Donut

High-Level Overview

Donut is an employee experience platform that automates and scales people programs like onboarding, introductions, recognition, and team socialization directly within Slack and Microsoft Teams.[1][2][4] It serves high-performing teams at over 20,000 organizations, solving the problem of manual HR tasks and remote/hybrid disconnection by fostering engagement, collaboration, and culture through AI-powered features such as smart-match intros, automated workflows, and video facilitation.[1][2][4] With metrics like 18.5 million intros made, 555,000 new hires onboarded, and 4.8 million tasks automated, Donut drives Day 1 productivity and strengthens internal networks for companies like Ontra and global remote teams.[4]

Origin Story

Founded in 2016 by Dan Manian (CEO and co-founder) and colleagues, Donut emerged from research into where work culture thrives—identifying Slack as the hub for remote and office teams alike.[2][3] Before coding, the team validated demand by asking professionals about their "work lives," leading to a Slack-first app that automates teammate introductions, icebreakers, and celebrations.[2] Early traction exploded post-launch, with users creating unexpected use cases like peer learning and regional buddy programs; by 2020, amid remote work shifts, they pivoted to add Watercooler for daily social prompts, coinciding with $12 million in funding from Accel, Bloomberg Beta, FirstMark, and Slack Fund.[1][2]

Core Differentiators

• Seamless Integration and Automation: Embeds directly in Slack/Teams for zero-friction use, auto-syncing with HRIS/ATS to handle onboarding tasks, polls, messages, and workflows—eliminating manual efforts.[1][4]
• AI-Powered Personalization: Features like AI onboarding agents, smart-match intros across teams, and interactive video agendas boost engagement without extra tools.[2][4]
• Flexible, User-Driven Innovation: Easy setup for custom channels, recognition with points/badges/rewards, and emergent uses (e.g., mentorship matching, work-from-home buddies) via intuitive templates.[2][4]
• Proven Scale and Impact: Over 20,000 brands, 10+ million connections since 2016, with testimonials highlighting consistent new-hire experiences and cross-team human connections.[1][2][4]

(Note: A separate crypto browser at donutbrowser.ai shares the name but operates in a distinct domain—agentic trading tools backed by crypto investors—and is not affiliated.[5])

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Donut rides the remote/hybrid work persistence trend, where tools must rebuild "watercooler" serendipity lost to distributed teams, amplified by Slack's dominance as a culture hub.[2] Timing aligns with post-pandemic demands for scalable people ops amid talent wars, as HR tech integrates AI to automate admin (e.g., onboarding) and combat burnout via recognition/social features.[1][4] Market forces like rising remote adoption and Slack/Teams ecosystems favor Donut's distribution model, influencing the ecosystem by powering organic connections at scale—used even by Slack itself—and enabling high-retention teams in a churn-prone landscape.[2]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Donut is primed to expand as AI agents evolve people programs, potentially deepening HRIS integrations and adding predictive matching for skills/mentorship amid skills gaps.[4][6] Trends like fully agentic workflows and gamified recognition will shape its path, evolving influence from Slack-sidekick to full employee lifecycle platform. With remote work entrenched, Donut's automation edge positions it to capture more of the $100B+ HR tech market, sustaining momentum for teams prioritizing human connection in high-stakes environments—echoing its origin as the intuitive fix for culture in Slack.[2][4]