Brevo, the Paris based CRM and marketing automation company formerly known as Sendinblue, has officially joined the unicorn club after securing €500 million (around $583 million) in fresh equity funding. The capital injection marks a major step in Brevo’s ambition to take on some of the biggest names in global CRM including HubSpot and Salesforce, with a strong focus on expansion in the United States.
Founded in 2012 as an email marketing solution for small businesses, Brevo expanded into the mid market over the past decade and rebranded to reflect its broader product suite. That transition unlocked a new growth trajectory. Today Brevo serves more than 600,000 customers worldwide, counting brands like Carrefour, eBay, and H&M among its users.
The U.S. currently contributes just 15 percent of Brevo’s revenue, despite being one of its top three markets alongside France and Germany. CEO Armand Thiberge wants to change that, noting that the U.S. represents half of the global CRM market. A large portion of the new funding over €100 million, is set to support U.S. expansion.
The company’s financial track record has been strong. After passing $100 million in annual recurring revenue in 2023 and entering the “centaur” club, Brevo has already crossed its target of €200 million ARR in 2025 ahead of schedule. The next milestone is ambitious: €1 billion ARR by 2030. While still far behind industry leader Salesforce, which forecasts over $41 billion in revenue for 2026, Brevo believes its unicorn status and fresh capital will boost visibility and accelerate growth.
Brevo has also been investing heavily in technology. It has pledged €50 million toward AI development over five years, alongside an active acquisition strategy, 11 deals so far expected to drive nearly half of its revenue target by 2030.
Structurally, the latest round reshapes Brevo’s cap table. Management and employees now hold the largest stake at 26 percent, while new investors General Atlantic and Oakley Capital each hold 25 percent. Bpifrance and Bridgepoint retain a combined 24 percent, and early backer Partech has now fully exited.
Brevo’s vision is to build a European born global CRM leader able to compete head to head with U.S. giants through product quality rather than regional advantage. Its all in one platform goes far beyond email marketing, offering tools for automation, CRM, customer data management and multi channel communication, covering SMS, WhatsApp, email, push notifications, live chat, and even integrated sales calling. Many of these features are now powered by AI, through both internal development and external integrations.
With significant funding, bold revenue targets, and a more global ownership structure, Brevo is positioning itself for a serious challenge in the CRM arena. The next few years, particularly its U.S. expansion and acquisition strategy, will decide whether it can truly stand alongside the industry’s dominant players.
