $21m in capital, led by Bessemer". Vator. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Ronson, Jon (21 February 2015). "The Internet Shaming of Lindsey Stone". The Guardian.
- ^ "Comment to Hacker News article 'Inappropriate comments at pycon 2013 called out'".
- ^ "Techie Adria Richards fired after tweeting about men's comments". CBS News.
- ^ Zandt, Deanna. "Why Asking What Adria Richards Could Have Done Differently Is The Wrong Question". Forbes.
- ^ Vuong, Andy (March 25, 2013). "SendGrid employee's tweet sets off firestorm". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ a b Duskic, Goran (2017-12-13). "How SendGrid became one of the largest API companies in the world - Isaac Saldana Interview - WhoAPI blog". WhoAPI blog. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
- ^ Alan Shimel (July 11, 2013). "Boulder Startup Spotlight: SendGrid, an American success story". NetworkWorld. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Martin Tantow (March 19, 2011). "The Top 100 Cloud Computing Private Companies". CloudTimes. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ "Techstars Boulder Companies SendGrid and Retel Announce Financings". Feld. December 10, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Alastair Goldfisher (May 4, 2010). "TechStars startup SendGrid raises $5 million". Reuters. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Dan Primack (January 18, 2012). "Venture capital deals". CNN Money. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Ryan Kim (January 17, 2012). "Email is still hot: Why SendGrid got $21M in VC funds". Gigaom. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ "SendGrid Caches $20M Series C for Email Technology". Wall Street Journal. 2014-12-02. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
- ^ Alicia Wallace (January 18, 2012). "Boulder startup SendGrid raises $21 million". The Denver Post. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Liz Gannes (January 17, 2012). "SendGrid Raises $21M to Send Even More Emails". AllThingsD.com. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Harrison Weber (December 4, 2012). "SendGrid and Twilio team up to offer email, SMS, voice and push notifications for the enterprise market". The Next Web. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Barb Darrow (December 13, 2012). "SendGrid adds Parse, Stackmob, Azure integrations". Gigaom. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Denise Hulce (April 29, 2013). "9 Best practice tips for marketing emails". FourthSource. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Sean Ludwig (June 18, 2013). "SendGrid launches email marketing service that undercuts MailChimp & Constant Contact". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Barb Darrow (June 18, 2013). "SendGrid picks fight with heavyweight MailChimp in email marketing". Gigaom. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ a b Kristina Knight (June 18, 2013). "SendGrid launches email service". BizReport. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ Avery, Greg (September 30, 2014). "SendGrid replaces Franklin as CEO". Denver Business Journal.
- ^ "The 50 Best Workplaces in Southern California". Fortune. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- ^ Condon, Stephanie (15 October 2018). "Twilio to acquire email API platform SendGrid for $2 billion". ZDNet. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ^ Jones, Diana Novak (6 December 2018). "Shareholder Sues SendGrid Over $2B Twilio Deal - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- ^ "Twilio Completes Acquisition of SendGrid". www.twilio.com. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "SendGrid Reviews". www.trustpilot.com. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
External links
[edit]- Software companies established in 2009
- American companies established in 2009
- 2009 establishments in Colorado
- Software companies based in Colorado
- Companies based in Boulder, Colorado
- Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange
- Email marketing software
- Companies based in Denver
- 2017 initial public offerings
- Go (programming language) software
- 2019 mergers and acquisitions
- Software companies of the United States
- Bain Capital companies