Company:WeTransfer

From HandWiki
Short description: Cloud-based file transfer service
WeTransfer
IndustrySoftware
Founded2009
Headquarters
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Alexandar Vassilev , Martha Lane Fox, Melissa Nussbaum, Damian Bradfield
ServicesSaaS
Revenue€72m (2021)[1]
Number of employees
300+ (2021)
Websitewetransfer.com/index/

WeTransfer is a Dutch internet-based computer file transfer service company that was founded in 2009. It is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.[2]

History

WeTransfer was founded in 2009 by Rinke Visser, Bas Beerens and Ronald Hans (Nalden) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.[2] It was created to enable the sharing of large files (up to 2GB) free of charge.[3]

In 2012, WeTransfer implemented a re-design and introduced a 'Plus'[4] service with support for much larger file transfers (up to 5GB) and storage (50GB) as well as sending files to a maximum of 100 recipients for a price.[3]

In 2013, WeTransfer reached profitability.[5]

In 2014, WeTransfer launched "creative-class.tv", an ongoing video series. The company initiated its first bursaries that year through a collaborative partnership with Central Saint Martins.[6] These bursaries supported two students from around the globe in their full-time studies.

In 2015, WeTransfer raised a US$25 million Series A funding round from Highland Capital Partners Europe.[7] They also added venture capitalist Troy Carter to its board.[8]

WeTransfer file transfer limit is 200GB for pro subscribers as of September 2021.[9]

2016 – present

In 2016, WeTransfer announced the acquisition of digital design studio Present Plus,[10] established in 2010 by Damian Bradfield and WeTransfer co-founder Nalden.[10] In September, WeTransfer opened its first office in the United States at Venice Beach, Los Angeles .[11]

In early 2017, Gordon Willoughby became the company's Chief Executive Officer, taking over from Bas Beerens, who became Executive Chairman.[12]

In January 2018, WeTransfer launched content arm "WePresent".[13] In August, WeTransfer acquired app developer FiftyThree, who owned sketching app Paper and collaborative presentation app Paste.[14] In October, WeTransfer relaunched its mobile app with the name "Collect by WeTransfer".[15][16]

In June 2019, WeTransfer experienced a security incident in which files were "sent to the wrong people".[17] In August, the company closed a €35 million secondary funding round led by HPE Growth.[18]

In May 2020, India banned the WeTransfer app, citing security reasons.[19] In June, the company became a certified B Corporation.[20]

In February 2021, WeTransfer achieved carbon-neutral certification, having pledged the previous year to reduce emissions by 30% by 2025.[21] In March, the 2020 short film "The Long Goodbye" by Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed commissioned by WeTransfer through WePresent won the 2022 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.[22] In April, the WeTransfer Foundation, "Supporting Act", focused on helping emerging creative talent was launched and the company pledged to donate 1% of revenues from 2022 onwards.[23] In October, WeTransfer announced sales in 2020 of €65m.[24]

In April 2021, Reuters reported that the WeTransfer logos and likeness were used in high-profile phishing scams.[25]

In January 2022, WeTransfer planned for an IPO for a valuation of up to $800 million but ended up canceling the offering shortly before listing citing market volatility.[26]

In 2022, Alexandar Vassilev took over as the company's Chief Executive Officer.[27]

Leadership

Bas Beerens founded the file-sharing platform WeTransfer[28] with Nalden (Ronald Hans) and Rinke Visser in 2009.[29] Beerens also runs the design consultancy OY Communications (initially OY Transfer) from which WeTransfer was developed.[30][31] In 2012, he founded WeMarket, a global B2B marketplace for buyers and suppliers in any industry.[32]

Damian Bradfield, co-founder, joined the company in 2010. Bradfield is currently WeTransfer's Chief Creative Officer.

Chief Executive Gordon Willoughby joined WeTransfer in January 2017.[33] He announced his departure from the company in May 2022 and was replaced by former Chief Technology Officer Alexandar Vassilev.[34]

Chief Financial Officer Melissa Nussbaum joined WeTransfer from King in September 2020.[35]

Martha Lane Fox joined WeTransfer as chair in July 2020.[36]

Technology

WeTransfer is based on Amazon's infrastructure and technology. It uses Amazon S3 for storage and for sending files.[37]

Services

WeTransfer offers a free service where users can send up to two gigabytes of data[38] and a paid option called WeTransfer Pro where users can send up to 200 gigabytes of data as well as have some additional customization options.[39] In May 2023, WeTransfer announced it reduced 78% of server emissions as part of its environmental commitments.[40]

Revenue model

WeTransfer has a dual revenue model split between advertising and premium ("pro") subscriptions.[41]

WeTransfer displays full-screen advertisements while transferring[42] instead of banner ads.[43] The company donates 30% of the advertising inventory to creatives and charitable causes.[44]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "WeTransfer owner seeks Amsterdam IPO, plans $182 mln share issue" (in en). Reuters. 2022-01-12. https://www.reuters.com/technology/wetransfer-owner-werock-nv-seek-amsterdam-ipo-2022-01-12/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Eva Oude Elferink (2013-10-21). "Nalden: 'Door het design van WeTransfer durven mensen het te gebruiken'" (in nl). De Volkskrant. http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/11641/Design/article/detail/3530747/2013/10/21/Nalden-Door-het-design-van-WeTransfer-durven-mensen-het-te-gebruiken.dhtml. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "WeTransfer". http://www.wetransfer.com/about. 
  4. ↑ "WeTransfer: The Internet's Cleanest and Simplest File Sharing Drops a New Beta Version". 2012-09-21. https://hypebeast.com/2012/9/wetransfer-the-internets-cleanest-and-simplest-file-sharing-drops-a-new-beta-version. 
  5. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid (17 February 2015). "WeTransfer, Funky Dutch Cousin Of Dropbox And Box, Gets $25M To Go Large In The U.S.". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2015/02/17/wetransfer/. 
  6. ↑ "MA Material Futures Announces New Bursaries". 28 January 2019. https://www.arts.ac.uk/colleges/central-saint-martins/stories/ma-material-futures-announces-new-bursaries. 
  7. ↑ "Dutch startup WeTransfer just raised $25 million to expand into the US". https://www.businessinsider.in/dutch-startup-wetransfer-just-raised-25-million-to-expand-into-the-us/articleshow/46274383.cms. 
  8. ↑ "Troy Carter Joins The Board Of WeTransfer". 9 November 2015. https://www.fastcompany.com/3053325/troy-carter-joins-the-board-of-wetransfer. 
  9. ↑ WeTransfer (2021-09-14). "WeTransfer Unveils Teams, Raises File Transfer Limit to 200GB for Pro Subscribers". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lunden, Ingrid. "Dropbox rival WeTransfer acquires Present Plus to boost product and design teams". Techcrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/10/wetransfer-present-plus/. 
  11. ↑ Kissel, Chris (3 October 2016). "How to Make Your Tech Company Cool: Throw a Party With Kamasi Washington". http://www.laweekly.com/music/how-to-make-your-tech-company-cool-throw-a-party-with-kamasi-washington-7448312. 
  12. ↑ Lunden, Ingrid (15 December 2016). "WeTransfer's founder leaves CEO role, ex-Amazon exec steps in for commercial push". https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/15/wetransfers-co-founder-leaves-ceo-role-ex-amazon-exec-steps-in-for-commercial-push/. 
  13. ↑ Kiefer, Brittaney (December 13, 2021). "WeTransfer's Creative Work Has Qualified for the Oscars" (in en-US). Adweek. https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-wetransfer-went-from-tech-service-to-oscar-qualifier/. 
  14. ↑ "WeTransfer buys creative apps Paper and Paste from FiftyThree". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/21/17763914/wetransfer-fiftythree-acquisition-paper-paste-apps. 
  15. ↑ Hardwick, Tim (October 30, 2018). "WeTransfer Relaunches Mobile File-Sharing App as 'Collect'". Mac Rumors. https://www.macrumors.com/2018/10/30/wetransfer-launches-collect-mobile-app/. 
  16. ↑ Lucic, Kristijan (October 29, 2018). "WeTransfer App Gets Rebranded To 'Collect by WeTransfer'". Android Headlines. https://www.androidheadlines.com/2018/10/collect-by-wetransfer-app.html. 
  17. ↑ "WeTransfer Security Incident Sent Files to the Wrong People" (in en-us). https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wetransfer-security-incident-sent-files-to-the-wrong-people/. 
  18. ↑ O'Hear, Steve (19 August 2019). "HPE Growth backs WeTransfer in €35M secondary funding round" (in en-US). https://social.techcrunch.com/2019/08/19/wetransfer-cash/. 
  19. ↑ "WeTransfer 'Partially' Blocked in India, Company Says" (in en). 31 May 2020. https://www.gadgets360.com/internet/news/wetransfer-not-working-in-india-ban-block-dot-order-isps-2237899. 
  20. ↑ Aziz, Afdhel. "WeTransfer Announces It Is Becoming A B-Corp" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/afdhelaziz/2020/06/10/wetransfer-announces-it-is-becoming-a-b-corp/. 
  21. ↑ "WeTransfer turns to offsets to achieve carbon-neutral certification" (in en). https://www.edie.net/news/16/WeTransfer-turns-to-offsets-to-achieve-carbon-neutral-certification/. 
  22. ↑ "Riz Ahmed wins Oscar for The Long Goodbye" (in en). 2022-03-27. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/27/riz-ahmed-wins-oscar-the-long-goodbye. 
  23. ↑ Tait, Simon (22 April 2021). "WeTransfer sets up foundation to train future creatives" (in en-gb). https://www.artsindustry.co.uk/news/2467-wetransfer-sets-up-foundation-to-train-future-creatives. 
  24. ↑ "WeTransfer Sales Jump to $76 Million in 2020 Before Possible IPO". Bloomberg.com (Bloomberg L.P.). 25 October 2021. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-25/wetransfer-sales-jump-to-76-million-in-2020-before-possible-ipo. 
  25. ↑ Browne, Ryan (2021-04-24). "Fake 'WeTransfer' file download steals Aussies' personal details" (in en). Yahoo. https://au.finance.yahoo.com/news/wetransfer-scam-011859516.html. 
  26. ↑ Browne, Ryan (2022-01-27). "The stock market is so volatile that one European tech firm has canceled its IPO" (in en). CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/27/wetransfer-cancels-ipo-due-to-stock-market-volatility.html. 
  27. ↑ Levingston, Ivan (2022-05-03). "WeTransfer Boss Willoughby to Exit, CTO Vassilev to Succeed". https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-03/wetransfer-boss-willoughby-to-exit-cto-vassilev-to-succeed. 
  28. ↑ Send large files to clients with these 11 free tools on creativebloq.com. Retrieved 16 July 2018
  29. ↑ Gratis en eenvoudig grote bestanden te delen met WeTransfer on eenmanierom.nl. Retrieved 16 July 2018
  30. ↑ "WeTransfer". Resource (16): 82. Summer 2011. https://issuu.com/resourcedox/docs/issue_16-summer_2011-2. Retrieved 16 July 2018. 
  31. ↑ 2012 Article on european-startups Wired. Retrieved 16 July 2018
  32. ↑ B2B marketplace WeMarket launches for global companies on internetretailer.com.
  33. ↑ "File-sending scaleup WeTransfer CEO Gordon Willoughby on becoming a B Corp: 'It fits our purpose'" (in en-US). 2020-06-10. https://siliconcanals.com/news/wetransfer-b-corp-interview-ceo-gordon-willoughby/. 
  34. ↑ "WeTransfer Boss Willoughby to Exit, CTO Vassilev to Succeed" (in en). Bloomberg L.P.. 2022-05-03. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-03/wetransfer-boss-willoughby-to-exit-cto-vassilev-to-succeed. 
  35. ↑ Trentmann, Nina (2020-09-24). "File-Sharing Company WeTransfer Names First CFO" (in en-US). The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. https://www.wsj.com/articles/file-sharing-company-wetransfer-names-first-cfo-11600963200. 
  36. ↑ Aziz, Afdhel. "WeTransfer Announces It Is Becoming A B-Corp" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/afdhelaziz/2020/06/10/wetransfer-announces-it-is-becoming-a-b-corp/. 
  37. ↑ "AWS Case Study: WeTransfer". https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/wetransfer/. 
  38. ↑ "Controlling the cloud: how to make the most of your online storage" (in en). The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/controlling-the-cloud-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-online-storage-1.4523000. 
  39. ↑ "How to share huge files online" (in en-US). 2022-03-26. https://www.popsci.com/share-huge-files-online/. 
  40. ↑ "Tech tackles carbon: WeTransfer and Apple confirm emissions cuts, TikTok moves to tackle climate misinformation" (in en). 2023-04-21. https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4112554/tech-tackles-carbon-wetransfer-apple-confirm-emissions-cuts-tiktok-moves-tackle-climate-misinformation. 
  41. ↑ "WeTransfer Case Study" (in en-US). https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/wetransfer/. 
  42. ↑ "Behance". April 2011. https://www.behance.net/gallery/1319117/Nalden-App. 
  43. ↑ "How The Cofounder Of WeTransfer Went From Blog To Startup". 13 February 2014. https://www.fastcompany.com/3026471/how-the-founder-of-wetransfer-went-from-blog-to-startup. 
  44. ↑ Budds, Diana (2017-10-12). "WeTransfer's Plan To Disrupt The Creative Process" (in en-US). https://www.fastcompany.com/90146204/wetransfer-made-file-sharing-simple-can-it-do-the-same-for-the-whole-creative-process. 



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