Universe provides a gesture-based GRID interface enabling creators to build websites and online stores from mobile devices using Lego-like building blocks. The app has empowered over 500,000 creators and now powers more than half a million active sites. Its core product combines mobile-first site creation with a commerce engine and easy ‘link-in-bio’ workflows. With the new funding, Universe plans to double down on the GRID system, expand its commerce offering for upstart brands, and bring the GRID to more platforms and devices. The company also intends to build awareness in new markets and continue developing a distributed team across the country. Universe is exploring how to extend its no-code approach into web3, including NFTs and decentralized commerce. Universe is a low-friction mobile website builder and Brooklyn startup that is venturing into commerce. The company offers tools intended to help businesses move online quickly and create new commerce opportunities. GV led a $10 million investment in Universe that was finalized in late March and had been in the works before COVID-19 hit the U.S. The deal was led by GV partner M.G. Siegler. The article states the capital should take some weight off the company, allowing it to focus on new initiatives, including pushing commerce forward. Universe may also use the funding to make strategic hires as it pursues longer-term success. Universe is an iOS app that enables users to create modular, mobile-first websites in a minute or two using a grid-based interface. The product targets creators, small business owners and individuals who want a simple, mobile-centric web presence. The company says over 160,000 sites have been built with the app. Universe is iOS-only for now and the team remains small, with three full-time employees based in Brooklyn. The startup recently reworked monetization, moving from an a la carte model to a Pro tier priced at $10 per month with additional functionality planned. Financially, Universe has raised $7.2 million to date and just closed a new round to support growth and hiring. Universe is a mobile-only website builder that provides a drag-and-drop iOS app for creating lightweight web pages quickly using a 3×5 phone canvas. The app focuses on simple modules—text, photos, videos and links—and targets casual creators (for example, Instagram profile links and viral one-off pages) rather than developers or large organizations. Universe sites hosted on its domain are free; custom domains start at $2.99/month. At launch the product does not include a purchasing/e-commerce module, though the founder says commerce and other features are planned for future updates. The company emphasizes a mobile-native experience and has no current plans to build a desktop site editor or pivot to native app creation. Universe is based in Brooklyn, New York, and is led by founder Joseph Cohen.

Total raised

$47M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Dec 2021