Not Canva, not Adobe, Kittl's approach to graphic design attracts $36M investment

Kittl, a Berlin-based does-design-better-and-faster-than-you-ever-could startup has today announced a $36 million Series B funding round. The $36 million follows an $11 million investment announced just one year prior.

While comparisons to Canva and naturally Adobe spring to mind, I’ve used all three and can confidently say that Kittl, formerly known as the Heritage Type Co. is and isn’t a competitor to either.

Strength to strength

Since Tech.eu first reported on Kittl’s seed round in late 2021, the company has grown from strength to strength, adding a host of features, one seemingly more useful than its predecessor.

Taking advantage of the onslaught of AI, next up in Kittl’s rollout of features is a text-to-graphic generative AI model, a first in the field of graphic design according to the company. Kittl says an AI design copilot is also on the roadmap.

Community counts

Since rebranding as Kittl just over a year ago, the company has put a focus on cultivating a community of designers, perhaps most notably through its YouTube channel which offers not only tips on how to best use the startup’s platform but also external actions such as “How to become an Etsy Best Seller”. 

As a result, Kittl is reporting cash flow positive results, that’s not to say profitability, but a good marker along the highway to it, and now sees a tank full of petrol and four diagonal black lines on the speed limit sign.

Market expansion

"We’re reimagining the way graphic designers create by simplifying the outdated norms of design creation — end-to-end, from ideation to production. And we're doing it on a global scale,” says the company’s co-founder and CEO Nicolas Heyman. “While the US remains our primary market, this new capital enhances our capability to expand into new territories, especially in Asia, Europe, and South America.”

Kittl’s newest injection of capital was provided by Menlo Park-based IVP whose portfolio includes the likes of Pigment and DeepL. Since late 2021, Kittl has raised just shy of $50 million from backers including Speedinvest, Left Lane Capital, and host of angel investors.

Lead image created via Kittl.