PopUp

PopUp, founded in 2021 by former Shopify co-workers Matteo Grassi and Corey Holmes, emerged as a contender in the no-code e-commerce platform market. The company's mission was to provide a more flexible and customizable alternative to the established, one-size-fits-all e-commerce solutions.

Drawing from their experience at Shopify, the founders aimed to address the perceived rigidity of existing platforms. Their solution was a modular platform centered around a visual, drag-and-drop "Journey Builder." This feature was designed to empower merchants of all sizes, from entrepreneurs to established brands, to craft unique and personalized sales pathways for their customers, rather than being confined to standard homepage-collection-product page flows. The platform intended to enable sellers to optimize workflows by automating tasks and facilitating A/B testing of different customer journeys and checkout processes.

The venture initially garnered significant investor confidence, securing a $3.5 million pre-seed funding round on November 24, 2022. The round was led by prominent venture capital firm Accel and included participation from Seedcamp, 20VC, and notable angel investors from companies like Hopin and Linktree. This capital was intended to fuel the official launch, team expansion, and marketing efforts. However, despite its promising start and strong initial backing, the company has since ceased operations and is now considered deadpooled as of mid-2024.

Keywords: no-code e-commerce, customizable storefront, visual journey builder, e-commerce platform, Matteo Grassi, Corey Holmes, Accel, Seedcamp, Shopify alternative, modular commerce, personalized shopping experience, e-commerce automation, direct-to-consumer tools, online retail platform, venture-backed, defunct startup, e-commerce technology, digital commerce, online store builder, customer journey optimization