BOKU
Boku’s platform brings merchants and mobile operators together to transform 5B mobile phone subscribers into the world’s largest assembly of customers.
Company Goal:
Buy Anything with Your Phone Number
Clarity's Challenge:
7 years from Launch to IPO
About
When a communications relationship really works, you’re in it for the long haul. That was absolutely the case when it came to Boku, a Clarity client from its initial launch in 2009 through their IPO in 2018. Boku was one of the very first companies to take a look at the humble mobile phone, while it still flipped to open and Snake was its coolest app, and say “this is going to change the way we buy everything.”
At the time we first engaged, the Clarity team did not have specific expertise in the payments industry, and the “mobile payments” space was just getting off the ground. It was with Boku that we developed our company-wide process for creating specialized teams with deeply vertical knowledge of any industry – working from Boku’s offices on a weekly basis, training our team members to understand every nuance of the space, building relationships with and constantly engaging with industry-specific press, and closely following the movements of competitors.
Over the course of these 8 years, Clarity and Boku encountered every major success and obstacle a tech startup can imagine. From launching new products and features, to partnering with some of the world’s largest companies in Apple, Sony, Microsoft, and more, to fighting off (and eventually acquiring) our competitors – Boku and Clarity faced it all together.
The truth is, 8 years of work doesn’t lend itself well to a short “Case Study” but the length of our relationship speaks volumes about its efficacy.
Results
- Well over 1,000 pieces of original, earned coverage for Boku.
- An average of nearly 150 original articles each year the Clarity team and Boku worked together.
- Boku’s founding team appeared on every major business television show from CNBC to Fox Business.
- Company executives gave keynote speeches at conferences from Mobile World Congress, to Money 20/20, to SXSW.
- Boku was selected for the Wall Street Journal’s top venture-backed startups list 2 years in a row and named one of the 20 most promising companies in America by Forbes Magazine.
Selected Press
How Boku Is Disrupting Mobile Billing & Payments
Jon Prideaux, Boku's chief business officer, explains how his company simplifies shopping by allowing customers to purchase items without bringing along their wallets.
BOKU Takes on PayPal for Mobile Payments
BOKU Co-Founder Ron Hirson on how the company is making mobile payments easier for consumers.
Investors Bet on Payments via Cellphone
On a PC, having to fill out a form and type in a credit card number to buy something is only mildly annoying. On a cellphone, it could make you want to skip the purchase entirely.
The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies
Boku listed as one of the top VC-Backed companies in the world.
America's 20 Most Promising Companies
Forbes selects Boku as one of its most promising companies in the United States.
Boku Enables Mobile Pay On Your Current Phone
The company is already a prominent player in the cell phone carrier payments space, but with its new Accounts system it’s taking a big step toward letting people buy goods in physical stores.
Boku Locks Down Another $13m to Fund Expansion
Global mobile payments company Boku announced a $13.75 million funding round today led by a consortium of UK investors. The company had previously raised approximately $77.25 million from Khosla Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Index Ventures, Benchmark, and Andreessen Horowitz among others.
No slowdown in payments as Boku buys mopay
ew markets in technology are more crowded than mobile payments. That was the case even before Apple made its loud entrance as part of the iPhone 6 launch last month and prior to eBay's announced plans a week ago to spin off PayPal.
Boku brings its carrier-billing technology to Google Play
Mobile payments platform Boku is launching its carrier-billing technology on Google Play, letting anyone buy games and apps without the need for a bank card to complete the purchase. The technology is rolling out slowly and will only be available in Saudi Arabia at first, however.
Boku expands Spotify partnership
The service will be provided in partnership with every major mobile network operator (MNO) in Germany and a leading carrier in Italy. Carrier billing allows users to pay for apps and services via their mobile phone bill, rather than through a credit card or other payment method.
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