Testbirds

About Testbirds

Testbirds GmbH operates as a crowdtesting platform, providing solutions for enhancing the functionality and user-friendliness of digital products. The company was founded in Munich, Germany, in 2011 by Philipp Benkler, Georg Hansbauer, and Markus Steinhauser. The founding was inspired by Benkler's experience in a hierarchical corporate environment, which motivated him to create a company fostering collaboration. Hansbauer, a college friend of Benkler's, suggested the crowdtesting platform idea, drawing from his freelance experience developing websites and apps where he observed companies struggling with pre-launch testing. Steinhauser was brought on for his marketing expertise. The founders' backgrounds complemented the venture; Benkler and Hansbauer both hold degrees in Finance and Information Management from the Technical University of Munich and the University of Augsburg, with Hansbauer also having extensive experience in enterprise software testing from roles at SAP and BMW.

The firm specializes in testing software, including websites, mobile apps, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, by leveraging a global community of over 1 million testers across 193 countries. This crowdtesting model allows for testing under real-world conditions on over 1.5 million different devices. The business serves a wide range of clients, from startups to large multinational corporations like BMW, Audi, Deutsche Telekom, and Allianz. Testbirds' services are structured around Quality Assurance (QA) and Usability/User Experience (UX). QA services focus on identifying functional issues and bugs, while UX testing provides feedback on user-friendliness from the client's specific target audience. The company also offers specialized services such as payment testing, localization, and chatbot testing. Revenue is generated through a flexible, credit-based model using "BirdCoins," which clients purchase and can then use across more than 20 different testing solutions.

The platform, known as the "Nest," allows clients to track project progress in real-time and receive detailed bug reports. For testers, Testbirds offers the opportunity to earn money by participating in tests, with payments based on the complexity of the task and for each new bug identified. The company has steadily grown, now employing over 100 people with offices in Munich, Amsterdam, and London. Testbirds has raised a total of $14.7 million over six funding rounds, with its latest Series B round occurring in May 2023. Key investors include Round2 Capital Partners, Seventure Partners, and b2venture.