Zenzap raises $44M to replace WhatsApp in the workplace

What's the deal? ZenzapDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised $44 million for its AI-powered messaging app built to help companies coordinate with staff while meeting IT and security rules. Backers include Bessemer Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and The Garage, plus angels Wix president Nir ZoharDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and former EY general manager Yoram Tietz.

What's the endgame? Founder Guy Weiss wants to replace consumer apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and iMessageDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which many businesses use to talk to staff despite their lack of compliance controls. Zenzap targets a broad set of verticals — hospitality, construction, healthcare, and fast food among them.

How it works: The free tier offers group chats, direct messages, task management, calendar integration, and AI-powered voice chat and search. Paid plans start at $51 per month for up to 20 users, unlocking voice and video calls, smart task sorting, and workspace-wide AI search. AI agents for workflow automation run on credit-based pricing.

Why now? This is the first time Weiss has raised capital. He bootstrapped e-commerce marketing platform StuccoMediaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2012 and sold it to Market GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2015, then spent years as an investor before founding Zenzap in 2022 with co-founders Noam Neumann and Jonatan Bien.

Weiss initially self-funded the app and worked out of Bessemer's office. "I didn't want to raise capital. The only thing I had to lose was my name," he said. Bessemer partner Adam Fisher convinced him Zenzap needed venture backing to scale.

By the numbers: Zenzap lists FedEx, Dollar General, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Casey's, and Regal as clients, and says branches of chains like IHOP and McDonald's use it to coordinate shifts. It employs 50 staff across the US, Tel Aviv, and Europe, and plans to hire in product and R&D.

The signal: Fisher argues Slack is the only work platform with real loyalty, and mostly among developers. "People desperately want a clear separation of work from their personal lives," he said, betting that work-specific AI agents make that split urgent.

Read more: TechCrunch

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