Social platform Root raises $9m in seed funding ahead of closed beta

Social platform Root has raised $9 million in seed funding as it approaches closed beta with ambitions to become the next Discord.

This investment round was led by Headline Ventures and Konvoy Ventures, with further participation from Day One Ventures and Untamed Ventures.

Other investors included Crunchyroll and Forge founder Kun Gao, YouTuber Jack ‘CouRage’ Dunlop and InVision CEO Clark Valberg.

Project management

Root was established in 2023 by founder and CEO Jesse Dietrichson with aims of becoming a "next-gen Discord". Differentiating from the platform which is already popular with gamers, Root is being designed as a tool for communities and developers to organise and coordinate, rather than chat casually.

In practice, this design can be seen in Root’s first-party apps like Task Tracker for managing community projects and Raid Planner for organising MMO events specifically. There are also features such as filed folders, tabbed communities and a multi-panelled chat UI.

"I've been a hardcore gamer and Discord user for years, and I’ve felt the same friction points for just as long. Planning, finding important info, coordinating - it’s all still clunky," said Dietrichson.

"Discord was revolutionary when it launched, but it hasn’t evolved with the needs of modern communities. Now, with an IPO on the horizon, I get why they’re playing it safe. But that’s exactly where Root comes in.

"We’re building for the next generation of communities, with a platform that doesn’t just talk - but actually works. What excites me most is opening it up to developers to build the tools we haven’t even thought of yet."

After its closed beta, a full platform launch is expected to follow in late 2025. Root will start out as a platform for games as Dietrichson sees this space having "the most immediate need", but there are plans to broaden over time.