This post was written by Alex Schwartz and Cy Wise, co-founders of absurd:joy.
What’s new!?
Alex and Cy here with big news!
Last year we announced that our team, accidentally following in the footsteps of Discord, Slack, and Unity, had set out to build some video games and instead ended up building a tech platform. We announced our remote collaboration platform called Tangle as well as our backing by some top tier investors.
Today we’re excited to launch Tangle’s Early Access, introduce our new website, and announce the closing of an additional funding round of over $4 million, reaffirming our commitment to reimagine remote work for everyone.
Why we’re doing this!
Remote work is a revolution that we firmly believe is here to stay. It’s a more healthy, worker-centric, equitable way to work and much of the world agrees with us.
The current industry tooling for remote work really stinks, and the remote worker experience takes a toll on the mind. When all of the options are designed around video meetings and/or heavy text communication, it leads to endless meetings bookended by stark loneliness. Where’s the camaraderie and vibe of being a team while working together as a unit?
We set out to re-think remote communication and challenge the notions set out by other platforms. We built Tangle to prioritize culture, connectedness, and the human element.
So, you’re really doing this?
Yep! We’ve experimented on ourselves and with a small group of testers and brave companies willing to be the guinea pigs for a new way to gather remotely. And the results have been amazing. We learned about:
- The value of listening to colleagues, overhearing office chatter, and how important that is in the context of onboarding new team members into a culture.
- The psychological effects of being in a silent void, then being thrust into ‘work mode’, only to then be ripped from that group experience back into the void.
- How we’re seeing the value and wins from a culture standpoint and seeing it represented in our early data (Less meetings! Happier more collaborative teams! Less Slack usage overall! More conversational interactions! More fluid non-work conversations leading to better connections as humans!).
So we’re ready to bring this to the public.
How does Tangle work? And how do I get it?
Well, our brand new website does a great job of explaining the features, functionality, and design approach. Check out the Tangle website for all the details and to sign up for Early Access!
And be sure to watch the quick explainer video to see the current early access build in action.
Who’s behind the scenes?
The founders are the folks behind Job Simulator, supported by an incredible team of veteran folks hailing from games and SaaS backgrounds. We’re also backed by tons of amazing investors who have committed over $10 million to date toward our mission. Check out the team, advisors, and investors.
What’s next for y’all?
We’re absurdly excited to be innovating in this space – it feels like there’s a ton of ways we can help make remote work more enjoyable and better connect human beings across the world. Creating software and immersive experiences is our passion, and we’re doing it in a more joyful way! Stay tuned for more!
