Softr Raises $13.5M to Expand its No-Code Platform for Airtable-Based Business Apps

As the no-code and low-code movement continues its rapid growth, organizations are becoming increasingly interested in streamlining their software development processes. They are searching for alternative solutions that enable non-technical employees to create software through visual dashboards instead of conventional code-based programming. Amidst this rising trend, German no-code web app platform, Softr, is poised to take advantage by raising $13.5 million in a Series A funding round.

Launched a year ago, Softr has already attracted over 35,000 business and creator customers. The company is targeting the development of the world's largest ecosystem for building no-code applications. Unlike template-based web building platforms such as Wix and Squarespace, which mostly focus on static websites, Softr is designed to enable feature-rich, interactive web apps with CRUD (create, read, update, delete) operations, authentication, roles, and permissions for both business and consumer applications.

Softr allows users to transform their business data and manual workflows into custom apps, including marketplaces, online communities, internal tools, client portals, directories, and more. However, to leverage Softr's platform, users must also be active users of Airtable, the popular business collaboration tool that combines the features of a spreadsheet and a database. With a variety of platforms already on the market, such as Webflow, Stacker, Retool, Appian, Google's AppSheet, Amazon's Honeycode, and AppMaster, Softr must distinguish itself in this competitive field.

CEO Mariam Hakobyan asserts that Softr introduces a fundamentally different approach to building custom applications with a Lego-like building experience and out-of-the-box business logic. Each block in Softr comprises a logical piece of the application, including frontend functionalities, business logic, and backend tools like authentication, payments, charts, lists, calendars, and more. This unique approach allows for a seamless, zero learning curve web app development process that does not compromise on functionality.

Despite its reliance on Airtable data, Softr is planning to become a data source agnostic platform by supporting additional sources like Google Sheets, relational databases, Rest APIs, and more. The company also intends to create a template marketplace for users to develop and sell app templates and launch a component marketplace for the easy discovery and reuse of third-party components crafted by the community.

No-code and low-code platforms like Softr cater not just to small businesses, but also to larger enterprises grappling with an engineering talent shortage. Enabling non-technical employees from various departments, such as marketing and operations, to build their own applications, can help address these resource constraints and fast-track digitization efforts, especially during challenging times like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.