Topic: Growth Stocks

Twilio Inc. just grew revenues 65.2%

Emphasis on markets outside North America led to a 15.4% jump in subscriber numbers for this company during the most-recent quarter.

A series of acquisitions and investments in venture capital opportunities as well as high R&D spending should also keep it ahead of its competitors.

TWILIO INC. (Symbol TWLO on Nasdaq; www.twilio.com) offers a key service to software developers who create mobile apps. Its own software is used to connect apps to essential functions elsewhere on a device, including dealing with phone calls and messaging.

For a rising portfolio

Learn everything you need to know in 'How to Find the Best Growth Stocks' for FREE from The Successful Investor.

Canadian Growth Stocks: CGI Group, CAE Inc., Fortis Inc. Stock and more.

 I consent to receiving information from The Successful Investor via email. I understand I can unsubscribe from these updates at any time.

Those applications explain why consumers can text or call an Uber driver, for instance, without actually sharing phone numbers. Twilio’s biggest customers include Uber and Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp.

The company has now launched Twilio Ventures; it’s a $50 million fund designed to invest in early-stage companies at the intersection of customer engagement and developers.

Twilio itself has already completed several venture capital investments this year in companies like Algolia, an API platform for search and dynamic experiences. (API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. Each time you use an app like Facebook, send an instant message, or check the weather on your phone, you’re using an API.)

Other early-stage investments include Mux, a platform that lets developers build unique live and on-demand video experiences; Hyro, an adaptive conversational AI platform; Calixa, a product-led growth platform for go-to-market teams; Well Health, a digital health leader in patient communications (and a recommendation of Power Growth Investor) and Terazo, an API-first software development and platform managed services firm.

Other previous investments include Community, a text messaging platform that aims to power direct relationships and one-on-one conversations at scale; Courier, a developer infrastructure for product notifications; and Krisp, an AI-powered app to remove background noise and echo in meetings.

Growth Stocks: Investment should deliver long-term potential

The Twilio Ventures program is in addition to Twilio’s existing Twilio.org Impact Fund that supports nonprofits and social enterprises that are accelerating social impact through innovative communications and engagement technologies. The Impact Fund focuses on platforms and strategies that make it easier, faster, and more affordable for organizations to connect with the people they serve, via annual grant cycles, and seed or Series A investment in social enterprises.

Most recently, the Twilio.org Impact Fund invested in the Kapor Capital Fund III, which supports organizations using technology to close gaps of access, opportunity and outcomes across fintech, healthtech and edtech.

In the quarter ended September 30, 2021, Twilio’s revenue jumped 65.2%, to $740.2 million from $448 million. The company continues to add to its client base, with a growing emphasis on markets outside North America; it now has more than 250,000 active customer accounts (up 15.4% from 208,000 a year ago). A recovery for travel and hospitality industries also lifted revenue. The company lost $1.26 a share—compared to a year-earlier $0.79 loss. Expenses rose as Twilio continued to invest in client acquisition and retention.

All in all, the company’s expanding customer base, leading products and high R&D (equal to over 30% of sales) bode well for its future success.

Recommendation in Power Growth Investor: Twilio Inc. is a buy.

Comments

Tell Us What YOU Think

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Please be respectful with your comments and help us keep this an area that everyone can enjoy. If you believe a comment is abusive or otherwise violates our Terms of Use, please click here to report it to the administrator.