STOCKHOLM, 13 July 2021 – Anyone has been one of the most talked-about audio apps coming out of Nordics in the last year, making it onto Business Insider’s global list of startups poised to take off in 2021 and dubbed one of Sweden’s hottest startups in Sifted.
Today, the Stockholm-based start-up announces a $3.6 million seed investment, with the round led by Cavalry Ventures along with participation from Supernode Global, Antler and a number of high-profile angel investors.
The equity raise will enable Anyone to double the size of its team, and scale the app to accommodate its rapidly-growing wait list, moving it closer to switching from its current invite-only model to a public launch.
Built for the creator economy, Anyone enables users to quickly and efficiently connect for on-demand 1:1 conversations with high-profile advisors – who set their own topics and prices – without having to go through their inbox or calendar.
By lowering connection barriers and limiting all calls to five minutes, Anyone introduces a new form of knowledge sharing that encourages creativity and spontaneity.
The app has become popular among tech founders and creators who use it to connect with their audiences and share quick advice covering a wide range of topics such as business, career and health together with personal interests such as travel, wine and gardening.
“What sets Anyone apart from other audio apps is the quality and connection of 1:1 advice,” said Claude Ritter, Managing Partner at the round’s lead investor, Cavalry Ventures. “The team saw the potential of audio and the emergence of the creator economy long before the hype. We’re impressed by what they’ve accomplished to date and by their mission to build the phone book of the future.”
“Most so-called experts repeat the same story on every platform because they’re repeatedly asked the same questions and have a lot of time to fill. The limitation of an Anyone call cuts the waffle and forces all parties to focus on providing high quality advice."
“We’re building Anyone so that more can get further faster,” said co-founder and CEO David Orlic. “Every day, we see the impact the app is having on people’s careers, lives and health. We’ve had users quit their job after a few five-minute calls, while others have landed a new job or gotten promoted after using Anyone as a sounding board.”
Beyond the institutional funding, Anyone is backed by top-tier advisors and investors like Daniel Sachs, Global Board member of Open Society Foundations (OSF), Matt ‘Mills’ Miller, co-founder of UsTwo and Monument Valley, and Atomico angels Sarah Drinkwater and Sameer Singh.
ENDS
About Anyone ☎️
Anyone is an audio app that gives you five minutes of anyone’s time. Purposefully built for the creator economy, it enables people to share their knowledge and experience through short but meaningful conversations centered around advice.
Founded in Sweden by David Orlic, Alfred Malmros and Sam Ducker, Anyone is a remote company with a fully distributed team operating from Stockholm, London, Paris and New York.
The app is currently invite-only, but users are encouraged to reserve their handles on anyo.ne
About Cavalry
Founded by entrepreneurs and operators, Cavalry is a European early-stage venture capital fund focusing on pre-seed and seed stage. In addition to the team’s company building expertise, portfolio companies gain access to a cross-sector, global and exclusive network of more than 180 angel investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, business experts, and many more, who provide advisory and operational support in areas such as strategy, organisational development, product development, sales, international expansion, recruiting and marketing.
The portfolio comprises more than 40 companies including Forto, McMakler, PlanRadar, BRYTER, and REKKI. Cavalry is headquartered in Berlin and invests across Europe.
For more information: www.cavalry.vc