After greater than a 12 months of distant work, Devin Ajimine and his mates couldn’t discover a productiveness software that will assist them keep centered.
So that they determined to construct one themselves over a weekend.
“We threw it up on TikTok, then it went viral a number of occasions,” mentioned the 25-year-old Seattle entrepreneur and Hawaii native.
The software they showcased, known as LifeAt Areas, was seen and shared thousands and thousands of occasions on numerous social media platforms. Viewers had been immediately drawn to the idea: Consolidating and organizing a set of productiveness instruments onto a single platform, letting customers create their very own digital workplace from a browser or desktop app.
Ajimine mentioned the objective is to get rid of cluttered desktops. That thesis struck a chord: the app has been downloaded greater than one million occasions.
LifeAt graduated from high startup accelerator Y Combinator final summer season, serving to convert a weekend mission right into a full-fledged firm.
The startup has drawn consideration from some notable traders, together with a enterprise arm of Fb mother or father Meta. Myspace co-founder Aber Whitcomb can be a backer, along with YC, Pioneer Sq. Labs, the enterprise arm of Line mother or father Z Holdings, Pack Ventures, Goodwater, SV Tech, and Pioneer Fund.
As an early-stage client startup led by younger entrepreneurs, LifeAt is a rarity in a Seattle tech ecosystem dominated by enterprise software program or longtime Amazon and Microsoft leaders.
“Once we first hit the million customers, that was fairly transformative,” Ajimine mentioned. “It’s like, ‘Okay, persons are actually enthusiastic about what we’re doing.’ Now, can we construct a platform that may be scalable to develop into a billion-dollar enterprise?”
Earlier than founding LifeAt, Ajimine labored as a product supervisor at T-Cellular. He teamed up along with his former College of Portland laptop science classmate Pouya Rad, 27, who labored as an engineer at Vimeo, and Marisa Chentakul, 25, who beforehand was a product designer at TikTok. Founding engineer Ashika Mulagada, 23, is a former software program engineer at Capital One.
All 4 members had been lately featured on Forbes’ 30 underneath 30 checklist.
LifeAt customers select from a collection of “areas” to set as their digital backdrop, starting from a espresso store to a simulated Zoom name with Zac Efron. Customers can add a soundtrack, submit a to-do checklist, share a calendar, and set a Pomodoro timer — multi function area. They’ll additionally invite mates into their digital workplace, organising video calls to hang around in.
The startup companions with digital creators to design the digital areas. One in every of its most high-profile collaborators is Lofi Woman, a preferred YouTube channel that creates beats for enjoyable and finding out.
Julie Sandler, managing director at PSL, mentioned the product has seen “exponential adoption” from customers all around the world who use it every day to remain disciplined with their work. She added that a number of members of her staff are “considerably obsessed” with the app.
“I’ve LifeAt up on my second monitor on a regular basis,” she mentioned.
The shift to distant work introduced a rush of recent startups aiming to carry facilities and features of the workplace or campus to houses. So-called digital co-working areas thrived, serving as a digital WeWork of types for college kids and employees who craved a setting of social interplay and accountability from having others current.
Examples embrace Focusmate, which randomly pairs strangers on the platform for examine periods, and Seattle startup Spot, which builds digital places of work for corporations.
Ajimine mentioned LifeAt differentiates from opponents as a result of individuals can make the most of the platform with out counting on different customers. He considers YouTube to be a foremost competitor.
Whereas the pitch for LifeAt’s digital areas could sound acquainted, Ajimine insists that it’s not a metaverse software. “It’s nearly just like the bridge to that 3D setting,” he mentioned in regards to the similarities. “However you continue to get to apply it to issues that you simply’re used to — like your laptop.”
Final month, the corporate reported greater than 35 million minutes of person engagement. It additionally attracted almost 83,000 members to its chat room on Discord.
Ajimine mentioned one of many largest challenges to date has been changing LifeAt’s customers into paid subscribers. Whereas the app is free to begin, the corporate has a “premium” model, which prices $9 for a month-to-month subscription or $72 for a 12 months.
A few of the paid options embrace limitless notes and video calls. The startup declined to say what number of of its customers are paid subscribers.
LifeAt is concentrated on customers for now, however the objective is to evolve and goal companies as effectively, Ajimine mentioned.