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Webflow, a San Francisco-based no-code visual development platform for professional websites and Content Management Systems (CMS), announced that it has raised $120 million in a Series C round at a current value of $4 billion. This brings the total amount of funding the company has raised to more than $330 million. Y Combinator's Continuity fund led the round, with help from existing investors CapitalG, Accel, Silversmith and Draper Associates.
As part of the investment, Webflow plans to expand and make more investments in its core community, beginning with a $10 million grant program to assist creators in launching and growing their companies on Webflow. Webflow, which now has 400 employees, raised $140 million in a Series B round in January 2021 and $72 million in a Series A round in August 2019.
"Webflow is breaking the code barrier with a smarter way to build for the web," Bryant Chou, co-founder of Webflow, said in an interview with CMSWire. "Webflow is a visual development platform that empowers individuals to build deeply custom web experiences without writing any code.:
Webflow generates the back-end code while our customers build visually, he added, so anyone can bring their vision to life on the web without teams of developers or months of building.
"Our goal is to make the internet a more inclusive place by giving everyone the tools to build on it," Chou said.
Fully Customizable CMS, Design Tools at Core
Webflow includes a fully customizable CMS combined with a visual web design tool that doesn’t constrain users to templates, according to Chou. Users can create custom interactions and animation based on user interactions, page load, page scroll and more. Weblow offers on-page content editing, a minimal dashboard UI, and visual design tools founded on web standards, Chou added.
According to Chou, Webflow's no-code visual development platform enables teams to design, construct and deploy sophisticated websites and online experiences. Their primary goal is to make it possible for everyone to produce for the web, hence reshaping web development, as Chou sees it.
"More people now have the tools to build web-based businesses, providing opportunities to a broader group of entrepreneurs that represent our society at-large, not just the privileged few," Chou said. "And we continuously strive to expand our capabilities to address this gap and make the web a more open place for people of all backgrounds, giving the power of technology to everyone, regardless of technical experience."
Related Article: 14 Rules for Selecting the Right Content Management System (CMS)
Grants Program Will Support Community
Webflow wants to enable others to create for the web and to break through the code barrier that prevents many individuals and ideas from achieving their full potential, Chou said. Since Webflow's inception, there has been a thriving community to support this mission, he added.
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"This is why we were so thrilled to announce the new Webflow Community Grants program that will provide grants and reimbursements for the below, aiming to remove as much friction as possible and directly devote funds into our community," Chou said.
It will include:
- Community engagement learning, and networking events across the globe
- Educators creating content or curriculum to teach others how to build a career in visual development
- Programs that empower marginalized groups to learn and build with Webflow
- Freelancers who are building projects for non-profit and humanitarian causes
- Community members creating innovative content or programs that inspire and enable many others in the community to succeed and thrive with Webflow
Related Article: Is the Scope of Web Content Management Getting Thinner?
What’s Next for Webflow?
Chou said future innovation in the industry will lead to visual development platforms and visual development approaches. Practitioners will recognize that no-code isn't simply a toy.
"No-code will expose people to software creation who may not have considered it as a skill they could master before," Chou said. "Along with this adoption, businesses will be freed up to really focus on what’s important and complex about their business — their customer needs. This is the part of the business that’s unique and where knowledge workers should be spending their time, instead of on behind-the-scenes admin work."
This past November, Webflow announced the release of two new Webflow features: Memberships and Logic. The integrated visual development environment now includes two additional features. As an example, Memberships, a product now in open beta, enables clients to manage and personalize an experience when a user is signed into their website and monetize content via free, pay-per-view or tiered membership options. Logic allows designers, marketers and developers to graphically construct bespoke, logic-based processes and automations using a visual design environment.
This year, Webflow will be launching the complete versions of Memberships and Logic. They've also onboarded beta testers to help them prepare for the full launch of the enhanced capabilities. "It’s worth calling out," Chou said, "that with these new features, we’re excited to bring together the three pillars of web development — user interface (UI), data and logic — in an integrated platform all on a visual canvas."
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