AppOnBoard

About AppOnBoard

Founded in 2016 by Jonathan Zweig and Adam Piechowicz, AppOnboard provides a mobile software development suite centered on the no-code principle. Zweig, a serial entrepreneur who previously founded and sold AdColony, brought experience from creating some of the earliest iOS games. The company's initial focus was on creating technology for full-fidelity, interactive mobile app demos, allowing users to try an app before downloading it.

A pivotal moment in the company's history was the acquisition of Buildbox in June 2019. Buildbox, founded by Trey Smith in 2014, was already a successful no-code game development platform. This acquisition solidified AppOnboard's mission to offer a complete toolset for designing, building, and publishing mobile games and apps without requiring users to write any code. Following the acquisition, Buildbox co-founders Trey Smith and Nik Rudenko joined the AppOnboard team. In August 2020, former Riot Games CTO Mike Seavers was appointed as the new CEO.

AppOnboard operates through two primary products: AppOnboard Studio and Buildbox. AppOnboard Studio is designed for creating playable ads, app prototypes, and interactive demos. Buildbox is a more comprehensive no-code platform focused on the full development of both 2D and 3D games for multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, PC, and Steam. The business model is primarily subscription-based, with various tiers available for its software, including a free version of Buildbox intended to grow its user community. This approach targets a wide range of clients, from individual creators and designers to entrepreneurs and established game developers who want to rapidly prototype and publish their ideas.

The company has secured significant financial backing, raising a total of $54 million through several funding rounds. This includes a $15 million Series A in April 2018, another $15 million Series B in December 2018, and a $20 million Series C round in January 2021 led by Raine Ventures. These funds have been allocated to scale operations, expand the team, and accelerate product development based on user feedback.