During this pandemic, we’ve all noticed that it isn’t always easy to stay productive. Working at home comes with its challenges, as does connecting with a remote team. Given this, new startups that can boost productivity could have an edge. One such company is Stack, a smart browser for Internet multitaskers, where you can manage all your social media, messaging, e-mailing, and productivity apps from one place.

The Nuts & Bolts 

Problem: Internet users spend time on multiple apps daily, using several social media accounts and SaaS apps per employee. Active users lose time and patience when they have to switch between apps and open countless tabs on web browsers.

Solution: Stack is an intuitive web-application manager with browsing functionality that provides Internet users with an innovative and easy-to-use solution to increase productivity, stay focused, and remain organized throughout the day.

When 500 Met Stack 

We met Stack through a post by an OpenView investor in the Women in VC Slack community and were intrigued by the company’s thesis. While Stack was taking part in the 500Georgia Accelerator, the founders saw a lot of value in partaking in 500’s flagship Accelerator program, now a virtual experience.

The team has a wealth of experience in technology. Stack’s Co-Founder and CEO George Laliashvili founded three tech companies in Europe and the Middle East, and Co-Founder and COO, Dachi Gubadze, is an Economic Researcher at UNU-MERIT, as well as a Ph.D. Candidate at Maastricht University.

An experienced software developer and product designer with 10+ products in his portfolio, Zviad Sichinava, serves as the Co-Founder and CTO. And David Gavasheli, Co-Founder and CFO, was previously the Co-Founder and CEO of the largest online and offline marketplace in Georgia. The Chief IT Architect, Ika Pkhakadze, has over 12 years of experience as a software architect and previously served as the Senior IoT Applications Developer and Team Lead at Philips.

Stack has also made strides towards aligning with our ESG framework by having, among other initiatives, a non-discrimination policy and a process in place to protect consumer data.

Why Now?

Eyes are on productivity software now that the pandemic has changed the way we work. Our survey, The Impact of COVID-19 on the Early-Stage Investment Climate: Q3 2020, found that 48.1% of respondents reported interest in productivity software for 2021 in contrast to 28.1% reporting interest for 2020. One reason for this increased interest is that it is becoming more challenging to stay focused and productive in this new normal of work.

Working from home, we all heavily rely on numerous applications to manage our day. From chatting and planning with team members to organizing to-do lists, web apps fill our day and screens. 

Over the last 10 years, the number of daily used web-applications has skyrocketed, but the browsers designed in the 1990s no longer meet the needs of Internet users in the 2000s. These browsers tend to get crowded with tabs, so they end up becoming messy and unreliable workspaces.

More than 1.5 billion web-applications and websites exist, with over 4.3 billion Internet users spending more and more time online. Active internet users lose time and patience while multitasking with current browsers, going from app to app. These users don’t necessarily need a better browser; instead, they can benefit from an intuitive web-applications manager with browsing functionality.

Future of Stack 

The Stack team is on its way to creating an easier way to be productive in the workday. As the pandemic drags on and more companies announce employees can work remotely permanently, it’s crucial to maintain productivity levels. Stack has introduced browsing with a productivity layer by streamlining the web workflow and giving control back to users. The company describes itself as an “Internet OS,” and we believe the team has the technical knowledge, drive, and support to improve the way we work.

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You can learn more about Stack at https://www.getstack.app.  

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