SMSPortal’s Charles Stretch and James Pearce on the future of SMS

S2, E20

In this What’s Next episode, Aki Anastasiou discusses the future of SMS with tech experts Charles Stretch and James Pearce, the founders and joint CEOs of SMSPortal. Stretch and Pearce built SMSPortal from a garage-based start-up to an international player and the biggest bulk SMS provider in Africa. Under the founders, SMSPortal experienced organic growth to become a global messaging powerhouse and a market leader in its sector. Stretch heads up the strategic and operational implementations of the company, where his team drives the strategic direction and business operations of SMSPortal throughout Africa. He is also involved in the day-to-day running of the company to ensure long-term business value and sustainability. Pearce and his team are responsible for the technical running of the business, overseeing all aspects, including infrastructure, security, development and overall product direction. His enterprising technology spirit and a strong background in programming, computer science and software development, allows him to focus on ensuring the business is giving customers the best possible engagement channel. In this episode, Stretch and Pearce give some background on the journey of SMSPortal and how it has grown organically over the last few years. They expand on the recent growth in the African market for bulk communication platforms to achieve maximum reach and customer engagement. They also discuss some of the challenges and opportunities, especially with POPIA and data protection, in the messaging space. The interview ends with Stretch and Pearce sharing their thoughts on how mobile engagement is being used to connect, transact, and engage and what’s next in the messaging space for SMSPortal.

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