For those who enjoy the company of their colleagues but wish to avoid additional time on platforms like Zoom, Donut’s newest offering could be a valuable solution.

The company is introducing its Watercooler product today and simultaneously announcing a total of $12 million in funding secured, with Accel leading the round and contributions from Bloomberg Beta, FirstMark, Slack Fund, and a group of individual investors.

Dan Manian, co-founder and CEO, explained that this funding was actually obtained prior to the pandemic, across several investment phases, but the announcement was delayed until this time.

The company’s core objective, Manian stated, is “to foster meaningful connections among individuals in the workplace.” Their initial product, Intros, utilizes Slack to connect team members who haven’t previously interacted, frequently with the intention of arranging informal conversations – initially face-to-face and now conducted virtually.

Donut reports having facilitated 4 million connections within 12,000 organizations, including prominent names like The New York Times, Toyota, and InVision, with 1 million of these connections occurring since the start of the pandemic.

However, Manian indicated that clients have requested more regular opportunities for interaction, particularly given that daily coffee meetings are not feasible for most. He also highlighted the conflicting challenges of isolation and Zoom exhaustion, where “addressing one issue can exacerbate the other.” He further noted that recreating the “small, everyday interactions” experienced in a shared workspace is particularly difficult for remote teams.

This is the purpose behind Watercooler – designed to emulate the experience of casual conversations around the office watercooler. Similar to Intros, it integrates with Slack, establishing a dedicated channel where Watercooler posts engaging, thought-provoking questions, such as “‘What is your preferred preparation of potatoes?’” or “What is a key lesson from your professional experience that you wish you had known earlier?”

Manian emphasized that these discussions shouldn’t be time-consuming, but that even brief exchanges are significant: “These interactions accumulate over time, evolving relationships from professional acquaintances to friendships.” These friendships benefit employers by strengthening team unity and improving employee retention.

I wholeheartedly support the concept of a Slack-based watercooler – the TechCrunch editorial team actively uses one, and I personally find it a worthwhile use of time. My primary question was: Why would companies need to pay for a product to achieve this?

Watercooler, conversely, allows companies to select from a range of pre-defined topics and questions, customize the posting frequency, and automate the entire process.

Manian also pointed out that different organizations will prioritize different types of questions. While politically sensitive topics are avoided, some teams may focus on lighthearted questions about food preferences, while others may explore more substantial subjects, such as preferred methods of receiving constructive criticism.

And Manian believes that these tools will remain relevant even after the pandemic subsides.

“The nature of work has undergone a fundamental shift,” he stated. “I don’t believe we can reverse the trend toward remote work; it’s likely to continue.”

He also described the recent months as a “trial period” for hybrid work models, where some employees return to the office while others continue to work remotely. He anticipates that teams will face an even greater challenge in this scenario: ensuring that remote team members feel connected and informed.