Branch (company)

Last updated

Branch
Founded2014
Headquarters
Mountain View
,
United States

Branch (formerly Branch Metrics) is a software company focused on deep linking and attribution. [1] Branch headquarters is located in Mountain View, California. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Branch Metrics was founded on April 15, 2014 by Alex Austin, Mike Molinet, Mada Seghete, and Dmitri Gaskin. [3] In the summer of 2014, the company completed the StartX Accelerator program at Stanford University. [4]

In September 2014, Branch announced the completion of a $3 million venture funding round led by New Enterprise Associates. [1] In 2015 Branch won a startup competition at Mobile World Congress. [4]

In February 2015, the company completed a $15 million Series A funding followed by additional $35 million funding in January 2016. [5] [6]

In April 2017, the company raised $60 million in Series C funding from Andy Rubin’s Playground Ventures. [7]

In September 2018, the company authorized the sale of $129 million in Series D shares, [8] and acquired the attribution analytics platform TUNE. [9]

In February 2022, Branch raised $300M in Series F funding at a $4B valuation, led by New Enterprise Associates. [10]

In 2022, the company acquired Android customization applications Nova Launcher and Sesame Search, [11] as well as data platform AdLibertas. [12] As part of the Nova Launcher acquisition, it was contracted that the app would be open-sourced if its founder Kevin Barry left the company. [13]

In 2023, CEO and co-founder Austin left the company. [14]

In August 2024, Branch made significant cuts to the 12-person Nova Launcher team, laying off everyone but Barry. [15] [16] On September 6, 2025, Barry made an announcement that he had left Branch, effectively shutting down development of Nova Launcher and its open-sourcing effort. [17] [16] In late October 2025, an update to the beta version of the app was released, adding new features. Former developer Rob Wainwright commented that "the majority of the changes in this update were built by the original team over a year ago". [18]

Technology

Branch has developed improved deep linking technology that directs users to a specific place within the app the first time a link is clicked, even if the app has not been installed. To do this, Branch Metrics is combining deep linking technology with matching technology. [1]

Branch also uses tools for cohort analysis and touchpoint tracking. [19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Perez, Sarah (September 23, 2014). "Branch Metrics Raises $3 Million From NEA For More Intelligent Deep Links That Make Apps Work Like The Web". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Branch Metrics helps Peet's Coffee migrate to mobile linking and measurement platforms". SiliconANGLE. June 17, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  3. ↑ Vrabie, Elena (March 29, 2022). "Madalina Seghete, co-founder of Branch, on raising €270M and moving mobile experiences into the privacy-centric era". TheRecursive.com. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Branch Metrics comes up with gold at Mobile World Congress startup showdown". VentureBeat. March 5, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  5. ↑ Chapman, Lizette (February 26, 2015). "Branch Metrics Raises $15 Million to Scale Deep-Linking Technology". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ Perez, Sarah (February 26, 2015). "Branch Metrics Raises $15 Million For Its Smarter Mobile Deep Linking Technology". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  7. ↑ Lawler, Ryan (April 10, 2017). "Deep-linking startup Branch raised $60 million from Andy Rubin's Playground Ventures". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ Clark, Kate (September 7, 2018). "Deep-linking startup Branch is raising more than $100M at a unicorn valuation". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Branch On Acquisition Of TUNE's Attribution Biz: "You Can't Have Measurement Without Fixing The User Experience"". AdExchanger. September 10, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ "CORRECTED-Marketing tech startup Branch valued at $4 billion after latest funding". Reuters. February 10, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  11. ↑ Nickolas Diaz (July 19, 2022). "Branch strikes twice with Nova Launcher and Sesame Search acquisition". Android Central. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Branch Just Bought A First-Party Data Platform For App Developers". AdExchanger. August 31, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ Peters, Jay (September 8, 2025). "Nova Launcher's founder and sole developer has left". The Verge . Vox Media. The company's CEO at the time, co-founder Alex Austin, said on Reddit that if Barry were to leave Branch, "it's contracted that the code will be open-sourced and put in the hands of the community."
  14. ↑ Peters, Jay (September 8, 2025). "Nova Launcher's founder and sole developer has left". The Verge . Vox Media.
  15. ↑ Kastrenakes, Jacob (August 9, 2024). "Nearly everyone working on Nova Launcher has been laid off". The Verge. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  16. 1 2 Pandey, Rajesh (September 5, 2025). "Android's most beloved launcher may be done for good". Android Police. Valnet.
  17. ↑ Sharma, Adamya (September 8, 2025). "Nova Launcher is shutting down, and Android fans are heartbroken". Android Authority. Authority Media.
  18. ↑ Snyder, Brady (October 30, 2025). "Nova Launcher gets surprise update following last month's shutdown, but there's a catch". Android Authority. Authority Media.
  19. ↑ "Branch provides linking technology and measurement tools in the age of digital marketing". SiliconANGLE. June 3, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
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