Founded in South Africa, Clickatell has revolutionized how businesses and consumers connect, emerging as a pioneer in AI-powered chat commerce. The company began by linking businesses to customers via SMS with just four lines of code, and today its cutting-edge platform powers secure transactions and conversational experiences across banking, retail, telecoms, healthcare, and more.
Over 25 years, Clickatell has introduced industry-first innovations, including tokenized payments on WhatsApp, KYC-compliant chat banking, and Chat-2-Pay, developed with Visa, integrating payments directly into chat conversations. These solutions remove friction in customer interactions, automate processes, enhance security, and deliver personalized, scalable experiences.
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“From day one, our mission has been to give people back their time through technology,” said Pieter de Villiers, co-founder and CEO of Clickatell. “With our AI-powered Chat Commerce platform, brands no longer need to keep customers on hold or force them to switch apps. We create frictionless, secure, and highly efficient customer experiences.”
Clickatell also drives digital transformation in Africa, empowering youth and entrepreneurs through initiatives like Endeavor SA and The Collective X, fostering digital skills, financial inclusion, and economic opportunity. Looking ahead, the company envisions its platform evolving into an agentic commerce layer, where every customer interaction can become a secure transaction, reinforcing its leadership in AI, chat commerce, and enterprise digital innovation globally.