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§ Private Profile · London, England, United Kingdom
Chat platform for developers to connect with open source and software development communities, offering chat rooms to discuss software and technology.
Gitter is an instant messaging and collaboration platform designed specifically for open-source software developers and technology communities, operating from an undisclosed corporate headquarters. The application provides dedicated chat rooms for discussing code, resolving technical issues, and managing software projects, scaling to support a user base of over 800,000 registered developers across thousands of distinct online community channels. Originally built to integrate seamlessly with code repositories hosted on GitHub, the platform later expanded its authentication and workflow connections to include Twitter and other prominent developer tools. Following its initial growth phase as an independent communication utility for programmers, the company was officially acquired by the major DevOps platform GitLab in March 2017 to further enhance their native collaboration features. The private enterprise was originally founded in 2014 by software engineers Mike Bartlett and Andrew Nesbitt.
Gitter has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round.
Gitter has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Gitter is a chat and networking platform designed for developers to manage, grow, and connect communities through messaging, content, and discovery, with a mission to help developers form deep relationships with each other and the technologies they use.[1][3][4] It serves over 50,000 public chat communities, including those from Microsoft, Google, Amazon AWS, and W3C, connecting nearly 600,000 developers via powerful features like code sharing with syntax highlighting and integrations with developer tools.[1] Originally a standalone SaaS tool, Gitter was acquired by GitLab in 2017 and then by Element (formerly New Vector) in 2020, migrating its 1.7 million users to the open, decentralized Matrix protocol while remaining free, open-source, and uncapped for public or private communities.[2][3]
Gitter was founded in 2014 as a developer-centric messaging platform with seamless GitHub integration, quickly becoming a hub where developers talk and collaborate.[1][2] It gained traction as the go-to chat tool for open-source projects and tech communities, leading to its acquisition by GitLab in 2017 to enhance dev services.[2] In 2020, Element acquired Gitter from GitLab to expand the Matrix ecosystem, bringing on its single "superstar" developer and migrating communities to Matrix for decentralized, end-to-end encrypted communication.[2][3] This evolution preserved Gitter's free, open-source model without monetization, emphasizing community growth over commercial editions.[2]
Gitter rides the wave of decentralized communication and open-source collaboration, aligning with trends in secure, privacy-focused alternatives to centralized platforms like Slack.[2][3] Its timing was ideal post-2014, amid GitHub's rise and the need for Git-integrated chat, evolving through acquisitions to bolster Matrix—a protocol challenging Big Tech dominance in messaging.[2] Market forces like growing developer demand for free, uncapped tools and remote work favor Gitter, influencing the ecosystem by migrating large communities (e.g., 1.7M users) to open standards, fostering interoperability and reducing vendor lock-in.[2][3]
Gitter's integration into Matrix positions it for sustained relevance in decentralized comms, with potential growth via Element's hosting (Element Matrix Services) and expanding client options.[2][3] Trends like AI-enhanced collaboration, stricter data privacy regs, and Web3 communities will shape its path, likely driving user retention through seamless migrations and new features. Its influence may evolve by deepening Matrix adoption among enterprises and open-source projects, solidifying its role as a free bridge for developer networks—echoing its origins as the place where developers come to talk.[1][3]
Gitter has raised $2.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $2.0M Seed in October 2015.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2015 | $2M Seed | — | AME Cloud Ventures, Hardware Club, IVP, Scale Venture Partners, Scheinman Angel Fund, Sierra Ventures, Adam Wiggins, Bill TAI, Anand Babu Periasamy, Faber Ventures, Index Ventures, Kima Ventures, Nexus Ventures | Announced |
Gitter has raised $2.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Gitter's investors include AME Cloud Ventures, Hardware Club, IVP, Scale Venture Partners, Scheinman Angel Fund, Sierra Ventures, Adam Wiggins, Bill Tai, Anand Babu Periasamy, Faber Ventures, Index Ventures, Kima Ventures.