Linear is a design-focused issue-tracking tool that helps software development teams manage projects more efficiently. Founded in 2019, Linear's product is used by thousands of companies as of early 2023, including tech startups like Vercel, Ramp, and Retool. The company aims to expand its customer base from startup engineering teams to enterprise software organizations.
The three co-founders, Jori Lallo, Tuomas Artman, and Karri Saarinen, previously worked at Silicon Valley tech companies like Coinbase, Uber, and Airbnb. They bootstrapped Linear to profitability within two years and have since raised a total of $52.2 million, most recently a $35 million Series B led by Accel in September 2023.
Linear believes productivity software should be opinionated, fast, and simple rather than bloated and complex. By focusing on speed, the company wants to change how software products are planned and built. However, moving upmarket may require adding features that increase the product's complexity. Linear also faces the risk of customers consolidating their vendor spend, which could threaten adoption.
2019
Founded
50-100
Employees
Series B
Stage
>$350M
Latest Valuation
$50-100M
Total Funding
Sep 14 2023
Last Fundraise
Why is the rating
Historical Peer Benchmarks

Ripple Foods 2018
$300M (2018)
$360M (2021)

Checkr 2016
$360M (2016)
$2.20B (2019)

Amplitude 2017
$335M (2017)
$3.6B (at direct listing) (2021)
Top Previous Employers

Coinbase

Meta

Slack

Stripe

Uber
Investors

Index Ventures
Notion, Roblox, Confluent

Sequoia Capital
WhatsApp, Zoom, Apple