INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Framer, the Amsterdam-based startup behind interactive design platform Framer X, has raised $24 million in Series B investment
The round is led by European VC firm Atomico, with participation from Accel and AngelList
The startup says it will use the new capital to continue building out its platform for designers and product teams
It brings the total raised to date by Framer to $33 million.Founded by ex-Facebookers Koen Bok and Jorn van Dijk, Framer has set out to ride
(and power) a trend that is seeing every company having to become a digital business and often a product-first company, as consumers become
accustomed to high-quality apps and other desirable digital experiences
This means that better tools are required to prototype news apps or features, and therefore help shorten the feedback loop and speed up the
makes it easy to create app designs and prototypes that are as visually polished as a production app
Designs created in Framer X are powered by the React framework, and the platform enables a lot of off-the-shelf interactivity, rather than
prototypes simply being static wireframes or designs with limited transitions or hotspots
You can also export front-end code for use in your production apps, should you so desire.However, as explained during a video presentation
by Bok and Dijk, what potentially sets Framer X apart from other competing app design and prototyping tools is that you can also import
Examples include video players (such as YouTube), live maps and data generators, to UI kits and interactive design systems.This means that
Framer is attempting to be a platform play in the true sense of the word, while in turn the Framer X Store is a clever way of creating
the store to further lower the barriers for third-party app developers who want to build integrations.Related to this, the company is
announcing the beta launch of a private design store for teams on Framer X
The Team Store enables members of teams at the same company to collaborate and share brand assets, design components and more, so as to
allow for internal interactive design systems to also live within the Framer platform.Cue a statement from Atomico partner Hiro Tamura, who
Snap, are designed and built by teams
Those teams are already using Framer X
We are excited about partnering with Koen, Jorn and the Framer team to help make that level of digital product excellence and innovation
backstory is worth noting
Bok and Dijk previously founded app and design studio Sofa, which they sold to Facebook in 2011
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg
However, seeing an opportunity to help more companies transition to becoming digital-first and product-led, the pair left to found Framer in
