Relay: venture-backed startup does mobile tech for Citibank, IBC

Barely a year and a half out of stealth mode, Relay is helping big businesses like Citibank and Independence Blue Cross communicate with their customers.

The Radnor-based startup, founded by Matt Gillin and Paul Raden, known for selling the Conshohocken electronic payment firm Ecount they founded to Citigroup in 2007, offers a secure “Twitter-like” feed for businesses to send information to their clients — sort of like a direct customer service line. More than one million people use the platform each month, said spokeswoman Michelle Musburger.

Relay has stayed steady at 22 employees since August 2012, but it’s eyeing growth: it recently completed an expansion of its Radnor office, nearly doubling from 4,500 square feet to 8,000 square feet, Musberger said.

The startup has raised $10 million to date from local investors like First Round Capital, Wayne-based ICG and Radnor-based NewSpring Capital. It was voted Startup of the Year at Philadelphia Magazine’s ThinkFest conference last fall.

Relay doesn’t have any immediate plans to follow the trend of suburban companies moving into the city. This is due in part to proximity: founder Gillin, 46, lives in Villanova, just around the corner from their Radnor office, Musberger said.