Stashpad

Stashpad was co-founded by CEO Cara Borenstein and CTO Theo Marin, who met while studying computer science at Columbia University. Their journey as first-time founders began in 2019, initially aiming to create a better wiki for software engineering teams under the name Bytebase. After conducting numerous customer interviews, they pivoted, realizing the more pressing need was for an improved developer scratchpad to manage working memory rather than a comprehensive knowledge management system. This experience instilled a rigorous approach to product development, focusing on building features that developers explicitly want. The company, now headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, participated in the Techstars Anywhere program in 2021.

Stashpad is designed as a note-taking application specifically for software developers and product managers, aiming to be a more effective tool for their daily workflow than generic notepads or complex platforms like Notion or Evernote. The core of the product revolves around organizing notes into 'stacks,' which function like folders and can contain sub-stacks, allowing for a structured yet flexible hierarchy. These stacks appear as tabs for easy access. Key features include robust markdown support, code syntax highlighting, customizable keyboard shortcuts, and a 'Sticky mode' for taking notes during video calls without switching windows. The platform emphasizes a frictionless experience, allowing users to quickly capture thoughts and compartmentalize different workstreams, akin to sending a direct message to oneself.

The company operates on a freemium model. The basic desktop application for Mac, Windows, and Linux is free for personal use. A paid tier, at $8 per month, enables syncing across devices and unlocks the mobile app. For teams, a commercial license is in development. Stashpad secured nearly $1.8 million in a pre-seed funding round to support product development, which includes plans for an Android app, image support, and an API for further customization. The company's primary product has since evolved into Stashpad Docs, a minimalist alternative to Google Docs that requires no account signup and focuses on speed and simplicity to appeal to its core developer audience.

Keywords: developer tools, note-taking app, software engineering, productivity software, markdown editor, knowledge management, code snippets, collaboration tool, cross-platform, freemium