Korean startup Studio XID which developed the highly successful prototype tool – Protopie, is all set for further expansion and growth in 2019. The startup raised $3.5 million in a Series A round of funding in July 2018 from Korea Investment Partners with participation from Kolon Investment and POSCO Venture Capital.
The favored prototype creator by designers
Studio XID launched Protopie in 2014 and it has been well endorsed by internet giants across the world like Google, Microsoft, Nintendo, Alibaba, etc. The major advantage of Protopie is that it allows designers to build prototypes of mobile apps without using any complex coding method. The technology works for both Mac and Windows.
The Protopie has received many rave reviews from developers, especially UX designers, Interaction designers, etc. Google’s Chrome OS Design team has used ProtoPie to design all interactions in Chrome OS for the Pixelbook. Yext (Adobe) creates and demonstrates new interactions in its products with ProtoPie. Designers from 97 countries use ProtoPie across the software to hardware industries.
Protopie has many advantages when compared to some other design tools which help in prototyping. ProtoPie allows designers to create interactions requiring multiple touch points and sensors. Also, it is easy for prototypes to communicate with prototypes on other devices as well as external hardware for physical controls. ProtoPie is loved by not only software companies but also hardware companies such as Samsung Electronics and Lucid Motors.
Startup continues with upgrades and new offers
ProtoPie works on the subscription model for generating revenues. It is available with a one-year subscription for individuals. There is a free trial version available as well. The startup plans to upgrade subscriptions to ‘team’ for corporate clients. It released two enterprise tiers (on-premises and private cloud) to enhance security, easy sharing and permission control in early 2019. StudioXID will be releasing the team plan for small organizations by the end of Q2 2019. The startup released the latest updated ProtoPie 3.11 version in the first quarter of this year.
The startup’s founding team is made of former interaction designers and software engineers, who have worked with companies like Samsung and Naver. The company, based in the heart of Gangnam in Seoul, South Korea, is now looking to further overseas expansion and pitching for more investment interest. StudioXID’s team will be presenting their company at the RISE conference in HongKong to be held from July 8 to 11 and supported by the Korea Institute of Startups & Entrepreneurship Development (KISED). The RISE Tech Conference attracts many prominent leaders from global companies, major media outlets and influential investors to HongKong.
Korean Startup Studio XID’s tool ProtoPie making it easy for designers to create prototypes