London based business networking app raises $2.7m with “ad-free” pledge

A London based digital community and professional networking app has raised $2.7m in seed funding with its ad-free pledge.

Guild, aims to establish itself as an alternative to LinkedIn and What’s App for business purposes. It has an enterprise SaaS business model and is free to join.

The seed funding has come from existing angel investors, including Tim Weller (founder, Incisive Media), Ben Heald (founder, Sift), Victoria Mellor (co-founder, Melcrum), and Alex Martinez (co-founder, Procurement Leaders).

The investment will be used for continued product development, including integrations and payments, and to invest in marketing to grow the user base, as Guild moves towards a Series A funding round in 2022.

Ashley Friedlein, founder and CEO of Guild, said: “We knew networking and community were important when we created Guild, but 2020 proved just how much it mattered, and how our current platforms weren’t fit for the job.

“We launched Guild to create a platform and ecosystem for professional communities and networking that is as easy to use as WhatsApp or LinkedIn but without the ads that result in privacy problems, too much noise and a poor user experience.

“The investment comes at an exciting stage and shows our existing investors’ confidence in how Guild can unlock the value of professional communities.

Ashley continued: “Beyond exchanging expertise and knowledge, we have a vision for community-powered market networks where professionals can monetize their expertise directly and globally. We’re building the infrastructure and member base now to ready us for external funding in 12-18 months.”

Michelle Goodall, CMO of Guild, commented: “At a time when other business-focussed social networks are focusing on growing ad revenue, at the expense of user experience, we’re focusing on the power of community and connections and creating the world’s best professional environment for this.”