Airship is a Portland, Oregon-based technology company specializing in a cross-channel customer experience platform purpose-built for mobile-first audiences.[1][2][5] It enables brands to deliver personalized interactions across mobile apps, web, email, SMS, and more, using AI-powered journey orchestration, no-code content creation, and real-time data analytics to boost engagement and conversions—serving sectors like airlines (e.g., Alaska Airlines), media (e.g., BBC), retail (e.g., Home Depot), finance, sports, and telecom.[1][2][5] The platform addresses fragmented customer experiences by unifying zero- and first-party data for smarter personalization, with proven results like 2.8x higher conversions from in-app scenes and 2.5x from push notifications compared to averages.[5]
Formerly Urban Airship, founded in 2009, Airship pioneered push notifications, in-app messaging, mobile wallet boarding passes, and Apple's Live Activities, evolving into an end-to-end solution for app store optimization, experimentation, and lifecycle value capture.[1][2] It remains privately held, backed by investors like August Capital, Foundry Group, and Intel Capital, with leadership including CEO Brett Caine.[4]
Airship, originally Urban Airship, was founded in 2009 in Portland, Oregon, at the dawn of the mobile app era.[1][2] The company emerged from the need to innovate customer experiences as smartphones proliferated, delivering the industry's first push notification and in-app message to help brands connect with users in real time.[2] Early traction came from powering mobile wallet boarding passes—now standard for travelers—and enabling the first commercial use of Apple's Live Activities on launch day.[2]
Key figures include current President, CEO, and Board Member Brett Caine, alongside executives like CFO Joe Russell, CTO Mike Herrick, and Chief Legal Officer Virginia Llewellyn.[4] The company's evolution reflects a shift from mobile messaging pioneers to a comprehensive AI-driven platform, most recently launching the world's first no-code native experience editor for apps and web, reducing development time from months to minutes.[2]
Airship stands out in the martech landscape through mobile-first innovations and enterprise-grade capabilities:
These elements, guided by values like customer obsession and collaboration, create a platform that's faster to deploy and more conversion-focused than rivals.[2]
Airship rides the mobile-first customer experience wave, capitalizing on data deprecation, AI advancements, and multichannel expectations in a post-cookie era.[5] Its timing aligns with 2025 trends like emerging channels (e.g., Live Activities), predictive AI, and zero-party data reliance, helping brands combat user churn from static interactions.[1][2][5] Market forces favoring Airship include surging mobile app usage, regulatory privacy shifts, and demand for no-code tools amid developer shortages—positioning it against competitors like Cordial and Insider in a $50B+ martech space.[1]
By enabling quick, personalized journeys for giants like Alaska Airlines and BBC, Airship influences the ecosystem, accelerating adoption of AI-orchestrated experiences and setting standards for conversion optimization in retail, finance, and media.[2][5]
Airship is primed to dominate mobile CX as AI agents and real-time personalization become table stakes, with expansions into web and emerging channels driving deeper ecosystem integration.[2][5] Trends like advanced ASO, multi-sensor data fusion (distinguishing it from AI security peers like Airship AI), and 2025 martech evolutions will shape its path, potentially fueling M&A or IPO amid private market interest from backers like Intel Capital.[4][5]
Expect heightened growth through enterprise wins and platform innovations, solidifying its role as the go-to for brands converting mobile moments into loyalty—echoing its origin as the push notification pioneer now orchestrating the full customer lifecycle.[2]
Airship has raised $100.0M in total across 7 funding rounds.
Airship's investors include August Capital, Founders' Co-op, Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta.
Airship has raised $100.0M across 7 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $25.0M Series F in June 2018.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2018 | $25.0M Series F | August Capital, Founders' Co-op, Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta | |
| Apr 1, 2016 | $8.0M Series E | August Capital, Founders' Co-op, Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta | |
| Mar 1, 2015 | $21.0M Series D | August Capital, Founders' Co-op, Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta | |
| Feb 1, 2013 | $25.0M Series D | August Capital, Founders' Co-op, Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta | |
| Nov 1, 2011 | $15.0M Series C | Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta | |
| Nov 1, 2010 | $5.0M Series B | Founders' Co-op, Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta | |
| Feb 1, 2010 | $1.0M Series A | August Capital, Founders' Co-op, Foundry Group, Frontier Ventures, K9 Ventures, True Ventures, Amit Gupta |
