Have you ever wondered what sparks the creation of a groundbreaking startup? Join us behind the scenes of one such story, one with roots in Bondora.
Picture this: A group of talented individuals are building something incredible at Bondora, each bringing their unique skills and perspectives to the table. Among them were Kaarel Roben, former Staff Engineer, and Matt Clannachan, former VP of Product. These two bright minds shared a passion for innovation and streamlined simplicity.
While creating and enhancing our customers’ experience, Matt and Kaarel noticed a gap in the user experience market. They saw a need for a tool that could streamline the design process, making it more efficient and accessible to all.
Inspired by their experiences and driven by their entrepreneurial spirit, they embarked on a journey to fill that gap, laying the foundation for what would become Flowstep.
So, what is Flowstep?
Flowstep is a UX copilot that helps designers create better products 10x faster. It’s like Github Copilot for design. Instead of spending days creating user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity mockups, create them in seconds—all from a simple text prompt. It’s a testament to the creativity and ingenuity that Matt and Kaarel brought to Bondora, now amplified in their venture at Flowstep.
‘Any creative process starts with imagination. The difficult part is turning it into something material. To achieve that today, designers have to adapt to the tools at their disposal rather than the tools adapting to them. This creates incredible friction in the product design process. We’re building something radically better and more advanced than anything seen before. And we can’t wait to share it with the world.’ — Matt Clannachan, Flowstep Co-founder and CEO.
At Bondora, we’ve always believed in empowering our team members to chase their dreams, push boundaries, and make a difference. Kaarel and Matt embody that spirit, and their success speaks volumes about the talent we cultivate.
Potential recognized
In May 2023, Flowstep’s potential was recognized when they won first prize at the Latitude59 Pitch Competition 2023, highlighting their early promise.
Later that year, Flowstep secured €755,000 in an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round led by Tera Ventures, with support from Specialist VC and angel investors, which includes the co-founder of Hugging Face and co-founder of Wolt. Bondora was proud to stand among them, recognizing the immense promise of Flowstep’s vision.
In April 2024, they received a €1M grant from Enterprise Estonia (EAS), fueling their expansion plans. With this support, Flowstep is set to enhance their team, advance their AI capabilities, and deepen their design research efforts.
Kaarel and Matt’s story is not just about building a successful startup – it’s about the power of passion, perseverance, and unwavering support. It inspires us all to dream big, chase our ambitions, and never stop believing.
As we celebrate one new venture’s triumphs, we can’t help but wonder what will be the next big idea to emerge from our team…
Flowstep is a copilot that helps you design better products, 10x faster. Join the waitlist at https://flowstep.ai/
Click on their names to read Matt and Kaarel’s Superhero articles from their time at Bondora.
