Here.fm, a recently established web-based communication service created by Jesse Boyes and Seth Harris, has announced the completion of a $2.9 million seed funding round led by FirstMark, with additional investment from Y Combinator and a number of individual investors.

The core concept behind Here.fm centers on providing individuals with the ability to design personalized, easily shared, and adaptable video chat environments. Boyes and Harris, mirroring the experience of many, transitioned to using Zoom for collaboration when the pandemic began, but identified several areas for improvement.

Harris noted that the experience often felt impersonal and overly formal, particularly when switching to presentation mode with a colleague and friend, and that important notes and materials from those meetings were lost once the session concluded, describing it as if they vanished “into a wormhole.”

Their goal became to enrich the experience of virtual communication with additional features.

“Communication consists of four key elements,” Harris explained. “Your spoken words, your location, your activities, and your movements. Current tools almost entirely prioritize what you say, while largely neglecting what you do. Zoom essentially functions as a phone call with a visual component.”

Here.fm, conversely, is built around a completely customizable virtual space with integrated video chat. This allows users to personalize their environment with digital items, animated images, backgrounds, notes, pictures, and more. Users can also tailor their own video chat windows and those of others, arranging them within the room to their preferred size and configuration.

Like other video conferencing platforms, Here.fm also supports screen sharing.

Harris and Boyes are currently focused on observing how users interact with the platform, rather than committing to a specific business model or intended application. Some users have created virtual product development spaces, while others have established online recreations of coffee shops like Blue Bottle to connect with each other. Others have hosted Pilates classes that more closely resemble an in-person studio experience than a typical Zoom call.

Despite this open approach, they have begun considering potential revenue streams. These include facilitating payment processing for hosted classes or ticketed events, charging for the continued availability of rooms and their contents, or offering premium virtual items for purchase.

Here.fm was launched two months ago, and since then, thousands of virtual rooms have been created, with the average user spending 41 minutes per session.

The competitive landscape in this area is becoming increasingly crowded. Mmhmm provides similar customization tools for video chats, but emphasizes presentations over casual interaction. Macro is designed to enhance the productivity and efficiency of Zoom meetings. Numerous other startups also emerged during the pandemic to develop the next generation of video communication tools.

However, Boyes and Harris believe that their biggest challenge isn’t competition.

“Here.fm is a matter of product design, not execution,” Harris stated. “It’s about creating a powerful emotional connection with our users when they enter the platform.”