Whereby Secures $12 Million in Funding to Enhance Virtual Meeting Experiences

During the pandemic, platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet experienced significant growth in the virtual meetings sector. However, a Norwegian startup, Whereby, emerged with a distinct approach and has now successfully raised $12 million.

The funding round included investments from German VC firm Point Nine, the SaaStr fund, and a collective of over 20 angel investors.

Key Investors

• Josh Buckley (CEO, Producthunt)
• Elizabeth Yin (Hustlefund)
• Jason M. Lemkin (founder of Saastr)

Øyvind Reed, CEO of Whereby, articulated the company’s vision: “Recent events have prompted a reevaluation of the future of work, with video meetings becoming a permanent fixture in many lives.” He further emphasized the need for tools that foster effective, enjoyable, and wellbeing-focused connections.

Unique Platform Features and Growth

Whereby offers three pricing tiers, including a free option, and distinguishes itself by enabling users to integrate tools such as Google Docs, Trello, and Miro directly into their meetings. This functionality sets it apart from many competing video platforms.

The company reported a substantial 450% increase in its user base across 150 countries throughout the past year.

I was first introduced to Whereby, then known as Appear.in, by co-founder Ingrid Ødegaard during Oslo Innovation Week in 2016. My initial username, created at that time, remains active today.

A Human-Centric Approach

During an interview, Ødegaard explained their focus: “We aimed to be more human-centric, addressing the challenges of remote collaboration.” She highlighted a common pitfall: “Many simply replicate office behaviors, while we believe a fundamentally different approach is necessary.” Their objective is to facilitate seamless meetings and, importantly, to discourage unnecessary meetings.

Enterprise Integrations and NHS Partnership

A key strength of Whereby lies in its enterprise integrations. Notably, a significant portion of video consultations with UK General Practitioners over the past year were conducted via Whereby’s technology.

This was made possible through a contract with AccuRx, a major API customer, as the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) utilizes AccuRx software, which incorporates Whereby’s video API.

Christoph Janz, Partner at Point Nine, commented: “The widespread adoption of video meetings has occurred. Now, the focus is on elevating the user experience, and Whereby is poised to lead this advancement.” He also expressed admiration for a Scandinavian startup competing with industry giants.

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