Dutch online messaging service MessageBird is taking over SparkPost, an email platform used to deliver some 40% of all commercial emails worldwide. The two companies have had a partnership since 2019.

MessageBird is paying just under €500m ($600m) for SparkPost and will fund the deal after extending its series C round of funding from the $200m it announced in October to $1bn.

MessageBird was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Amsterdam. The company focuses on business to consumer communications and currently serves over 20,000 customers and operates across nine hubs worldwide.

Last month MessageBird bought two companies — video meeting platform 24Sessions and customer data platform Hull. This latest deal gives MessageBird access to SparkPost’s high-profile clients, including JP Morgan, PayPal, Disney, Zillow, Adobe, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

‘It will be a complete integration,’ Vis told the Parool in an interview. ‘I don’t believe if keeping takeovers as separate entities.’

Other takeovers could also be on the cards. ‘We have enough capital and the market is moving very fast,’ he said. ‘Covid has escalated something which is difficult to stop. More and more people are working from home but have to keep in touch with their companies and clients. That is where we can play a role.’