About WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a Telecommunications company based in Menlo Park (United States) founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton, and was acquired by Facebook in February 2014. Secure private messaging and multimedia sharing are facilitated worldwide. WhatsApp has raised $58.25 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including Facebook and Sequoia Capital. The company has 6,121 employees. WhatsApp has completed 1 acquisition, including SkyMobius. WhatsApp was last valued at $19 billion in April 2016. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Will Cathcart. Its website whatsapp.com draws about 3536.5 million monthly visits. Its Indian entity Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited reported revenue of ₹84.21 Cr. Its focus areas include Consumer, Communication Apps, Messaging and Generic. Its competitors include Snapchat, Messenger and Kik; 2 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
WhatsApp was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, United States, within the digital communications sector. Real-time text messaging, voice and video calls, along with file and photo sharing, are supported through its mobile applications for iOS and Android. End-to-end encryption is implemented to ensure message security. Operations are managed under the leadership of CEO Will Cathcart, serving users across global geographies.
- Headquarters Menlo Park, United States
- Employees 6,121
- Founders Jan Koum, Brian Acton
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTelecommunications
- Website category Computers Electronics and Technology · Social Networks and Online Communities
- Website whatsapp.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram YouTube
- Acquired by Facebook (Feb 2014)
- Legal Name Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited
- Date of Incorporation 31 Oct, 2017
- Jurisdiction Hitech, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
- Indian entity revenue₹84.21 Cr
FY 2025 · +12% YoY
- Indian entity net loss-₹5.10 Cr
FY 2025 · -6% margin
- Indian entity EBITDA₹39.8 Lakh
FY 2025 · 0% margin
- Total Equity Funding$58.25M (USD)
in 3 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$50M (USD), Series C
Jun 2013
- InvestorsFacebook
& 1 more
- Employee Count6,121
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired byFacebook
(Feb 2014)
Associated legal entities of WhatsApp
WhatsApp operates through Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited (active). Its filings, financials, charges and directors are on the company page.
| Legal entity | Status | Incorporated | Registered in | Revenue (FY 2025) | Employees | Directors | Company page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited CIN U72900TG2017FTC120337 | Active | 31 Oct 2017 | Hyderabad, Telangana | ₹84.2 Cr | 34 | 3 | View details |
Apps and channels of WhatsApp
WhatsApp publishes 4 mobile apps with over 11B+ downloads; its YouTube channel WhatsApp has 2.08M subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from WhatsApp
The most watched videos on WhatsApp's YouTube channel, WhatsApp (2.08M subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on WhatsApp.
Funding Insights of WhatsApp
WhatsApp has successfully raised a total of $58.25M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series C round of $50 million completed in June 2013. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $58.25M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Series C — $50M
- First Round $250,000
(Oct 2009)
- Investors Count 2
All 3 funding rounds of WhatsApp with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2013 | $50M | Series C | $1.5B | Sequoia Capital | – |
| Apr 2011 | $8M | Series A | – | Sequoia Capital | – |
| Oct 2009 | $250,000 | Seed | – | – | – |
| Date | Valuation | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 2013 | $1.5B | •••••••• |
Last known valuation $19B (Apr 2016). 2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in WhatsApp
WhatsApp has secured backing from 2 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Facebook and Sequoia Capital.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sequoia Capital is engaged in venture capital investments. | 1972 | sequoiacap.com | ||
Online social networking and communication services are provided globally. | 2004 | facebook.com | Menlo Park, United States |
Investor details for WhatsApp
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Board of directors of Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited (WhatsApp)
Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited is the primary company behind WhatsApp. The board of Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited currently have 3 directors; the longest-serving is Rakesh Rewari, appointed in 2017. 6 earlier directors have ceased.
| Director | Designation | Appointed | Tenure | Entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rakesh Rewari DIN 00286853 | Director | 31 Oct 2017 | 8 yrs 11 mo | Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited |
| Yannick Carapito DIN 09203952 | Director | 15 Jun 2021 | 5 yrs 4 mo | Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited |
| Christopher Patrick Anderson DIN 10232605 | Director | 10 Jul 2023 | 3 yrs 3 mo | Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited |
People of WhatsApp
1149 people are tracked at WhatsApp (375 in leadership, 10 in board & advisors, 764 in team); the tracked headcount is 6,121.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Will Cathcart | CEO | Leadership |
Jan Koum | Founder | Leadership |
Brian Acton | Founder | Leadership |
Andrea Besmehn | Executive Assistant to the CEO | Leadership |
Emily Anderson | Senior People Analytics Business Partner | Leadership |
Christopher Palestro | Director & Associate General Counsel - Reality Labs | Leadership |
Suresh Ganapathy | Director Of Product Management, Genai | Leadership |
Aoife Hyland | Head Of Strategic Initiatives, Scaled Operations | Leadership |
Chris Sonderby | VP & Deputy General Counsel | Leadership |
Sandra Altine | VP, Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Leadership |
Russ Salakhutdinov | VP | Leadership |
Alex Yu | Sr Director, Global Business Development Lead, Ai, Assistant | Leadership |
Tim Hall | Vice President - Data Center Operations | Leadership |
Lindsey May | Director, Finance Center Of Excellence | Leadership |
Adaeze O. | Sr. Strategic Partner Manager | Leadership |
Stacy L. | Head Of Ops, Patents, Licensing & Open Source | Leadership |
Nicholas Martin | Director, Global Recruiting & Selection Science | Leadership |
Honora Whitfield | Vice President, Global Operations, Scaled Operations | Leadership |
Tess Pinard | Head Of Demand Planning & Strategy | Leadership |
Nico C. | Director Of Strategy & Operations, Ar/vr And AI | Leadership |
1129 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for WhatsApp
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Financials of WhatsApp
Figures of Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited, the primary company behind WhatsApp, for FY 2025. Revenue was ₹84.21 Cr (+12% year on year). Net loss was -₹5.10 Cr (-6% margin). EBITDA was ₹39.8 Lakh (0% margin). Revenue has grown at a compounded annual rate of -13% over three years and +19% over five years.
- ₹84.21 CrRevenue · FY 2025 · +12% YoY
- -₹5.10 CrNet loss · -6% margin
- ₹39.8 LakhEBITDA · 0% margin
- ₹1.68 CrPaid-up capital
- 34Employees (provident fund records)
- -13%Revenue CAGR, 3 years
- +19%Revenue CAGR, 5 years
Balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow and ratios of Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited are on its company page.
Detailed financial statements for WhatsApp
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
- Statement rows
- Financial ratios
- Five-year trends
- Downloads
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Investments & Acquisitions by WhatsApp
WhatsApp has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include SkyMobius.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Voice messaging app developer | skymobius.com | Santa Clara, United States | 2011 | Jun 2013 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for WhatsApp
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of WhatsApp
6 dated milestones of WhatsApp across 5 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
Competitors of WhatsApp
WhatsApp has 3 listed competitors in our database, 2 of them funded. They include Snapchat, Messenger and Kik.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| snapchat.com | 2011 | Los Angeles, United States | $2.62B | 97 | Multimedia messaging application for ephemeral photos and videos is provided. | |
| messenger.com | 2011 | Palo Alto, United States | 66,696 | Online messaging and calling features are offered by Messenger. | ||
| kik.com | 2009 | Santa Monica, United States | $166.39M | Multimedia messaging is enabled by Kik for mobile users. |
Detailed competitors of WhatsApp
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of WhatsApp
The website of WhatsApp (whatsapp.com) receives about 3.5B visits a month and ranks #14 among all websites worldwide, #9 in Social Networks and Online Communities.
- Monthly visits3.5B
▼ 1.2% vs previous month
- Unique visitors429.6M
per month
- Global rank#14
among all websites
- Category rank#9
Computers Electronics and Technology · Social Networks and Online Communities
- Bounce rate62%
- Pages per visit3.5
- Average visit9 min 09 sec
- DevicesDesktop 80% · Mobile 20%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with WhatsApp. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| facebook.com | 100% | 12.1B | #3 | View details | |
| instagram.com | 93% | 7.1B | #4 | View details | |
| linkedin.com | 91% | 1.9B | #18 | View details | |
| x.com | 90% | 4.5B | #5 | View details | |
| reddit.com | 90% | 4.4B | #9 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for WhatsApp
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 40 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Communication Apps
3 companies that operate in the same segment as WhatsApp (Communication Apps) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Family and friends are connected through location-sharing mobile app. | 2008 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 89.74 M | USD 489.48 M | 569 | |
Live-streaming platform for user connections and content monetization is provided. | 2009 | Mountain View, California, United States | USD 373.44 M | 842 | ||
Group voice, video, and text communication platform is provided. | 2012 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 978.3 M | 5,147 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Whatsapp
Complete news archive for WhatsApp
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about WhatsApp
WhatsApp was founded in 2009.
WhatsApp is headquartered in Menlo Park, United States. It is registered at Menlo Park, California, United States.
Will Cathcart is the CEO of WhatsApp, as recorded in our data.
WhatsApp is a funded company, having raised a total of $58.25M across 3 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $250K, raised on Oct 2009.
WhatsApp has 6,121 employees.
The primary company behind WhatsApp, Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited, reported revenue of ₹84.21 Cr for FY 2025, up 12% year on year.
WhatsApp was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, United States, within the digital communications sector. Real-time text messaging, voice and video calls, along with file and photo sharing, are supported through its mobile applications for iOS and Android. End-to-end encryption is implemented to ensure message security. Operations are managed under the leadership of CEO Will Cathcart, serving users across global geographies.
WhatsApp has made 1 acquisition, including SkyMobius.
WhatsApp has 2 investors. Key investors include Facebook, and Sequoia Capital.
The valuation of WhatsApp is $19B as of Apr 2016.
WhatsApp operates through Whatsapp Application Services Private Limited.