This article was originally published‍ in VentureBeat. See original version here.

Next Matter, a no-code business process automation platform based in Germany, has announced plans to enter the U.S. market with the backing of a fresh $4 million in seed funding.

Founded out of Berlin in 2018, Next Matter offers a rules-based drag-and-drop platform to help operations teams ditch spreadsheets, emails, and chat apps by building processes that do much of the heavy lifting for them. To do so, Next Matter integrates with myriad third-party enterprise tools, such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, and Zapier, to bridge the interlaces between people, teams, customers, suppliers, and systems that “operations managers struggle with every day,” according to Next Matter CEO and founder Jan Hugenroth.

“Instead of the countless emails, calls, chats, and spreadsheets required to tell people, teams, customers, suppliers, and systems step by step what to do and when, Next Matter automatically advances operations processes and notifies everyone involved of the work they need to do from start to finish,” Hugenroth told VentureBeat. “No more going back and forth via Slack and email because everyone on every team has what they need when they need it automatically.”

Next Matter can be used to build processes for just about any scenario, with a drag-and-drop interface that allows users to stipulate conditions, decision steps, parallel steps, and more.

An example of how operations teams might use Next Matter could involve a catering business such as meal-kit giant HelloFresh, which Next Matter counts as a client. If one of HelloFresh’s business clients needs a vending machine repaired, HelloFresh can set up a workflow so its customer support team files a repair request in their CRM. This could automatically trigger a notification for the machine operations team, which may review it and request more details. Then the field service team responsible for repairs can be automatically notified to schedule a suitable time to visit the premises. Once the repair is booked, Next Matter can automatically generate a slot in the calendar, with necessary details, and send a confirmation to the customer.


Other steps in the repair process, including reminders, report filings, and CRM record updates can all be configured so that each step is largely automated, sidestepping countless manual tickets, back-and-forth messages, meetings, and so on.

There are many other process automation tools out there already, such as Zapier for system integrations and Asana for workflow automation, but Hugenroth considers Next Matter the only end-to-end option for operations teams that covers all the required functionalities.

“Next Matter allows operations managers to skip the learning curve of other workflow tools and build reliable automation in a radically simplified way, with no prior experience necessary,” he said. “Because the platform was designed for non-technical business users, operations teams spend less time on training, configuration, and setup and more time getting real work done, with ease and reliability.”

Next Matter also fits into a broader no-code and low-code trend that spans everything from web development to web testing and seeks to reduce repetitive manual tasks and improve efficiency.

The company’s $4 million seed round was led by Blue Yard Capital, with participation from Crane Venture Partners, among other angel investors. As the company looks to expand its scope beyond Europe, it’s now looking to the U.S.

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