Cloud communications firm Twilio Inc. today announced it has agreed to acquire SendGrid Inc., a cloud email services provider, for about $2 billion.

Twilio offered 0.485 shares for each share of SendGrid stock, valuing it as $36.92 per share, a 19 percent premium over its closing price today.

Founded in 2009, SendGrid last made headlines when it went public on the New York Stock Exchange  last November. Starting at an initial public offering price of $16 per share, the stock steadily rose, hitting a high of $38.66 early this month before settling to trade around the $30 mark.

For Twilio, SendGrid, whose chief executive is Sameer Dholakia (pictured), brings cloud email support to complement Twilio’s existing communications software, including its popular voice-over-IP features.

“Adding the leading email API platform to the leading cloud communications platform can drive tremendous value to the combined customer bases,” the companies said in a statement. “The resulting company would offer developers a single, best-in-class platform to manage all of their important communication channels — voice, messaging, video, and now email as well. Together, the companies currently drive more than half a trillion customer interactions annualized and growing rapidly.”

The acquisition will bring even more momentum to a company described as “one of Wall Street’s darlings” given its solid growth record, profitability — a rare feature among tech startups — and a product offering that is well-liked.

“Twilio keeps growing, as enterprises are building their next-generation applications that include capabilities related to communications,” Holger Mueller, principal analyst and vice president of Constellation Research Inc., told SiliconANGLE in August. “This shows communications platform-as-a-service market is rapidly becoming an important segment with significant live customers and revenues.”

As CNBC noted, Twilio stock has far outpaced the overall market so far this year, with shares up more than 220 percent. In after-hours trading, Twilio stock dropped slightly, down 3.5 percent, to $74.45, as investors ingested the acquisition.

Photo: jdlasica/Flickr