Zapier

Zapier is an American software company that provides a platform for business process automation and application integration services. Its platform allows users to move data across web-based applications, automate tasks, and incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into workflows and systems. The company was founded in 2011, and officially launched in 2012 as part of the Y Combinator startup accelerator program. As a low-code/no-code platform, Zapier is intended for users with minimal to moderate technical knowledge.

History

Zapier began as a side project in 2011 in Columbia, Missouri, United States, founded by Wade Foster, Bryan Helmig, and Mike Knoop, who attended the University of Missouri.[1][2] Foster and Knoop were doing freelance work building small integrations for companies when they noticed they were frequently using the same connectors.[3] In September 2011, Foster and Helmig, then colleagues at Veterans United Home Loans, began developing a tool to integrate multiple software applications with Knoop joining later that year. For several months, the team worked on the software while maintaining full-time jobs.[4] The founders applied to Y Combinator, a Silicon Valley startup incubator, but were initially rejected. They reapplied the following year and were accepted.[5]

In December 2011, Foster left his job to work on Zapier full-time. Helmig followed in April 2012, and Knoop joined full-time in May, the same month the company launched its public beta.[6] The founders relocated to Mountain View, California, to launch Zapier and formally join the Y Combinator program in June.[6] Zapier is headquartered in San Francisco, California,[7] but does not have work offices and has operated fully remotely since its founding. In the technology industry, Zapier was one of the first companies to adopt a remote work culture.[8][9]

Since its founding, Zapier has grown with minimal outside fundraising, a practice that is uncommon among software companies.[10] In October 2012, Zapier received a $1.2 million seed round led by Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), and several angel investors.[11]

Zapier became profitable in 2014.[12] In March 2017, Zapier introduced a $10,000 "de-location" package program for workers who chose to move out of the San Francisco Bay Area, due to the region's high cost of living and housing shortage,[13][14] The program was limited to individuals intending to move away from the Bay Area and required a commitment of at least one year of employment at the company.[15] Zapier received about 150 applicants over the weekend, including 50 who specifically cited the de-location package in their application.[16]

In December 2018, Zapier announced that it had reached its 200th employee.[17]

In January 2021, investment firms Sequoia Capital and Steadfast Financial purchased shares from some of Zapier's early investors in a secondary market transaction.[18][8] The terms of the deal, including the amount sold and the participating investors, were not publicly disclosed. The transaction valued the company at US$5 billion. Foster stated none of the founders took part in the sale.[8] As of August 2022, the company employed approximately 700 people in close to forty countries.[19]

Acquisitions

In March 2021, Zapier acquired its first company, Makerpad, a no-code education service, for an undisclosed sum of money.[20][21]

In March 2024, Zapier acquired Vowel, an AI video conferencing tool. Vowel's founder, Andrew Berman, joined Zapier following the acquisition.[22] In July 2024, Zapier acquired NoCodeOps, an Atlanta-based no-code platform.[23]

In October 2025, Zapier acquired Utopian Labs (originally known as Luna.ai), a company which used chatbots to write sales emails.[24] Utopian Labs ceased operations the following month.[25]

Products and services

Zapier is a low-code/no-code enterprise software platform.[26] It is intended for users with minimal to moderate technical skills to assist in workflow creation.[27]

The company's automation system is built around workflows called "zaps", which consist of a "trigger", an event in one application, and one or more "actions" carried out in other connected apps in response.[28][17][29] Users can create workflows using a library of templates or build custom ones.[29][30] These workflows can include multiple steps, perform actions across various applications, and support automations and data transfers.[29] Workflows can also be created using Zapier Copilot, a large language models (LLMs) tool for building and troubleshooting workflows via natural language prompts.[31][32]

The platform has a directory of connectors to exchange data through application programming interfaces (APIs). For integrations not available in the directory, users can create custom connectors using the Zapier Developer Platform.[33] Zapier also has a no-code database called Zapier Tables, which allows users to work with data before integrating it across applications. Another product, Zapier Interfaces, is used to create custom web interfaces, forms, and applications that can connect to and trigger automated workflows.[34] Zapier Canvas, launched in 2023, is a diagramming and visualization tool used to plan and document workflows.[35]

Zapier offers multiple product plans. The Free plan supports two-step workflows and a limited number of tasks. The Professional and Team plans are designed for individual users and small teams, respectively. The Enterprise plan is intended for organizations.[36]

In 2023, Zapier announced that they were introducing AI offerings.[37]

External links