As real estate on our phone screens becomes more scarce, the idea of downloading proprietary apps and migrating users to new services seems excessive. And although mobile browsing is a good option, many websites or services work shoddily with phones and practically demand a desktop. Seeking an alternative way to reach customers, Sonar is turning to SMS to get it done and leading this movement. We'
re a platform designed to help businesses text their customers on channels like SMS, Facebook Messenger, Whatsapp and WeChat. Our company has secured a $1.2M seed round, led by QuestVP with participation from 500 Startups and angels including Semil Shah. Our Founder and CEO Matthew Berman was inspired to start Sonar during his time working for the Distribution team at 500 Startups. In particular he saw the struggles of Mayvenn, a startup within the 6th class of 500 Startups that helped hair stylists sell hair through online retail. Mayvenn customer service reps were outfitted with separate Sprint prepaid phones to reach their clientele, often African American women who prefer to engage via text rather than email. Berman offered to create a platform for the company — and did so within six weeks. Sonar's customer base includes Mayvenn, as well as other companies like Handy, Zillow, and StyleSeat.
