Absurd:Joy has raised an estimated $4 million for its Tangle platform which provides a virtual workplace for remote teams.
The company, which does business as Tangle, is preparing for its commercial launch later this year, following a limited early access period.
Built from the ground up for remote teams, Tangle took the value of the office and completely reimagined it for remote work culture, and it was built by game developers who previously created some hit VR games.
A new virtual hub, Tangle provides shoulder-to-shoulder collaboration from any location, simplifies communication, and facilitates a people-first culture.
$10M raised to date
Qualcomm Ventures has joined March Gaming and Dune Ventures, along with other prominent industry leaders, as investors in Tangle. This investment brings Tangle’s total funding to over $10 million.
Tangle’s mission is to upend the current remote work culture of back-to-back video meetings and endless notifications, which leave people feeling burnt out and isolated. Early access Tangle customers experience fewer meetings, less miscommunications, faster decisions, and the kind of creative sparks you would expect in face-to-face interactions – essentials for more sustainable work environments and greater employee retention.
One early access customer experienced up to a 50% decrease in meetings, while another indicated they were able to make decisions up to 75% faster. With adjustable ambient audio, the option to show up on camera or as a customizable avatar, joyful design within an endless canvas space, and rich team interactions such as sending hearts and confetti to a teammate for a job well done, Tangle brings teams together no matter how they choose to work.
“We set out to re-think remote communication and challenge the notions of current industry standards,” explains Alex Schwartz, CEO of Tangle, in a statement. “We built Tangle to prioritize culture, connectedness, and human beings. The current industry tooling for remote work is disjointed, taking a psychological toll on remote workers. Tangle was built to empower employees to experience social cues and show up as themselves, creating a more sustainable remote work environment that folks actually want to spend time in.”
Ramping for launch
As Tangle prepares for commercial launch later this year, early access customers have provided invaluable feedback about immediate benefits for their team.
“Our fully remote team has clear communication and cohesion because of Tangle,” said Matt Schembari, CEO of Lightforge Games, in a statement. “In particular, we use Tangle for the social elements — overhearing chats, getting real-time feedback, and even just hanging out having coffee. Tangle defines how we build camaraderie and feel connected as a team, contributing to our high employee retention.”
“The increasingly hybrid and remote world is in need of communication tools that improve collaboration,” said Sachin Deshpande, senior director of Qualcomm Ventures, in a statement. “Tangle’s unique solution enables remote workplaces to feel like physical offices by creating more social and fun interactions. We’re excited to invest in Tangle as they unleash the metaverse into the workspace with leading on-device AI technology.”
Previously, Qualcomm Ventures invested in Owlchemy Labs, a company founded by Tangle’s Schwartz and Cy Wise. Google acquired Owlchemy in 2017.
After Google acquired Owlchemy Labs, entrepreneurs Schwartz and Wise set out to fix something they found profoundly broken. They used their experience in sociology and human behavior, building game studios, and designing weird but intuitive, accessible technology (like their virtual reality hit Job Simulator), to build the remote work tool of their dreams – Tangle.
“Our conviction that Tangle changes the game for virtual presence at work has only grown, and we are thrilled to welcome new investor Qualcomm Ventures to join this investment round,” said Louis Gresham, partner at March Gaming, in a statement. “We could not be more excited to support the visionaries behind Tangle as they grow this innovative virtual hub for hybrid and remote employees.”
In addition to Qualcomm Ventures, March Gaming and Dune Ventures’ investments, industry leaders and executives from Unity, Apple, Microsoft, Redfin, and Roblox have contributed funding to help build and grow Tangle.
For updates and more information on Tangle, visit tangle.app to sign up for early access.