Air2Web

About Air2Web

Founded in 1999 by Sanjoy Malik, Air2Web established itself as a Wireless Application Service Provider (WASP) headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company functioned as a key intermediary, connecting businesses with mobile carriers to deliver integrated wireless services. Its core business focused on providing mobile marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to a diverse client base that included enterprises, interactive marketing agencies, carriers, and content providers across various sectors such as finance, IT, retail, travel, and government.

Air2Web's business model centered on a hosted service that enabled companies to engage with their employees and customers on wireless devices, primarily through SMS. The company's technology platform, "Always Interactive," was designed to be carrier- and network-independent, supporting a wide range of wireless devices. This platform accepted incoming data requests, processed them as XML to query corporate databases, and returned the results for display or as a voice message on the user's device. One of its notable custom services was the development of a wireless package tracking system for United Parcel Service (UPS), an early investor.

The company's product suite was comprehensive, offering tools like CampaignPRO for creating and managing mobile marketing campaigns, DirectTEXT for bulk and transactional text messaging, and Mobile Assist for interactive chat. It also provided the Mobile Dev Suite, which allowed developers to build their own custom mobile applications. Over its lifespan, Air2Web successfully raised significant capital, with funding rounds totaling between $51.4 million and $93.6 million from investors including The Carlyle Group, BellSouth, and VantagePoint Capital Partners. A key milestone was the acquisition of UK-based Consult Mobile in 2005 to expand its operations overseas. The company's journey culminated in its acquisition by Velti, a mobile marketing and advertising provider, on September 22, 2011, for $19 million.