German meeting software developer Wonder has raised €9 million in seed funding, four months after it closed a $1.2 million round from BlueYard Capital and angel investors. This time EQT Ventures fund joined the existing investors, EU-Startups writes.
Founded in 2020 by Stephane Roux, Leonard Witteler, and Pascal Steck, Wonder is developing a video communication platform based on a concept of “fluid togetherness”. Unlike Zoom, for example, where one person talks and everybody has to listen, Wonder allows groups of people to meet and talk in a more spontaneous, fluid, and funny way. Users can see who is speaking to whom, and join a conversation by moving a bubble with their avatars around with a mouse.
“In the real world, people chat group-to-group and that’s where you build relationships. A surprise encounter, bumping into someone you didn’t expect to see – those are the things that people remember. The interaction principle of virtual communication doesn’t allow for that, which is what we’re seeking to change with Wonder,” Roux explained.
The Wonder video space is already used by 15,000 hosts including Harvard and Oxford universities, Deloitte, and NASA. The startup is planning to spend fresh capital on expanding its customer base, as well as on the further Wonder’s product development and team growth.
