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Linq

Category: AI Infrastructure

A communication infrastructure platform providing APIs that enable AI agents and assistants to interact natively with users via iMessage, SMS, and RCS. Linq was founded in 2019. The company is led by Elliott Potter. Based in Birmingham, USA. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $22.5M. Latest round: Series A (Feb 2025). Key investors include ["TQ Ventures","Mucker Capital","Alabama Futures Fund","Redhawk VC"].

Founded
2019
Headquarters
Birmingham, USA
Team size
11-50
Total funding
$22.5M

Value proposition

Drives superior engagement by embedding AI assistants directly into native messaging apps, achieving response rates up to 60% (iMessage) compared to 24% for standard SMS, while eliminating 'app fatigue.'

Products and solutions

["Linq Messaging API (Programmatic iMessage, RCS, and SMS)","Linq Blue (Native iMessage integration for CRMs and sales teams)","Linq for Teams (Professional networking and lead management)","Digital Business Cards (NFC-enabled contact sharing)"]

Unique value

Linq provides a rare programmatic gateway to Apple's iMessage ('blue bubble') ecosystem for AI agents, allowing businesses to appear as a 'contact' rather than a generic short-code or gray-bubble business message.

Target customer

AI agent developers, enterprise marketing and sales teams, CRM platforms, and customer experience (CX) providers.

Industries served

["Artificial Intelligence","Real Estate","E-commerce & Retail","Sales & Marketing","Enterprise Software"]

Technology advantage

Offers a device-agnostic infrastructure that allows iMessage campaigns to be managed from any platform (including Android and Web) and bypasses complex A2P/10DLC compliance requirements for standard SMS.

How they differentiate

Linq differentiates by providing programmatic access to the iMessage ('blue bubble') ecosystem, offering 60% response rates compared to the 24% industry average for standard SMS. Unlike traditional CPaaS providers that rely on short-codes, Linq allows AI agents to appear as native contacts.

Main competitors

["Twilio","Attentive","Sinch"]

Key partnerships

["TQ Ventures (Lead Series A investor)","GoHighLevel (CRM integration partner)","REsimpli (Real estate CRM integration)","Mucker Capital and Alabama Futures Fund"]

Notable customers

["GoHighLevel","REsimpli","Various AI Agent Developers"]

Major milestones

["Founded in 2019 as a digital business card platform.","Raised $2.5M Seed round in 2021 to scale networking tools.","Successfully pivoted to AI messaging infrastructure in 2024.","Closed $20M Series A led by TQ Ventures in February 2025."]

Growth metrics

Achieved 60% engagement rates on iMessage; pivoted from hardware-based networking to a high-growth AI messaging API model.

Market positioning

Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) for AI-to-consumer communication, positioned as a premium alternative to legacy SMS gateways.

Geographic focus

Global, with a primary focus on North America due to the high market penetration of iMessage and iOS devices.

Patents and IP

No registered patents disclosed as of February 2025; relies on proprietary messaging orchestration and routing technology.

About Elliott Potter

Elliott Potter was a founding team member and Director of Engineering/Marketing Technology at Shipt, where he played a pivotal role in scaling the platform from its early stages through its $550 million acquisition by Target in 2017. He spent four years at Shipt (2015–2019) before co-founding Linq to revolutionize professional networking and AI communication.

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