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ValueFirst Messaging provides mobile data solutions and services. The company's products include Speed, a desktop software for sending an SMS and managing contacts from the personal computer; Velocity and VelocityPlus, an SMS suite to send an SMS in a complex database environment to serve customer needs related to SMS transactions in an automated or a manual mode; Bar code Manager, a window based application that helps customers to send SMS bar codes through their desktop; and Media Manager, a picture manager that sends bitmaps/picture SMSes to various mobile phones. It also offers enterprise mobile messaging, desktop mobile messaging, and mobile marketing and consulting solutions.
In addition, the company provides airmail, short and long code, SMS 2 email, SMS enabled banner, pace application program interface, and Bluetooth marketing services. It serves banking and financial, information technology/business process outsourcing, media and entertainment, automotive, education, courier and logistics, healthcare, stock broking, real estate, and retail markets. The company was incorporated in 2003 and is based in Gurgaon, Haryana. The company also has operations in India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, the UAE, and the UK.
In 2009, ValueFirst, an enterprise mobility and communication services company, acquired Cellnext Solutions, a subsidiary of Escorts-an engineering conglomerate operating in agri-machinery, construction, and material handling equipment sectors, along with railway equipment and auto components. Equirus Capital was the sole advisor for the transaction, the value of which was not disclosed.
Post the acquisition, ValueFirst intends to run Cellnext as a separate company providing VAS. ValueFirst would retain and grow the Cellnext brand, leveraging its own sales structure and processes to build upon Cellnext's domain knowledge and verticalized product offerings.
Recently, the company raised a fresh round of funding of around `70 crore (approximately $15 mn) from investors, including a wholly owned subsidiary of the Headland Asian Ventures Fund 3 (HAV3), and existing investor New Enterprise Associates (NEA).
ValueFirst is also an investor in Indian social network Indyarocks and has a consumer focused community messaging service tagg.in, an SMS advertising network SpotOn Media, an SMS content publishing venture smsmeon.com, and content alerts Alertrix. In 2008, the company raised $6 mn from NEA.
ValueFirst intends to use the funding amount, and then some more, for acquisitions. It has allocated around `100 crore (almost $22 mn) towards acquisitions in India and overseas, in the messaging and media space.
In the last year and a half, it has made a number of acquisitions and investments. ValueFirst is in advanced discussion to acquire 3 companies, including a foreign one. By 2011, the company will invest $18-22 mn in these acquisitions. The company is also planning to go public in next 15-18 months. Previously, it had targeted 2012 for an IPO.
In March 2010, it acquired majority stake in PacketShaper, a telecom products company, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition brought in the capability to do mobile applications, as well as products for switching, dialers, IVR, calling cards, IP-PBX, etc.
PacketShaper has 30-35 international customers in the
Company's key associates include IAMAI, Symbiosis International University, Wirefoot, waytomarriage.com, e.t.c. The company cliams to have over 3,000
marquee enterprise customers in different segments , over 80+ channel partners and over 400 highly skilled employees which will help the company to grow by leaps and bounds in next few years.