Tangled Raises €3.8M for GitHub Alternative
Tangled, a decentralized code collaboration network, has raised €3.8M in a round including the former CEO of GitHub. The funding signals a growing appetite for developer-centric tools that offer alternatives to centralized platforms like GitHub.
The €3.8M seed round was led by byFounders and included Bain Capital Crypto and Antler. The investment also attracted high-profile angels like Thomas Dohmke, the former CEO of GitHub, Avery Pennarun, CEO of Tailscale, and Mårten Mickos, former CEO of MySQL and HackerOne. Tangled is building its decentralized network on Bluesky's AT Protocol. This allows code to be hosted on lightweight, self-hostable servers called "knots," giving developers ownership over their code, data, and social graph, unlike centralized platforms where data is siloed. The platform aims to create seamless, API-less interaction across a federated network. Founded by brothers Akshay and Anirudh Oppiliappan, Tangled originated from their frustration with existing platforms focusing only on enterprise needs. This mirrors the classic startup advice from Y Combinator to solve a "hair on fire" problem and find a small group of users who deeply love your product. The goal isn't to please a large market initially, but to find early adopters who will champion the product even in its early stages. To find your first users, go where they already congregate online. Niche communities on Reddit, Discord, or industry-specific forums are ideal for finding people with specific problems. The key is to contribute authentically by sharing insights or helpful content before ever mentioning your product, respecting each community's rules on self-promotion. For direct outreach when you're an unknown founder, the most effective strategy is to provide value before you ask for anything. Instead of asking for a call, share a relevant resource, offer a free audit of their current solution, or create a personalized video addressing their specific challenges. The goal is to start a conversation by being helpful, not to pitch. Early outreach is a tool for validation, not just sales. Frame your ask as seeking expertise, not a sales call, and make it specific. YC Partner Paul Buchheit advises looking for the "90/10 solution"—the 10% of effort that solves 90% of a user's problem. These initial conversations are crucial for identifying that core utility. The aim is to build a continuous discovery pipeline, having weekly touchpoints with users. This process involves more than just interviews; it's about observing users and understanding their needs to inform the product roadmap. This constant feedback loop helps you evolve your MVP based on what early adopters actually need, not what you assume they want. With the new funding, Tangled plans to scale its platform to support both human developers and autonomous AI agents. This investment in open-source, developer-centric infrastructure signals a growing demand for tools that prioritize transparency and user ownership.
