Org Chart Platform Raises $20M Led by Tiger Global

The Org Secures $20 Million to Expand its Public Company Organizational Charts

LinkedIn pioneered the concept of publicly accessible professional resumes, and now a startup is aiming to replicate that transparency for companies. The Org is developing a global, publicly available database of company organizational charts. This database will serve as a foundation for a range of additional services.

Series B Funding Details

The Org has successfully raised $20 million in a Series B funding round. This capital will be allocated towards expanding its team, adding more organizational charts to its platform, and introducing new features. A recruitment toolkit is prioritized for initial launch.

Tiger Global led the investment, with participation from existing investors including Sequoia, Founders Fund, and Balderton Capital. New investors such as Thursday Ventures, Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen, Neeraj Arora, and Gavin Baker also contributed. The investment reportedly values The Org at $100 million.

The Impact of COVID-19 on The Org’s Vision

Founders Fund previously led the company’s Series A round in February 2020. The global work landscape has undergone significant changes since then, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies have become more geographically dispersed, business structures have evolved, and employees’ connections to their work have been challenged.

These shifts have profoundly impacted The Org, reinforcing its belief in the value of organizational charts as a tool for fostering transparency.

Transparency and the Future of Work

“The pandemic prompted a reevaluation of traditional work norms,” explains Christian Wylonis, CEO and co-founder of The Org, alongside Andreas Jarbøl. “The assumption that productivity is tied to a 9-to-5 office presence has been challenged. The future of work is hybrid, but this introduces communication challenges.”

“Creating alignment, a sense of connection, and belonging within a company is now more crucial than ever. We believe these issues stem from a lack of transparency, which is precisely what The Org addresses – clarifying who does what and why.”

Growth and Platform Development

Initially, the company was uncertain about its place in the evolving work environment following the onset of the pandemic. However, the demand for tools that enable remote and distributed work has increased significantly.

The Org has experienced substantial growth, currently hosting approximately 130,000 public organizational charts. It attracts 30,000 daily visitors and boasts over 120,000 registered users. Monthly traffic has surged to nearly 1 million visitors, compared to 100,000 in February 2020, when the platform contained only 16,000 org charts.

Monetization Strategy

The startup is gradually implementing monetization strategies. While building, editing, and claiming profiles remain free, The Org is developing its platform to offer additional services powered by its database.

The initial focus is on job hunting. Job postings will be free, with integration with Greenhouse to streamline information flow. Recruiters and HR professionals will have the option to utilize The Org for sourcing and screening, a premium service.

Future plans include developing further communication and HR tools, potentially through integrations and APIs, as well as building in-house features.

Addressing Challenges and Competition

The Org acknowledges potential hurdles, including competition from companies like Charthop or Visier, which are also focused on providing transparency in hiring and organizational structures. A key challenge is convincing companies to embrace greater transparency.

Data accuracy is also a concern, as self-reported information may be incomplete or inaccurate. However, The Org believes its target audience and growth strategy will mitigate these issues.

Targeting Early-Stage Startups and Scaling Up

Currently, The Org’s primary focus is on early-stage startups with 50-200 employees. Organizational charts for these businesses are often created collaboratively by The Org and user-edited content from employees with company email addresses.

The company plans to expand its reach to larger organizations, which presents complexities due to the scale and intricacy of their structures. To address this, The Org is enhancing features that allow companies to claim and manage their profiles, including controlling editing permissions.

The LinkedIn Comparison

The evolution of The Org mirrors that of LinkedIn, which also began as a platform for public professional profiles. Interestingly, LinkedIn has not yet developed a comparable organizational chart feature.

Wylonis suggests a fundamental difference in approach. “LinkedIn is a database of resumes, where individuals can self-report information. We, however, focus on the organization as the core unit. This distinction allows us to build structured relationships and ensure data integrity.”

This difference is believed to be a key reason why Keith Rabois, an early LinkedIn executive, invested in The Org. He recognized the potential of The Org’s approach, noting LinkedIn’s long-standing inability to replicate it.