Open-Source Slack Alternative 'Rocket.Chat' Raises $19M To Add Smart Bots, Improve Security & More

Rocket.Chat is undoubtedly one of the most impressive open-source slack alternatives available out there.

Even we at It’s FOSS, utilize it daily to communicate and work. It may not be a perfect Slack alternative from every aspect depending on your requirements, but it does the job that we expect.

Also, it’s no surprise that every collaboration platform (open-source or not) have seen a significant rise in their user base after the pandemic. Similarly, Rocket.Chat has seen a growth of 500% in their user base and a 260% increase in their open-source community.

Hence, they needed more funding to scale up their services and features.

To be accurate, they manged to raise $19 million in Series A funding to ensure a better future. The notable investors include: Valor Capital Group, Greycroft, Monashees, NEA, e.ventures, Graphene Ventures, ONEVC, and DGF.

The founder and CEO of Rocket.Chat, Gabriel Engel mentions:

We’re getting closer to writing a new page in the history of modern communication. To prove that the future of communication is not on closed systems. To enable conversations to be easy, open, and flexible. Just like in real life.

The Future of Rocket.Chat

Of course, with $19 million funding, you should expect a lot of improvements across the board.

In their official announcement on it, they have also mentioned the planned roadmap.

The Chief Technology Officer at Rocket.Chat, Rodrigo Nascimento mentions:

We will improve product quality focusing on stability, scalability, and security and make the product even more user-friendly and easy to contribute.

In addition to that, let me briefly highlight their roadmap:

Rocket.Chat plans to introduce Blockchain Federation which should enable interconnection among Rocket.Chat native servers. Even though I’m not a fan of it, it sounds exciting for enterprise users.

They also plan to have a marketplace for Enterprise apps where users can build their apps and distribute it across the network. The addition of smart bots and more channel integration options is also something that would enhance the functionality of the chat app by making the experience interactive.

The security of the messenger will be one of the primary areas of improvement as well.

Not to forget, they also want to improve their open-source community by introducing training & certifications along with virtual conferences and more.

What do you think about Rocket.Chat? Excited for what’s about to come after a nice series A funding? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.