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Webflow CEO Linda Tong says her company is pursuing M&A to better support the "life cycle of a website."

Why it matters: The startup, valued at $4 billion in 2022, is growing beyond its foundation in website building and design.

Catch up quick: Founded in 2012, Webflow is a SaaS business that competes with Squarespace, Wix and other no-code tools. One way the product differs is by allowing for more complex and specific designs.

Tong joined Webflow as COO in 2022 and added the title of president in 2023. She was promoted to CEO this past June, taking over for co-founder Vlad Magdalin, who became chief innovation officer.

Tong says she is a product person who wishes she was technical, which is why she has a passion for tools like Webflow. Her previous employers include Cisco-owned AppDynamics, the NFL and Google.

Zoom in: Tong says she is following the corporate strategy of "build, buy and partner" as the company grows.

In April, Webflow acquired Intellimize, a startup that optimizes and personalizes websites for individual visitors. Tong says Webflow has started selling Intellimize to its own customers and is integrating it into the Webflow platform.

Tong says Webflow is interested in more companies that help with building and optimizing websites, such as running analytics.

"The website is the front door of our customers," Tong says. "Anything that can go and make that asset significantly more valuable and more effective and, frankly, easier to run for their marketing organization or their company as a whole will fit within the umbrella of opportunity for us."

By the numbers: Webflow last raised a Series C of $120 million at a $4 billion valuation, led by Y Combinator's Continuity, in March 2022. It's raised more than $330 million in total.

Webflow reported $100 million in annual recurring revenue at that time. Tong declined to provide an updated ARR.

The company recently crossed 300,000 customers, up from 200,000 customers in March 2022.

Webflow has 668 employees across 17 countries with hubs in Canada, Australia, the U.K., Ireland and the U.S., with 130 people in the Bay Area.

The intrigue: Tong says she views generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini potentially decreasing direct visits to websites not as a pressure or threat to her business but rather as an opportunity.

Content and information have value regardless of how it's discovered, and Webflow helps people and businesses organize that information, she says.

"We build websites, but what we're really building is components of websites," Tong says. "We're creating containers in which information can exist."

What's next: Webflow hosts its annual conference, Webflow Conf, in October in San Francisco, London and virtually. Tong says they will share updates on the integration with Intellimize and other news.

Webflow CEO eyes M&A for website builder

The startup wants to better support site optimization.

Photo illustration of Webflow CEO Linda Tong next to an image of a website url and blocks of color

Linda Tong. Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Courtesy of Webflow

Mergers and acquisitions

Webflow CEO Linda Tong says her company is pursuing M&amp;A to better support the &quot;life cycle of a website.&quot;Why it matters: The startup, valued at $4 billion in 2022, is growing beyond its foundation in website building and design.

Webflow CEO eyes M&A for website builder

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