Messaging App Port Gains Momentum with Seed Funding Round Led by Narayana Murthy’s Catamaran
Numberless, Inc., the parent company of Port, has announced the closure of its seed funding round led by Catamaran, a venture capital & private equity firm. With this deal, Jennifer O’Brien from Catamaran will join the board of Numberless.
As per the startup, the freshly raised funds will be used to expand its team and launch its beta version early this fall.
Port | Numberless Communication
Founded by Aniruddh Balasubramanian and Abhinav N in 2023, Port is an end-to-end encrypted messaging app that uses novel ports instead of phone numbers to connect users.
The app, which is currently in alpha testing, uses single-use QR codes, links, and NFC-based taps to set up connections, which means mutual participation is required. Also, sensitive info like phone numbers, emails, or handles never gets exposed.
Speaking about the development, Aniruddh Balasubramanian, co-founder and CEO, said,
“Due to the proliferation of mobile devices, phone numbers have become the convenient, de facto means of connecting for any purpose: a one-off delivery, a brief business query, a check-in with a friend. The value of these connections varies widely, though, so it feels incongruous that each receives the same permanent hook into our devices and lives – i.e., our phone number. Port solves this by removing phone numbers from the process of connecting and communicating with others.”
As the app uses dynamic ports, it requires consent from both parties to open, which claims no unwanted connections or spam. Additionally, either party can close the port at any time, preventing users from the hassle of leaving behind a phone number for undesired follow-on communication. The public version of the app is expected to go live in November 2023.
Statement from the Investor
Commenting on the development, Deepak Padaki, President at Catamaran, stated that Port represents a new class of communication tools that restore boundaries around who can access users on their phones and when.
Padaki added,
“In fact, I foresee a future where people are more willing to form new connections via Port because of this design.”
VC & private equity firm Catamaran manages over $1 billion across asset classes.
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