Led · Equity · Apr 2021

Shorthand offers a no-code, drag-and-drop platform for creating multimedia "scrollytelling" stories, emphasizing story design over web design and targeting editors and writers rather than designers. The product includes effects and templates that let readers trigger transitions by scrolling, and the company positions itself as simpler for content creators than tools like Webflow and Ceros. Customers named in the article include the BBC, Dow Jones, the University of Cambridge, Nature, Manchester City FC and Peloton. CEO Ricky Robinson said Shorthand has been profitable for the past two years. Usage reportedly quadrupled in Q4 2020, and subscription revenue was up 8.8% month-over-month in February. The company plans to use the new funding to ramp up marketing channels it has been testing and to invest heavily in product development to remain at the cutting edge of web storytelling.