If you want to meet a company that encapsulates how you can not only generate revenue but use it for good across a whole tech ecosystem, you need to meet cloud communications platform Infobip.
Infobip’s co-founders bootstrapped the company from zero turnover in 2006 to $1 billion in revenue in just 14 years with no external investment. In 2020, Infobip became Croatia’s first unicorn, valued at more than $1 billion, when it raised $200 million from private equity firm One Equity Partners. The company has raised over $800 million.
It enables businesses to build seamless and scalable AI-embedded customer engagement experiences across multiple channels, including SMS, email, voice, chat apps, and push notifications. Infobip empowers businesses to optimise customer support, improve operational efficiency, and drive growth, making it a valuable partner for companies looking to enhance digital communication strategies.
It acquired the Eastern European tech and business publication Netokracija in 2022 and purchased the power-packed developer conference Shift. It now hosts conferences in Miami and Zadar — I attended the conference last year in Zadar, and it's definitely worth a visit.
I sat down with Nikola Pavesic, Head of Infobip’s startup Tribe in Croatia to learn all about it.
Building “the Skype of Croatia”
According to Pavesic, Infobip aims to be the "Skype of Croatia — perhaps a decade or more behind Skype in terms of timing, but fundamentally, this is the key trigger. If we execute it well, it could serve as a crucial catalyst.
Of course, other components are necessary, but a major success story like this can set things in motion. When liquidity events happen, early employees can reinvest their experience and capital into new startups, fostering a cycle of innovation.”
The key to unlocking Croatia’s startup potential
According to Pavesic, Croatia is at a pivotal moment.
“But the ecosystem is still waiting for that defining breakthrough. One critical missing piece remains: capital.
Look at Estonia — it's on track to have 25 to 30 venture capital funds. In contrast, Croatia has perhaps three, and even their quality is debatable."
Further, the company has observed a major gap in sector understanding which could be attributed to a lack of business education.
“We frequently receive questions like, ‘How much equity should I give to my first employees? How do I talk to investors?’
These are basic yet crucial elements of startup success, which founders in more developed ecosystems take for granted.
Driving impact: Infobip invests in financial literacy and startup ecosystem growth
Besides running its own business, Infobip is working to help build this missing infrastructure — improving financial literacy, increasing capital availability, and fostering a more mature investment landscape globally.
This includes the launch of the Infobip Startup Tribe, a global perks program designed to support startups with the tools and resources needed for growth. The program offers up to $60,000 in credits for Infobip's communication solutions, along with access to global conferences, networking opportunities with partners and investors, and exclusive deals from trusted collaborators.
Beyond benefits, the Infobip Startup Tribe fosters a vibrant community where startups can share their journeys through stories and podcasts, and engage in events that promote learning and connection.
A playbook for global expansion
According to Pavesic, if you want to do anything serious, you must build with a global first mindset when you are from a small market.
One of the company’s biggest strengths is its presence in frontier markets in places like Brazil, Columbia, Kenya, and Nigeria. It not only
Infobip has 76 companies globally. This includes Vodnjan — its Croatian HQ, Madrid, Chicago, Mumbai, Jakarta, Nairobi, Lagos, Sydney, Cairo and Riyadh.
Pavesic has a thing for maps and is excited when new countries from frontier markets join the Tribe.
So far the company has given out around $2.5 million in products. “Completely no strings attached.” and accepted around 450 startups in the program from 72 countries. Partners range from Index and Sequoia and Y Combinator all the way to local Peruvian financial inclusion, Fintech VC.
Scaling to outliers requires a unique approach, and our company has taken an unconventional path in many ways.
Infobip attributes its ability to scale into outlier markets to expanding aggressively before others do, understanding local nuances and challenges, and having people willing to go anywhere to make things happen.
One key factor is adaptability—it’s about accommodating local markets and navigating challenges on the ground.
Infobip has a novel approach with a frugal, resourceful mindset; instead of sending well-established executives with big budgets, it sends young, ambitious people to new markets and lets them figure things out.
“Unlike a large corporation like Oracle, which would send an entire relocation package with a structured setup, we sent young people with a mission: "Go there, take risks, and make it happen."
Pavesic shared the example of colleagues like Ante Pamukovic , President of International Revenue. He started at the company as an intern and is now our President of Revenue.
Take his experience in Tanzania, for example.
“When he was opening our office there, he went through some wild situations — working out of hotel rooms, getting into tricky situations with local authorities, and even facing the risk of deportation. It wasn’t until he secured a deal with a major telco that things stabilised. "
This kind of hands-on, high-risk, high-reward approach defined Infobip’s early expansion.
“This is why we have the most direct telco connections — “over 800, far more than any other company in our space. We expanded early, not just in the usual markets like the US, Germany, or Singapore, but in places like Korea, Uganda, and Costa Rica.
That aggressive, on-the-ground approach gave us a strong foothold globally.”
Pavesic highlighted the importance of cultural sensitivity and diversity among cultures.
“For example, how some Americans struggle with patience when working in Japan. Understanding how to get things done in different environments is key. Kenya and Australia, for instance, are completely different business landscapes, and success depends on how well you adapt to those differences.
We also have incredibly mobile leaders. Take Jelko, our VP in LATAM, who doesn’t have a fixed residence. He’s constantly travelling across Latin America, moving between offices. It’s an intense lifestyle, but it works for the company.”
“That’s what sets us apart, and it’s why we’ve been able to establish such a strong global presence.
Can AI tools solve global painpoints?
Infobip commercial offerings operate in a complex regulatory environment regarding global compliance.
Pavesic offered some examples:
"Just sending SMS messages can be a nightmare. For instance, in India, you must register your message template on a distributed ledger. In Dubai, you can’t send promotional messages after 8 pm. In the U.S., even though cannabis is legal in some states, you can’t send SMS about it because it’s still federally illegal—and SMS falls under federal law."
These nuances often go unnoticed until a company tries to scale globally. "We’ve had to shut down customers for violations. It’s a mess."
To manage this, their team is building AI-driven tools to automate compliance. "We're developing something that learns from the zillions of applications we’ve handled over 500 billion interactions on our platform.
"Just on Black Friday alone, we processed six billion. Our servers were shaking. But as our CPO Adrian says, 'Infobip always delivers.'"
Like all companies, Infobip is not immune to the attraction of AI to solve industry painpoints.
What excites them most is the potential for better customer service.
"Most systems suck — airline customer support, for example, is rage-inducing. You get stuck in a loop with no way to talk to a real person."
AI combined with behavioural science can result in meaningful solutions. Pavesic asserts:
"It’s not just about feeding data into a machine—it’s about understanding people. Startups that do this well, personalise the experience, and actually care about the outcome will win. Because if you don’t get better, the challenges will beat you."
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