Hilos

Hilos, based in Mexico City, Mexico, provides a SaaS platform for automating WhatsApp conversations, aiming to boost sales conversions for startups and SMBs. The platform offers comprehensive features such as lead profiling, automated follow-ups, chatbots, and shared inboxes, integrating seamlessly with CRMs and APIs to streamline operations for marketing and sales teams. It enables companies to run outbound campaigns, build intelligent flows, and manage customer interactions without requiring code, centralizing leads from various social networks. Hilos operates with 5 employees and was a participant in the Y Combinator Summer 2021 batch. The company was acquired by ActiveCampaign on April 15, 2025, with its technology expected to integrate into ActiveCampaign's native WhatsApp automations later in 2025. Hilos was founded in 2021 by Alfonso Lizárraga and Florian Raetzer.

High-Level Overview

Hilos is a company that builds a platform to help businesses close sales and activate customers via WhatsApp, leveraging the app’s high engagement rates to drive personalized, conversational marketing and customer retention. It serves primarily e-commerce and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands that want to deepen customer relationships, increase conversions, and boost loyalty through automated, segmented, and interactive WhatsApp messaging. By enabling brands to send personalized product recommendations, timely offers, and two-way communications, Hilos addresses the challenge of customer drop-off and low engagement common in digital commerce. The company is gaining momentum as WhatsApp becomes a critical channel for customer engagement, with open rates exceeding 95% and click-through rates far surpassing traditional channels like email[1][2][5].

Origin Story

While specific founding details of Hilos are not available in the search results, the company likely emerged from the growing recognition of WhatsApp as a powerful marketing and customer engagement tool. The founders probably have backgrounds in e-commerce, marketing technology, or customer experience, identifying the need for a platform that integrates WhatsApp’s conversational capabilities with automation and segmentation to help brands close sales and activate customers more effectively. Early traction would have come from demonstrating significant uplift in conversion rates and customer loyalty for D2C brands using WhatsApp-driven campaigns[1][3][5].

Core Differentiators

• Product Differentiators: Hilos focuses on closing sales and activating customers specifically on WhatsApp, using rich media (images, videos, GIFs), quick reply buttons, and personalized messaging sequences that automate follow-ups and upsells.
• Developer & User Experience: The platform likely offers easy integration with e-commerce systems and CRM tools, enabling dynamic segmentation and real-time customer data usage to tailor messages.
• Speed and Pricing: By automating WhatsApp flows and using triggers based on customer behavior (e.g., cart abandonment, birthdays), Hilos helps brands engage customers promptly and at scale.
• Community Ecosystem: Hilos supports brands in building loyalty programs and referral campaigns on WhatsApp, fostering authentic customer advocacy through personalized referral codes linked to individual users[1][2][3][5].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Hilos rides the trend of conversational commerce and personalized customer engagement via messaging apps, which is reshaping how brands interact with consumers. The timing is critical as WhatsApp’s global user base and engagement metrics make it a preferred channel over email and SMS for direct communication. Market forces such as increasing e-commerce competition, consumer demand for personalized experiences, and the rise of automation and AI-driven marketing amplify Hilos’s relevance. By enabling brands to leverage WhatsApp’s two-way messaging and multimedia capabilities, Hilos influences the broader ecosystem by setting new standards for customer activation and retention in digital commerce[1][2][3][4][5].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Hilos is positioned to expand its impact as more brands adopt WhatsApp for end-to-end customer journeys—from acquisition to loyalty. Trends shaping its future include deeper AI personalization, integration with omnichannel marketing stacks, and enhanced automation for conversational commerce. Its influence may grow beyond D2C to sectors like retail, travel, and services where WhatsApp engagement is rising. The company’s success will hinge on continuing to innovate in user experience, data-driven segmentation, and interactive messaging to maintain high engagement and conversion rates. Ultimately, Hilos exemplifies the shift toward closing and activating customers where they communicate most—on WhatsApp—making it a vital tool for modern customer engagement[1][2][5][6].