Wufoo

Wufoo provides a web-based application for building online forms. It was founded in 2006 by Kevin Hale, Chris Campbell, and Ryan Campbell. The founders, who met through work, identified a need for a simpler way to create and manage online forms, as existing options were often difficult to use. The idea stemmed from observing the difficulties researchers faced in collecting data. Initially bootstrapping the company without external funding, they launched Wufoo as a standalone product and gained traction through positive word-of-mouth.

The company's platform allows users to design and create various types of forms, such as surveys, contact forms, event registrations, and applications, without needing to write any code. The service operates on a freemium model, offering a free plan with basic features and several tiered paid subscriptions that provide more advanced functionalities. Revenue is generated through these monthly or annual subscriptions, which offer increased form submissions, file storage, and additional user access. The platform is designed for a broad user base, from small businesses and individuals to large organizations.

A key feature of the product is its drag-and-drop interface and a gallery of over 400 customizable templates to streamline form creation. Once a form is created, Wufoo automatically builds the necessary database, backend, and scripts to collect and manage the data. Users can embed these forms into their websites using copy-and-paste code snippets. The service also includes features for data analysis, offering built-in reports and charts to visualize submissions. For enhanced functionality, Wufoo integrates with numerous third-party applications, including payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, as well as tools like MailChimp and Google Sheets. In April 2011, Wufoo was acquired by SurveyMonkey for a reported $35 million in cash and stock, a significant milestone for the bootstrapped company. Following the acquisition, the Wufoo team relocated to Palo Alto to join SurveyMonkey and expand the service's global reach.

Keywords: online form builder, web forms, data collection, custom forms, payment forms, surveys, registration forms, contact forms, form creation, drag-and-drop editor, form templates, data management, workflow automation, cloud storage database, payment integration, SurveyMonkey, Kevin Hale, Chris Campbell, Ryan Campbell, Y Combinator, form analytics