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.