Infobip says its Startup Tribe Programme has provided UK startups and scaleups with hundreds of thousands of pounds in products and services as the initiative enters its fifth year.
The London-based cloud communications company launched the programme in 2021 for early-stage businesses that need customer communications tools without building their own systems. It offers about £45,000 in service credits, along with links to advisers, investors and accelerators.
Over its first five years, the programme has delivered millions in product and service value to participating companies worldwide. It is aimed at mission-driven startups and scaleups developing their customer communications and engagement strategies while expanding.
The support is designed to give founders early access to messaging and communications infrastructure, allowing them to direct more of their spending towards product development, sales and expansion. This avoids the need to build global communications infrastructure from scratch.
The UK has been among the markets represented in the programme, with several British startups using the service as they scaled. They include Turneo, a UK-based in-destination hotel platform, and health business Megi.
Matija Marijan, Chief Executive Officer at Turneo, said the operational support was important during a period of growth and product development.
"For startups pushing technology into new territory, that kind of support is everything. Plenty of programs talk about free credits. Infobip Startup Tribe delivers something far more valuable: real partnership when it counts. We moved to Infobip and migrated all work in one day. That alone says a lot. What really made it work was the Startup Tribe team. They are fast, responsive and genuinely collaborative," said Marijan.
Nina Šesto, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder at Megi, said the programme helped the company test and build its service before it was fully established.
"Infobip Startup Tribe allowed us to experiment and build from a very early stage, even before we were fully established as a company. The platform enabled us to scale our solution and reach patients through channels they already use. Beyond the technology, the team was professional, approachable and supportive, which made a meaningful difference in our growth," said Šesto.
Founder support
Programmes that provide software credits and technical access have become a common part of the startup support market, particularly for companies that rely on customer engagement tools from the outset. For younger businesses, outsourced communications systems can reduce the need for upfront engineering investment and help teams launch across several markets more quickly.
Startup Tribe combines product access with mentoring and ecosystem connections. Infobip presents the programme as part of a broader effort to support newer businesses as they move from early development into commercial growth.
While Infobip is marking 20 years in business, the startup initiative reflects a different part of the technology market: firms still trying to establish products, customers and funding relationships. The inclusion of investor and accelerator contacts suggests the programme is intended to offer commercial introductions alongside access to communications tools.
Global reach
Infobip describes itself as an AI-first cloud communications platform with a global footprint. Its systems can reach more than seven billion mobile devices across six continents through more than 10,000 connections, including more than 800 direct operator connections.
That scale matters for startups looking to serve users in more than one country without setting up country-by-country communications arrangements. Messaging, customer alerts, authentication and engagement functions are often among the first infrastructure decisions digital businesses face as they move beyond the pilot stage.
Lucija Reić, startup ecosystem team lead at Infobip, said the company sees the programme as a way to help younger firms build for the long term.
"In the first five years, our Startup Tribe Programme has helped new and ambitious firms achieve their business objectives and scale up through the engagement and reach offered by our global communications platform. As we celebrate Infobip's 20th anniversary, our goal is to help the startups and scaleups we support to reach two decades in business with access to our market-leading services and global network of world-class investors, funds, and accelerators," said Reić.