The burgeoning low-code and no-code traffic shows few signs of abating, with many startups continuing to raise large sums to help a less technical workforce easily develop and deploy software. Arguably one of the most prominent examples of this trend is air tablea 10-year-old company that recently achieved a A whopping $11 billion For a codeless platform used by companies like Netflix and Shopify to create relational databases.
Side by side, we are also seeing a rise in “open source alternativesFor some big-name tech companies, from Google’s back-end platform as Firebase to Open source scheduling infrastructure Who seeks to replace the mighty Kallodi.
A young Dutch company called basiro It sits at the intersection of these two trends, presenting itself as an open source alternative to Airbase that helps people build databases with minimal technical savvy. Baserow announced today that it has raised €5 million ($5.2 million) in seed funding to launch a range of premium products and new businesses in the coming months, transforming the platform from its current database-centric organization to a “complete and open source” co-founder. and CEO Bram Weebigis for TechCrunch.
Building databases
So, what exactly does Baserow do in its current form? Well, anyone with even rudimentary spreadsheet skills can use Baserow for use cases that include content marketing, such as collaboratively managing brand assets across teams; Management and organization of events. Helping HR teams or startups Manage and track applicants for a new role; And even more that Baserow . provides pre-made molds for.
Baserow Applicant Tracking Template. IBaraka Loans: basiro
One specific real-world example cited by Baserow co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) Olivier Maes A regional municipality in France which sought to create a platform to help local farmers register their produce and advertise where it is sold in the area. This allowed customers to see what product was available in the venue, with local retailers able to use the same app to source specific products. A basic database infrastructure was needed to store and display all this information, and Baserow entered the fray.
“In this case, all the data behind the website is managed and integrated by Baserow n8n In order to automate workflow and back to external web portals,” Mace explained. “This is a typical use case with multiple stakeholders who need to enter, view, and modify data [and need to] Doing so without any technical skill requirements.”
Find local products in an app developed by Baserow. Image credits: basiro
open source agent
Baserow’s open source credentials are arguably its primary selling point, with the promise of more extensibility and customizations (users can create their own plugins to improve their functionality, similar to the way WordPress works) – this is a particularly tempting proposition for companies with specific or niche non-specific use cases. Well backed by a turnkey SaaS solution.
Furthermore, some sectors require complete control of their data and technology stack for security or compliance purposes. This is where open source really comes in on its own, since companies can host the product themselves and circumvent vendor locks.
Wiepies explained that “if a company or public sector entity uses Baserow to collaborate on sensitive data and build all kinds of processes around it, they don’t want to run the risk of losing any of that business or applications in the future.” “Introducing open source software mitigates these risks, as the source code is forever in the hands of our users.”
It’s also worth noting that open source generally lowers the barrier to entry, as it usually ships with a free version that anyone can publish themselves. This usually requires significant technical knowledge, as business entities often monetize their products with premium features and services that make their use easier and faster. However, given that the essence of Baserow Cause of existence Attracting less tech-minded people into the workforce, it had to make its core product usable like an off-the-shelf SaaS tool.
“Baserow can be used by anyone who needs to organize and collaborate on data – we think we will appeal to SMEs, public sector organizations and enterprise users,” Maes said.
With a new €5 million in the bank, Baserow plans to double its commercial efforts, starting with a premium incarnation officially launching from the Early Access program later this month. This offering will be available as a SaaS and self-hosted product and will include various features such as the ability to export in different formats; User management tools for the admin; Kanban display and more. An additional “advanced” product will also be made available to SaaS customers and will include an upper limit on data storage and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Although Baserow has worked somewhat under the radar since its official founding in Amsterdam last year, it claims to have 10,000 active users, 100 sponsors donating to the project via GitHub and 800 users who are already in the waiting list for its premium version.
Later this year, Baserow plans to offer a paid enterprise version to self-hosting customers, with support for specific requirements such as audit logs, single sign-on (SSO), role-based access control and more.
Until then, Baserow and its ilk will continue to promote their ability to bridge the much-discussed tech talent gap by giving anyone in the company the ability to create their own databases – an issue that affects businesses of all sizes, from independent businesses small to the largest global conglomerates.
“There is a massive global shortage of developers today, and a huge need for apps that meet the specific needs of teams in organizations,” added Wiepies. “A lot of data is still captured and processed in Excel spreadsheets by operations teams—often severely understaffed—trying to provide insights, track progress, and create dashboards.”
Baserow’s initial round was led by early-stage investor Amsterdam Inkef, with participation from Firstminute Capital, Seedcamp, Frontline and angel investors including Remote’s Job van der Voort and Pipedrive’s Martin Henk.