Transforming Customer Engagement: Linq’s Evolution from digital Cards to AI-Powered Messaging

Charting a New Course in Business Interaction

Many startups discover their defining product onyl after responding to clear market demands. Linq, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, began as a digital business card platform integrated with lead capture features tailored for sales teams. Over time, the company pivoted strategically and ultimately found its true calling by revolutionizing how businesses connect with customers-shifting from traditional SMS to enriched messaging channels like iMessage and RCS.

The Quest for Genuine Business Interactions

While platforms such as Apple’s Messages for Business and Twilio’s expansive $18.26 billion messaging infrastructure have enabled companies to reach consumers via text, these communications often lack warmth or authenticity.Customers frequently recognize business texts by their grey bubbles or overt branding cues that diminish trust.

Linq tackled this challenge by allowing companies to send messages that appear as native blue bubbles within iMessage, fostering a more natural and credible user experience.

An Innovative API Unlocks Native Messaging Features

Founded by former Shipt executives Elliott Potter (CEO), Patrick Sullivan (CTO), and Jared Mattsson (President), Linq responded directly to client demand for authentic communication tools. in early 2025, the company launched an API enabling businesses to leverage native iMessage functionalities such as group chats, emojis, threaded conversations, images, and voice notes. This breakthrough propelled Linq’s annual recurring revenue growth rate to double within eight months-a remarkable feat considering it took four years just to establish its initial customer base.

The Strategic Shift Toward AI-Driven Assistants

The emergence of AI assistants opened new avenues beyond conventional B2B messaging solutions for Linq. A turning point arrived when an AI agent named Poke showcased how clever bots could seamlessly operate inside iMessage-handling tasks like scheduling appointments or answering FAQs without requiring users to switch apps.

Poke’s viral debut ignited widespread enthusiasm among numerous AI startups eager to embed chatbots directly into popular messaging platforms including iMessage, RCS, and SMS.

Navigating Growth: Infrastructure Provider or Specialized Player?

Linq confronted a pivotal choice: maintain focus on steady B2B clients or evolve into a foundational infrastructure provider powering diverse programmatic messaging applications across industries worldwide. CEO Elliott Potter summarized this crossroads:

“We faced two options-to remain one spoke on the wheel or become the central hub supporting all programmatic messaging applications.”

Addressing App Fatigue Through Familiar Messaging Interfaces

With mobile users spending over 4 hours daily on devices yet hesitant about downloading new apps due to app fatigue-a phenomenon where consumers feel overwhelmed by too many applications-the ability for users to interact with AI assistants inside familiar messaging environments is transformative. Developers benefit too; they can focus on crafting conversational experiences rather than building complex standalone apps.

“AI has matured enough that traditional apps are becoming less relevant,” said Potter. “What truly matters now is having an interface where you can naturally converse with intelligent systems integrated directly into your workflows.”

Sustained Momentum Driven by Expanding Use Cases

• Linq experienced a 132% increase in its customer base quarter-over-quarter following its pivot toward AI-powered communication tools.
• The average account size grew 34%, indicating deeper integration within clients’ operational processes.
• The platform supports roughly 134,000 monthly active users engaging through customer-deployed AI agents across multiple channels.
• Linq processes over 30 million messages each month while maintaining net revenue retention close to 295%, demonstrating extraordinary product-market fit without any churn reported so far.

Broadening Horizons Beyond Apple’s Ecosystem

Although Apple dominates U.S.-based smartphone usage today-accounting for approximately 55% of market share-the global landscape remains fragmented with alternatives like WhatsApp boasting over 2 billion active users worldwide alongside WeChat’s dominance in China and Telegram’s rapid growth internationally.

Linq plans ambitious expansions including:

• Diverse Channel Integration: Supporting Slack workspaces; email threads; Telegram groups; WhatsApp chats; Discord servers; Signal communities;
• A Unified Conversational Hub: Allowing seamless interactions wherever customers prefer communicating;
• An Omnichannel Vision: Combining voice capabilities alongside text-based interfaces for richer engagement experiences;

“Our mission is straightforward yet bold-to make interacting with intelligent systems as effortless as texting friends,” explained Potter.
this vision positions Linq at the forefront of creating entirely new categories of companies centered around frictionless human-AI dialogue spanning multiple communication channels.

A Strong Financial Backdrop Accelerates Innovation

Linq recently raised $20 million in Series A funding led by TQ Ventures along with contributions from Mucker Capital and angel investors. These funds will fuel team expansion efforts while refining go-to-market strategies aimed at scaling adoption globally-signaling strong confidence in long-term growth potential amid evolving conversational technology trends worldwide.