Port Secures Seed Funding From Catamaran The company will use the new funding to expand its team and launch its beta version early this fall
By Teena Jose •
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Numberless, Inc., the parent company of Port, today announced the closure of its Seed round. The seed round was led by Catamaran, which has previously invested in consumer companies such as Reddit, Udemy, Loco, and DailyHunt. Jennifer O'Brien from Catamaran will join the board of Numberless. The company will use the new funding to expand its team and launch its beta version early this fall.
"Due to the proliferation of mobile devices, phone numbers have become the convenient, de facto means of connecting for any purpose: a one-off delivery, a brief business query, a check-in with a friend. The value of these connections varies widely, though, so it feels incongruous that each receives the same permanent hook into our devices and lives – i.e., our phone number. Port solves this by removing phone numbers from the process of connecting and communicating with others," said Aniruddh Balasubramanian, co-founder and CEO.
Port is currently in alpha testing. According to an official statement, a public version is expected to go live in November 2023.
Founded in 2023 by Aniruddh Balasubramanian and Abhinav N, Port is a messaging app that uses novel ports instead of phone numbers to connect users. These dynamic ports require consent from both parties to open, which claims no unwanted connections or spam; and either party can close the port at any time without leaving behind a phone number for undesired follow-on communication.
"Port represents a new class of communication tools that restore boundaries around who can access users on their phones and when. In fact, I foresee a future where people are more willing to form new connections via Port because of this design," said Deepak Padaki, president, Catamaran.
