Typeform, the next Barcelona 'unicorn', raises 123 million in a round led by Sofina

The startup Typeform has closed a financing round of 123 million euros (135 million dollars). The capital increase has been led by Sofina, a private equity based in Belgium and listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange, and it has also brought in investors Top Tier Capital Partners, GP Bullhound, Teamworthy Ventures, and Trium Venture Partners. Likewise, part of the round has been subscribed by the funds that were already shareholders of the company: General Atlantic, Index Ventures, Point Nine Capital, and Connect Ventures.

Typeform, a startup born in Barcelona in 2013, through the efforts of Robert Muñoz and David Okuniev to reinvent the creation and use of online forms that we must fill out on any website, has accumulated a capital investment of 170 million euros (187 million dollars) since its inception.

The Series C round has closed at a valuation of 850 million euros (935 million dollars), which places the firm close to reaching unicorn status ---a valuation of more than one billion---, according to the company, which has tripled its revenue ---annualized since 2018--- to more than 63 million euros (70 million dollars).

For Typeform's executives, the firm is entering a new phase of product development acceleration, so it will incorporate emerging technologies, expand the number of employees ---it now has 450 people between its Barcelona and San Francisco (California) offices--- and expand and deepen its system of strategic alliances with partners for its entire platform. Among these strategic partners with whom it allows integrations are Mailchimp, Google, SalesForce, Slack, HubSpot, and Airtable.

Currently, Typeform counts more than 125,000 companies worldwide among its clients and generates more than 500 million interactions per year through access to the software developed by the firm to create and manage online forms that also allow collecting all information.

"We want to help customers engage their audiences and grow their businesses," through more immersive and versatile online experiences, explains Joaquim Lecha, CEO of Typeform.

For his part, Sofina director Benjamin Sabatier has defended the investment operation in the face of accelerated consumer change towards digital channels and the growing importance for native digital brands to drive the need to build closer online engagement with customers. "Typeform's conversational solutions generate higher response rates and provide richer insights to improve consumer experiences," he added.