They said it couldn't be done

Figma

2016design3 receipts

2y laterthe receipts proved wrong

What they said

“Figma is an absolutely awful design tool that has great collaboration features. For a UI/UX design tool it has terrible constraints, and basically no support for state changes.”

What actually happened

Deal Blocked

Adobe-Figma deal terminated after UK/EU regulatory blocks; Adobe pays Figma $1B termination fee

by January 2023

The Founder

Dylan Field@zoink· Sketch in a browser — Adobe offered $20B to make it stopActive

The Numbers

Launched2016

Founder1

Figma launches publicly after 3 years of private beta

Sep 2016

Series C: $40M at $440M valuation

Feb 2019

Series D: $50M at $2B valuation — 3x growth during COVID remote work shift

Apr 2020

Series E: $200M at $10B valuation

Jun 2021

Adobe announces acquisition for $20B — largest design software acquisition in history

Sep 2022

Adobe-Figma deal terminated after UK/EU regulatory blocks; Adobe pays Figma $1B termination fee

Jan 2023

The Journey

September 2016
Launch
Public launch after 4 years of development. TechCrunch: 'Figma launches to take on Sketch.'
April 2020
Milestone
COVID drives all design teams remote — Figma's multiplayer suddenly a must-have. Series D: $50M at $2B.
June 2021
Milestone
FigJam (whiteboard product) launches. Series E: $200M at $10B valuation.
September 2022
Acquired
Adobe announces $20B acquisition — largest design software deal in history.