Latvian startup BirdyChat launched its workplace messaging platform across Europe after securing €1.7mn in fresh funding from regional venture capital firms, Labs of Latvia, the country’s investment promotion agency, reported on May 6.

The company, founded in Latvia, aims to position itself as an alternative to personal messaging apps increasingly used for professional communication. Its platform is designed specifically for external business conversations with clients, suppliers and partners, rather than internal team communication typically handled through services such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.

“Most of the messaging apps we use today are over a decade old. In the absence of alternatives, work has begun to creep into the personal chat apps we once reserved for friends and family. BirdyChat offers a dedicated alternative where work conversations can live,” said Rolands Mesters, co-founder of the company.

According to the startup, professionals are becoming increasingly uncomfortable mixing work and personal communication on the same platforms. A LinkedIn survey conducted by Mesters earlier this year found that 72% of respondents had concerns about using personal messaging apps for work-related discussions.

BirdyChat includes features tailored to professional users, including threaded conversations, project-based chat lists and work email-based profiles that eliminate the need to share personal phone numbers.

The app gained wider attention after becoming the first platform in Europe to allow eligible users to send messages to WhatsApp contacts under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, enabling communication with external contacts without leaving the app.

The company said its waiting list had reached 50,000 users across Europe and the UK before the wider launch on iOS, Android and macOS devices. Investors backing the startup include DIG Ventures, Change Ventures and Tiny VC.