Newsletter #16: Across The Galaxy

For the past seven years, we’ve been assembling a galaxy of software solutions towards one goal: to build the future of work. The galaxy keeps growing, and the future we are working towards keeps getting nearer. But we’re convinced the next really big thing is still coming. The time is now. Are you with us?

April: More Funding 🤑

We continued into Q2 the same way we started Q1: with a whole lot of funding announcements. In April, our companies added a fresh $35M in new funding to fuel their stratospheric growth. And bring our total funding in 2018 to $120M.

Slite kicked things off by announcing a $4.4M seed round with Index Ventures. The startup, fresh out of our eF17 batch, had recently completed Y Combinator’s W18 batch and is continuing on their mission to get teams to write things down.

Station followed in their tracks. The company, also out of our eF17 batch and also a YC graduate (YC W18), announced a $3.25M seed round with Accel. And are pursuing their bold vision to take on Chrome/Firefox and become the first smart workstation for busy people.

Last but not least, Aircall topped it all off with a $29M Series B led by Draper Esprit. The startup, launched as part of our eF14 batch, pioneered the digitalized business phone space. Their team of 80 is on track to meet major milestones, they recently passed 3000 customers and $10M in yearly revenue.

But it’s not all funds and games (excuse the pun)…

May: Shining Galaxy 💫

Fundraisings are important milestones. But they aren’t an end. They’re the fuel that drives teams to new heights. And startups have made us proud on that front:

14 teams. Of the 14 teams we have seen leave the studio since we started, 7 years ago, all 14 have written unique stories. All 14 teams have built exceptional products. And all 14 are stars that glow in our galaxy.

$50M. Our teams have reached a cumulated $50M ARR. Their results reflect the quality of products used and trusted by millions every day.

500 people. Our teams now count more than 500 talented individuals that drive, inspire, and overachieve at our companies. The talent pool is deep, and getting deeper. And that’s a great sign for our companies that currently have over 100 open positions: join us on our mission to build the future of work!

On a related note: we also released a new website to let our galaxy shine even brighter: check it out! 👀

June: Close Community 🤗

Our ecosystem is an asset. And that was more than proven this quarter:

Our HQ became the stage for continued Scale talks and intimate AMAs from the leading minds in the industry. And we welcomed hundreds of attendees which contributed to making it a special moment for all of us. 😍

We definitely felt the love, and we hope to continue feeling it with new events coming in the fall!

Spoiler Alert 👀

What do we have in the works? It’s one of the questions we get most often. And we’ve got some news…

Upflow: Our first project out of our eF18 batch is public! Their team is on a mission to become the standard for B2B payments. And you can expect to hear the name a whole lot more in the coming months…

Equify: Imagined by Alexandre Leger, a former tax lawyer turned SaaS-founder, Equify is transforming the way entrepreneurs handle all the complexity of equity management. They’re currently in private beta. This new project was launched as part of our Start program.

Zenvest: Based on our vision of more progressive and less dilutive funding methods, Zenvest helps investment clubs (like our own eClub) scale private asset investments without losing the qualitative and personal relationship with the investors.

And there is plenty more coming… stay tuned for new adventures from across our galaxy! 💫

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