Brevo Raises $583 Million — And the CRM Giants Should Be Sweating

Remember when Brevo was just Sendinblue? That scrappy little email marketing tool you recommended to clients who couldn’t afford Mailchimp’s pricing? Well, buckle up — because the French startup just raised $583 million (€500 million) and joined the unicorn club with a valuation over $1 billion.

And they’re not planning to rest on their laurels. CEO Armand Thiberge just declared war on Salesforce and HubSpot — not just in Europe, but on their home turf in the United States.

Last updated: December 4, 2025

From Email Tool to CRM Giant

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) started in 2012 as a simple email marketing solution for small businesses. But over the years, it quietly evolved into something much bigger — a full all-in-one CRM platform that now serves over 600,000 customers, including big names like Carrefour, eBay, and H&M.

The rebrand from Sendinblue to Brevo wasn’t just cosmetic — it signaled a shift from “email marketing tool” to “serious CRM competitor.” And the numbers back it up:

• Surpassed $100 million ARR in 2023 (joining the “centaur club”)
• Hit €200 million ARR in 2025 (ahead of schedule)
• Targeting €1 billion ARR by 2030
• Already profitable with double-digit EBITDA margins

Not bad for a company that many marketers still think of as “that cheaper Mailchimp alternative.”

Why This Matters for Marketers

Here’s what makes Brevo interesting: they’re attacking the CRM market with a strategy that’s different from both HubSpot and Salesforce.

HubSpot went upmarket, building complex enterprise features and charging accordingly. Salesforce became a behemoth that requires consultants just to set up. But Brevo is trying to do something harder — serve both small businesses and mid-market companies with one platform that’s powerful yet simple.

As Thiberge puts it: “Whoever has the best product wins, and it’s a race to see who can make the product that is both the most complete and the easiest to use.”

That’s the tension every all-in-one platform faces. Most choose one side. Brevo thinks they can nail both.

The U.S. Expansion Plan

Right now, the U.S. represents only 15% of Brevo’s revenue — despite being 50% of the global CRM market. Thiberge wants to fix that, fast.

They’re planning to spend over €100 million of this fresh funding on U.S. growth. That’s not just marketing dollars — it’s infrastructure, sales teams, partnerships, and localization.

Why does this matter to you? Because if Brevo succeeds, HubSpot and Salesforce will finally face real pricing pressure. Competition drives innovation — and lower prices.

What Brevo Offers Now

Brevo isn’t just email marketing anymore. The platform now includes:

• Email marketing (still competing with Mailchimp)
• Marketing automation (workflows, triggers, sequences)
• CRM (sales pipeline, deal tracking, contact management)
• Customer data management (CDP-like features)
• Multi-channel communication (email, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, push notifications)
• Sales calls (integrated directly into the platform)
• AI features (€50 million invested over five years)

In other words, Brevo is now a legitimate all-in-one marketing and CRM platform — not just an email tool with extra features tacked on.

The Acquisition Strategy

Here’s something most people don’t know: Brevo has already completed 11 acquisitions to date. And they’re not slowing down.

The company expects 45% of its €1 billion revenue target for 2030 to come from inorganic growth — meaning nearly half their future revenue will come from buying other companies.

The Complete Acquisition List (2019-2025):

• Chatra (2021) — Live chat and messaging platform
• Metrilo (2021) — E-commerce analytics and customer intelligence
• PushOwl (2021) — Web push notifications for e-commerce stores
• MeetFox (2022) — Meeting scheduling and booking tool
• Yodel.io (2022) — Cloud-based phone communication system
• Captain Wallet (2022) — Digital wallet and pass management
• WonderPush (2023) — Mobile app and web push notifications
• Octolis (2023) — Customer Data Platform (CDP) for data unification
• Model (date unconfirmed) — Marketing intelligence tool
• Cohort (September 2025) — Smart loyalty and customer engagement platform
• One additional acquisition (not yet publicly disclosed)

The strategy behind these acquisitions? Each one fills a specific gap in Brevo’s all-in-one platform:

• E-commerce expansion: Chatra, Metrilo, and PushOwl brought deep e-commerce functionality
• Multi-channel communication: Yodel.io (phone), WonderPush (push notifications), Captain Wallet (digital passes)
• Customer engagement: MeetFox (scheduling), Cohort (loyalty programs)
• Data infrastructure: Octolis transformed Brevo into a true CDP-powered CRM

Why does this matter? Because when platforms consolidate through acquisitions, features get integrated, redundancies get eliminated, and users get more value. It’s also a signal that Brevo is playing the long game, not just trying to flip the company to a bigger buyer.

With acquisitions expected to contribute 45% of revenue by 2030, Brevo’s shopping list should be extensive. Expect to see them target companies in niche CRM functionalities, data analytics, AI tools, or specific communication channels as they continue their aggressive expansion strategy.

Who’s Backing Brevo Now?

This wasn’t a typical funding round. In fact, rumors initially suggested Brevo was being acquired, not raising capital. But Thiberge and the team structured it differently:

• 26% — Management and employees (largest shareholder group)
• 25% — General Atlantic (new investor)
• 25% — Oakley Capital (new investor)
• 24% — Bpifrance (existing investor)
• 24% — Bridgepoint (existing investor)
• Partech (Series A lead) completed its exit

That’s a global cap table backing a European company that refuses to play the “European sovereignty” card. Brevo wants to win on product quality, not patriotism.

Can Brevo Actually Challenge Salesforce and HubSpot?

Let’s be real: Salesforce is targeting $41.55 billion in revenue for 2026. Brevo is aiming for €1 billion by 2030. That’s not even in the same universe.

But here’s the thing — Brevo doesn’t need to beat Salesforce. They just need to carve out a massive chunk of the mid-market and small business segments where Salesforce is overkill and HubSpot is expensive.

If Brevo can deliver 80% of the functionality at 40% of the price — while keeping the platform actually usable without hiring consultants — they could steal millions of customers who are sick of overpaying for features they don’t use.

What This Means for You

If you’re a marketer, agency owner, or small business evaluating CRM options right now, Brevo just became a lot more interesting.

Here’s why:

• Validated by serious investors — $583M doesn’t get handed out to struggling startups
• Proven profitability — They’re not burning cash to grow; they’re already profitable
• Real traction — 600,000+ customers including major brands
• Product momentum — Aggressive AI investment and M&A strategy
• Competitive pricing — Still positioned as the affordable all-in-one alternative

In short, Brevo is no longer “that cheap email tool.” It’s a serious CRM contender with the capital and ambition to go head-to-head with the giants.

The Bottom Line

The CRM market has been dominated by Salesforce and HubSpot for years. But every market eventually gets disrupted by a faster, simpler, cheaper alternative that just works.

Brevo thinks they’re that alternative. And with $583 million in fresh funding, a profitable business model, and a clear product roadmap, they’ve got a real shot at pulling it off.

Will they hit their €1 billion ARR target by 2030? Time will tell. But one thing’s for sure — the CRM wars just got a lot more interesting.

Source: TechCrunch – New unicorn Brevo raises $583M to challenge CRM giants