Community: An investment in what matters

On March 16th, Webflow announced their Series C round of funding: 120 million dollars with a 4 billion dollar valuation. That’s simply huge. But there’s more: They also announced a 10 million dollar investment in community that will go to support users in creating resources, education opportunities, events and products designed to help further break down the barriers to professional site and app creation for people all over the globe.

In our view, this is an example of a company that’s really doing it right, and (understatement) truly putting their money where their mouth is. We couldn’t be more excited to see what becomes of this and nothing could align more with what we feel our real job is in this world.

Earlier this week we wrote about how we’re working to build community at and around Edgar Allan, and about how incredibly important that idea is to not just business success, but human success and fulfillment. It seems given Webflow’s announcement, we aren’t alone.

In brand we talk about a company or product taking the role of the guide and not the hero. That this is the gold standard. But that’s not just a nice storytelling trope; it’s a way of thinking and behaving that’s purposeful and fulfilling, and that leaves us knowing that we’ve added something real to the world that doesn’t go away when we close our laptops. We’ve connected and advocated and given of ourselves in ways that empower or inspire or change things for the better. And that’s our real job and what we’ve got to give. It’s clearly Webflow’s too. 

As Vlad wrote, “You inspired us with the incredible things you were building that we never imagined could be possible. You showed us how important Webflow was to you in making a living or building a business. You invested your precious time and energy into others to help them succeed. It brought us motivation, a renewed sense of purpose, and a resolve to keep going.”

Community is like that. It’s a support system, an inspiration, a dozen or a hundred or a thousand voices challenging and nudging you along toward better, just as you nudge them along as well.