The friends delved into reworking the product concept to make

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Figma was revolutionary compared to all the design apps that existed at the time. For example, you could meet your entire team online and high-five each other. Source: Figma
After a year of working together, the friends prepared a demo version of Figma and presented it to investors - Index Ventures, Flipboard and LinkedIn. Field worked at the last two companies while he was a student. The idea was so attractive that investors approved the first funding of $ 4 million. This money should be enough to refine the product before the market launch.

First difficulties, delayed release and becoming a unicorn
Finally, Field and Wallace had an idea and the money to implement it. All that was left was to finish developing the product and launch it on the market. However, as it turned out, finding funding was much easier than creating a product that the market really needed.

it user-friendly and to take into account all user needs. This took another 3 years. Time passed, but there was still no finished product. Due to the constantly delayed release, the project team began to disintegrate. Part of it lost faith in the success of the idea.

In 2015, it was pointless to wait any longer, and they decided to open the test version of Figma to users. At first, access to the program was only possible by invitation, but in September 2016, Figma became open to everyone.

Already in the test version, users had access to such functions as collaboration and jamaica phone number list work in the browser, as well as the ability to leave a comment on the layout. Figma offered broad opportunities for interface development and at the same time quite limited for direct image editing.


Figma differentiated itself from its competitors by allowing teams to collaborate. Source: Figma
Figma users liked it, but the platform release didn't change much for the creators. The thing is that the creators didn't think through the monetization system and didn't offer paid plans. Field was focused on refining the product, not on how to recoup its costs faster, so the company needed to attract investments again.

Figma raised $14 million in Series A funding in late 2015 and another $25 million in a Series B round in early 2018.

Perhaps such cash injections would have allowed the team not to think about monetization, but an accident changed everything.

One day, a Microsoft employee approached Figma. He told them directly that the company cannot adopt a product that is distributed for free. As we know, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and it is not advisable for a large company that spends a lot of money on the security of its data to use such a product.