Tango Raises $5.7M to Simplify Employee Onboarding

Tango Secures $5.7 Million Seed Funding for Workflow Intelligence Platform

Ken Babcock, alongside co-founders Dan Giovacchini and Brian Shultz, initiated the development of Tango, a Chrome extension, while attending Harvard Business School in March 2020. The extension is designed to automatically record and disseminate optimal workflow practices, enabling teams to learn from their most effective members.

The Rise of Remote Work Fueled the Need

According to CEO Babcock, the impetus for Tango stemmed from the widespread shift to remote work environments during the pandemic. Companies faced challenges in onboarding new employees remotely and accelerating their integration into teams. Traditional, in-person training methods were no longer viable, necessitating new solutions.

Seed Round Details and Investors

The founders departed from their academic program to establish Tango in Los Angeles. They have now announced the successful completion of a $5.7 million seed funding round. Wing Venture Capital spearheaded the investment, with participation from General Catalyst, Global Silicon Valley, Outsiders Fund, and Red Sea Ventures. Notable angel investors also contributed, including Michael Stoppelman (formerly of Yelp), Jai Ranganathan (ex-Uber data head), Shoaib Makani (KeepTruckin CEO), and Julia Lipton of Awesome People Ventures.

How Tango Enhances Employee Productivity

Tango aims to reclaim up to 20% of the workweek often lost by employees searching for information or seeking assistance from colleagues. The platform achieves this by recording user workflows – encompassing actions, links, URLs, and screenshots – and transforming them into concise, video-enhanced, step-by-step documentation.

From Bootstrapping to Strategic Growth

Initially, the company was self-funded by the co-founders. The decision to pursue seed funding was made to bolster the product and growth teams, and to facilitate further product development, enabling a product-led growth strategy, as Babcock explained. Currently, the Tango team comprises 13 individuals.

Pilot Programs and Future Availability

Since its inception last year, Tango has conducted 10 pilot programs to refine its data collection and capabilities. A public launch is scheduled for September. Babcock confirmed that a free version of the product will always be available, alongside premium and enterprise tiers offering expanded functionality.

Integration and Documentation

“A key focus is seamless integration with existing tools and meeting users where they already work,” Babcock stated. “We are simplifying the documentation process, and exploring ways to integrate with established systems like Wikis.”

Wing Venture Capital’s Perspective

Zach DeWitt, a partner at Wing Venture Capital, initially connected with the company three years ago through a mutual acquaintance. His firm concentrates on early-stage, business-to-business ventures that unlock unique data insights.

The Value of Workflow Data

DeWitt highlighted that Tango is generating a novel data set for businesses, allowing users to analyze their workflows. With the average technology company now utilizing 150 SaaS applications – a significant increase from 20 a decade ago – complexities arise regarding application selection, usage, troubleshooting, and data capture.

Tango’s Background Operation and Cultural Impact

Tango operates discreetly in the background, capturing workflow data, which DeWitt identified as fundamental to the company’s potential for success. He emphasized the platform’s ability to proactively identify and address user pain points, delivering relevant tutorials to overcome obstacles. Furthermore, he believes Tango can foster a culture of knowledge sharing and reward employees for contributing their expertise, benefiting both those seeking assistance and new team members.