Openvibe, a platform designed to connect disparate open social networks, has secured $800,000 in seed funding. The round was led by Czech Founders VC, with participation from Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com and Tumblr, and Tensor Ventures. This investment underscores growing interest in platforms that simplify the increasingly fragmented open social media landscape.
Image Credits: Openvibe
Openvibe launched in 2024 with the ambitious goal of uniting major open social networks like Mastodon, Bluesky, and Nostr, each operating on different protocols. The platform subsequently integrated Instagram Threads following its adoption of ActivityPub. CEO Matej Svancer envisions Openvibe as a user-friendly gateway to the open social web, addressing the complexity of navigating multiple platforms with varying technological underpinnings.
Openvibe’s core functionality allows users to view a combined timeline of their activity across connected networks. Crucially, it also enables cross-posting to multiple platforms simultaneously, streamlining content distribution for users engaged across the decentralized social web.
Image Credits: Openvibe
The new funding will be used to accelerate product development, expand the user base, integrate additional social platforms, and refine the user interface. Automattic’s involvement is particularly noteworthy, given its history of supporting open-source projects challenging Big Tech dominance. However, recent controversies surrounding Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg’s decisions within the WordPress community have raised questions about the company’s commitment to open-source principles.
This investment in Openvibe reflects a broader trend of investors recognizing the potential of the open social web. Notable figures like Mark Cuban have recently called for video applications built on Bluesky’s AT Protocol, further highlighting the burgeoning interest in this space. Bluesky itself secured a $15 million Series A funding round in late 2024.
Openvibe is currently available as a free app on iOS and Android, with plans to introduce a subscription model for future revenue generation. The platform’s success will depend on its ability to navigate the complexities of the open social web and deliver a compelling user experience that simplifies cross-platform engagement.
