Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Slack is earmarking $50 million from its balance sheet to launch a new venture capital fund aimed at broadening Slack-backed investments beyond its own platform.
Why it matters: This is Slack's first solo turn at the VC game after a $25 million fund in collaboration with several of its own investors. With the pandemic confining many workers away from in-person interactions, countless companies are having to navigate a new way to operate—and new workplace apps are in the spotlight like never before.
Driving the news: The fund will focus broadly on promising work-related tools and companies, whether or not they're built to work with Slack, Jason Spinell, who heads Slack's venture arm, tells Axios.
- That's a departure from the earlier venture fund, which Spinell said focused solely on "kickstarting the developer ecosystem on Slack." That fund, announced in 2015, initially got $80 million in commitments but was later scaled back to $25 million to better fit the size and cadence of investments, according to a Slack spokesperson.
Between the lines: Workplace chat apps have become the central hub of employees’ day-to-day communication and tasks as much work has shifted online during the pandemic.
- So while there’s no requirement that startups even integrate with Slack, a growing number of them are already integrating with various chat apps to distribute information to clients’ employees. The new fund will help Slack forge ties with just such firms.
Yes, but: Investors and companies have to be mindful of whether workplace tools are fostering or reinforcing healthy habits and cultures, says Spinell, though he acknowledges that's not something his team explicitly considers when weighing investing decisions.
Of note: While Slack recently announced it's selling to Salesforce, its venture arm will continue to operate unchanged.
1 2020 thing: "This has been the busiest year that we’ve had," says Spinell of the investments Slack has already made. "We made 15 net new investments this year and we’ve made more follow-on investments."