Tall Bob
Tall Bob is a Melbourne-based SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, and RCS mobile engagement platform serving nine verticals including retail, real estate, allied health, automotive, ecommerce, not-for-profits, gyms, software providers, and large enterprises via direct sales, APIs, and MarTech channel integrations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Tall Bob does
Tall Bob is an Australia-based mobile messaging platform, headquartered in Melbourne, that delivers SMS and MMS communications to businesses across nine primary verticals including Allied Health, Automotive, Ecommerce, Gym and Fitness, Not for Profits, Real Estate, Retail, Software Providers, and Large Enterprise internal communications. The platform is built around a Tier 1 telco-connected SMS and MMS gateway hosted on AWS, exposed through both a no-code web portal and well-documented APIs with webhooks, and is complemented by an engagement tooling layer spanning mobile landing pages, video hosting, surveys, gamification, augmented reality, and barcode generation. Channel breadth has been extended with WhatsApp Business integration and Rich Communication Services (RCS), and the platform holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification plus inherits SOC 2 and PCI DSS Level 1 posture from AWS infrastructure.
Tall Bob monetises primarily through usage-based per-message pricing for SMS and MMS, supplemented by subscription platform access, bespoke enterprise contracts, and white-label or embedded licensing for software providers. Go-to-market is tri-modal: enterprise field sales with dedicated account managers and bespoke pricing; an API-first, self-serve motion for developers and marketers; and a channel partner motion through native integrations with Emarsys, Ortto, Klaviyo, and Oracle Responsys, alongside an integrations marketplace. Customer evidence spans the Australian Open, energy and utilities, real estate, national retail, food and beverage manufacturing, and case-study results such as 733% ROI on a fashion-retailer loyalty campaign, 140% new-car-sales uplift for an auto dealer, and 150% over fundraising target for a food rescue NFP.
The company was founded in 2012 (with marketing claiming 20+ years of industry experience) and operates as a privately held, apparently bootstrapped firm with 11-50 employees, a Board chaired by Kim Williams, CEO Ryan Berman, CFO Mary Karolyi, and functional heads across Sales, Product, Technology, Software Platforms, and Customer Strategy. Notable M&A includes the acquisition of ThirdScreen for MMS expertise, and ownership structure suggests founder-led governance without disclosed institutional capital.
Tall Bob firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tall Bob
- Legal name
- Tall Bob
- Website
- https://tallbob.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tall Bob is a Melbourne-based SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, and RCS mobile engagement platform serving nine verticals including retail, real estate, allied health, automotive, ecommerce, not-for-profits, gyms, software providers, and large enterprises via direct sales, APIs, and MarTech channel integrations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tall Bob industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Messaging Platform / SMS Marketing Software
- NAICS
- All Other Telecommunications (517810), Telecommunications Resellers and Agents for Wireless Telecommunication Services (51712), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SMS/MMS & Messaging Marketing Services (Text, RCS, WhatsApp/OTT) (MPAAAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- SMS/RCS Messaging Platforms (BPAMACAF)
Keywords
Where Tall Bob is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Markets served
Tall Bob business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- SMS/MMS Message Delivery: Usage-based pricing for SMS and MMS message delivery on a per-message basis. Standard messages up to 160 characters are charged as 1 message; longer messages are billed as multiple segments. Volume discounts and committed use pricing available for enterprise customers.
- Platform Subscription: Access to web portal, analytics dashboards, engagement tools, and API usage included in message pricing. Post-pay and prepaid pricing options available with optional auto top-up.
- Enterprise and Software Provider Licensing: Bespoke pricing structures for software providers and large/enterprise businesses, potentially including white-label options and custom billing solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Usage-based SMS/MMS with standard character limits |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise and Software Provider Plans |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Tall Bob product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tall Bob sells an enterprise-grade mobile messaging platform that delivers SMS and MMS to 180+ countries via direct Tier 1 telco routes, accessible through a self-serve web portal and documented APIs. The platform adds engagement tools (mobile landing pages, video, surveys, AR, gamification), real-time recipient journey analytics, WhatsApp Business and RCS channels, and native integrations with major MarTech platforms to support marketing, customer engagement, internal communications, and software-provider embedding use cases.
Product overview
Tall Bob is a comprehensive mobile messaging platform that combines delivery, creativity, and insight to help businesses drive stronger outcomes through SMS, MMS, and emerging channels. The platform architecture consists of core messaging products (SMS Messages and MMS Messaging) delivered via a web-based SMS Web Portal platform or programmatically through SMS Gateway API and MMS Gateway API. These core capabilities are enhanced by engagement tools (Mobile Landing Pages, Engagement Tools Suite) and supplementary channels (WhatsApp Business, Rich Communication Services). The Customer Engagement Platform provides analytics and hyper-personalisation, while Internal Communications Software and SMS for Software Solutions serve specific vertical use cases. An Integrations Marketplace extends connectivity to third-party platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SMS Messages Text-based mobile message delivery to mobile phones via direct telco routes with a 97% open rate, supporting bulk SMS marketing, notifications, alerts, and global delivery to 180+ countries for businesses.
- MMS Messaging Multimedia-rich mobile message delivery supporting images, GIFs, videos, audio, and PDFs through direct telco routes with up to 5,000 characters per message for marketing and engagement use cases.
- Mobile Landing Pages
Quantifiable outcome
- 97% SMS open rate
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Tall Bob
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tall Bob technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature8 records
Tall Bob partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- EmarsyscoreNative SMS and MMS integration for Emarsys marketing automation platform. Enables personalised cross-channel campaigns with Tall Bob delivering SMS/MMS as part of Emarsys customer flows. Described as leaders in SMS and MMS innovation for Emarsys.
- OrttocoreNo. 1 SMS choice for Ortto. Native SMS integration for Ortto's marketing automation and customer journeys. Build mobile-led and segmented customer journeys that engage and delight customers. Tall Bob delivers worldwide with embedded network connectivity.
- KlaviyocoreIntegration for Klaviyo's intelligent marketing automation and customer journeys. SMS and MMS built for Australian businesses, personalised to store with brand identity at heart.
- Oracle ResponsyscoreIntegration with Oracle Marketing Cloud and journeys, combining Oracle's marketing automation with Tall Bob's SMS reliability.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreCloud infrastructure provider. Tall Bob keeps data safe by hosting on AWS - a scalable and encrypted cloud platform that is ISO27001 and SOC2 compliant. Multiple data centre locations ensure reliability.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tall Bob competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Plivo: Cloud communications platform offering SMS, MMS, and voice APIs. Comparable developer-focused CPaaS positioning with messaging APIs and similar target market of SaaS providers and enterprises.
- CM.com: European CPaaS with strong SMS, WhatsApp Business, and RCS messaging plus marketing automation (Mobile Marketing Cloud). Competes in the same omnichannel messaging engagement category.
- MessageBird (Bird): Omnichannel CPaaS platform with strong SMS, WhatsApp, and marketing automation offerings. Direct competitor in the SMS/MMS plus marketing cloud category, with comparable integrations to MarTech platforms.
- ClickSend: Melbourne-headquartered SMS, MMS, email, and postal marketing platform. Closest ANZ-based direct competitor with overlapping verticals (ecommerce, retail, NFP) and pricing models.
- Infobip: Global CPaaS platform offering SMS, MMS, RCS, WhatsApp, and a marketing engagement suite. Competes in the same enterprise and omnichannel messaging space, including direct telco routes and marketing automation integrations.
- Vonage (Ericsson): Communications Platform as a Service including SMS APIs, messaging, and contact centre. Now part of Ericsson, Vonage competes directly in the API messaging space with enterprise focus.
- Twilio: Global CPaaS leader offering SMS, MMS, WhatsApp Business, and RCS APIs. Directly comparable in core A2P messaging functionality and target customers (developers, enterprises, ISVs), with broader scale and international footprint.
- Sinch: Swedish-headquartered CPaaS provider offering SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, and RCS APIs globally. Competes head-to-head in A2P messaging and operator relationships, with significant enterprise and marketing automation focus.
- MessageMedia (Block, Inc.): APAC-focused business SMS provider, now part of Block (Square). Historically a direct competitor in Australian and New Zealand A2P SMS, serving similar SMB and mid-market verticals.
Broad incumbents
- Telstra (Messaging / Muru-D): Australia's largest telco offering enterprise messaging and connectivity as part of a broader telecom and digital services portfolio. Provides A2P SMS, RCS, and marketing messaging to enterprise customers across ANZ, competing with Tall Bob from a much larger base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tall Bob social profiles
Digital presenceTall Bob compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Tall Bob financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tall Bob leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Tall Bob funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tall Bob M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tall Bob
What does Tall Bob do?
Tall Bob sells an enterprise-grade mobile messaging platform that delivers SMS and MMS to 180+ countries via direct Tier 1 telco routes, accessible through a self-serve web portal and documented APIs. The platform adds engagement tools (mobile landing pages, video, surveys, AR, gamification), real-time recipient journey analytics, WhatsApp Business and RCS channels, and native integrations with major MarTech platforms to support marketing, customer engagement, internal communications, and software-provider embedding use cases.
Is Tall Bob a public or private company?
Tall Bob is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Tall Bob founded?
Tall Bob was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tall Bob based?
Tall Bob is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Tall Bob make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SMS/MMS Message Delivery is the primary driver. The others are platform Subscription and enterprise and Software Provider Licensing.
Who are Tall Bob's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Plivo, CM.com, MessageBird (Bird), ClickSend, Infobip, Vonage (Ericsson), Twilio, Sinch and MessageMedia (Block, Inc.). Telstra (Messaging / Muru-D) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Tall Bob have an API?
Yes. Tall Bob provides well-documented, simple, scalable and secure APIs for SMS and MMS integration. The APIs support sending outbound alerts, mass marketing messages, two-way conversations, and multimedia messaging (video via SMS). Webhooks provide real-time event notifications to connected applications. The API documentation is available at docs.tallbob.com and covers frequently used use cases for integrating SMS and MMS into applications and products. Developer documentation is at docs.tallbob.com.
What industry is Tall Bob in?
Tall Bob's product category is Mobile Messaging Platform / SMS Marketing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAIAB, SMS/MMS & Messaging Marketing Services (Text, RCS, WhatsApp/OTT), with a secondary code of BPAMACAF, SMS/RCS Messaging Platforms. Its NAICS code is 517810 and its SIC code is 4822.