In the ever-evolving world of enterprise technology, few stories capture the spirit of innovation and reinvention. In these stories, one is of Brad Birnbaum and Jeremy Suriel.
Over the past two decades, this dynamic duo has consistently been ahead of the curve—spotting gaps in the market, reimagining what’s possible, and building solutions that redefine the customer experience. Their journey has culminated in Kustomer, a platform that isn’t just part of the customer service conversation—it’s actively reshaping it.
The Beginning: A Bold Vision at Kustomer
The story begins back in 1994, when visionary duo, Brad and Jeremy teamed up for their first major venture together—eShare Technologies. At the time when the internet was still in its infancy, they were already thinking big.
Their innovation was about bringing large-scale online chat to enterprise customer support. This wasn’t just a novelty; it was a transformative move for major brands like AOL, Sprint, 1800Flowers, Dell, and Microsoft.
By giving companies a real-time, human way to connect with customers, Brad and Jeremy were already laying the groundwork for what would become a lifelong mission: putting the customer at the center.
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Brad and Jeremy Turned a Pain Point into a Powerhouse
Fast forward to 2009. Armed with years of experience and a deep understanding of customer service pain points, Brad and Jeremy founded Assistly. Their new venture aimed to simplify and streamline customer service for growing businesses.
The market responded quickly, and the industry leaders didn’t wait around. Companies like Twitter and Spotify came on board, and just 18 months later, Salesforce stepped in, acquiring Assistly and giving it a new name—Desk.com.
For most entrepreneurs, this would’ve been the happily-ever-after. But for Brad and Jeremy, it was just another chapter.
A Disappointing Experience Became A Wake-Up Call
During their time at Salesforce, Brad and Jeremy started to notice — a growing disconnect between companies and the customers they were trying to serve.
Customer service platforms were treating people as tickets, not individuals. The tools were fragmented, the customer experience was disconnected, and the technology hadn’t kept pace with customer expectations. All these disappointing experiences make them realise something powerful: it was time for a fundamental change in how businesses relate to their customers.
They envisioned a platform where customer history, context, and conversations could live together, where support agents had a complete view of the person they were helping, not just a siloed ticket. It was a bold idea—and it needed to be built from the ground up.
The Birth of Kustomer
In 2015, Brad and Jeremy launched Kustomer. But this wasn’t just another CRM (Customer Relationship Management)—it was a revolution. The idea was simple: to treat customers like people, not problems.
To provide businesses with a seamless, omnichannel platform that brought together every customer touchpoint—email, chat, social, SMS, and more—into one unified timeline.
Built with automation, the platform, Kustomer, empowered businesses to eliminate repetitive tasks, personalize support, and act faster and smarter. It wasn’t just about responding; it was about understanding.
As word spread, adoption soared. Companies looking for better, smarter, more human ways to support their customers turned to Kustomer. And soon, it caught the attention of one of the biggest names in tech.
Acquired by Meta: Expanding the Vision
In 2020, Meta recognized that Kustomer was doing something different — making it easier for businesses to talk to people like people — and brought them on board to help shape the future of customer communication.
With Meta’s backing, Kustomer was poised to scale faster, integrate deeper, and drive even greater innovation.
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Spinning Out to Double Down
In 2023, Meta spun out Kustomer as an independent entity once again to allow it to continue its mission with unwavering focus—building a future where customer service is smarter, more personal, and truly built around people, not problems.
Free from the limits of being part of a tech giant, Kustomer got back to what mattered most — doubling down on the vision that started it all. With a growing base of customers and a renewed sense of purpose, it continued to push the boundaries of what modern customer service could look like.
Read more: Kustomer Raises $30M in Series B Funding
The Legacy Continues
Kustomer began with a simple belief: customers deserve better than disjointed support and impersonal interactions. Because the businesses thrive when they truly understand and empower their customers.
And that innovation isn’t just about technology, it’s about empathy, connection, and vision.
From their early days building simple enterprise chat tools to today’s intelligent, omnichannel platforms, they have always pushed boundaries — never settling for the way things have always been.
And with Kustomer, Brad Birnbaum and Jeremy Suriel are not just shaping the future of customer service—they’re leading it.
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