Airtable Acquires Onboarding Startup Dopt to Boost AI Talent Acquisition

Airtable has officially announced its acquisition of Dopt, a startup dedicated to enhancing product onboarding experiences for new users in other startups. This strategic move follows Dopt's recent rollout of innovative features that integrated AI-based assistance tools into various services—key factors that contributed to Airtable's decision to bring Dopt on board. The acquisition concluded at the end of last month, with Dopt's services scheduled to cease on August 15. The talented team from Dopt will join Airtable’s AI division.

Howie Liu, co-founder and CEO of Airtable, shared insights about this acquisition, highlighting its significance within the company's broader AI strategy. Following a period of rapid growth during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Airtable, like many other startups, experienced a temporary slowdown, although Liu emphasized that Airtable has consistently continued to grow during this time. “From my perspective, this felt like a significant shift,” Liu remarked. “It marked a new phase for us, compelling us to reassess our strategy and identify key areas for investment.”

Liu argued that working with limited resources often fosters “a certain kind of creativity," making companies more resourceful in their operations. Embracing AI as a cornerstone of its strategy, Airtable recently launched Airtable Cobuilder, allowing users to create applications simply by describing them through a conversational interface akin to Copilot.

“To me, AI symbolizes two main aspects,” Liu explained. “Firstly, it makes software development even more accessible. The Cobuilder launch aimed to lower barriers to entry. We speculated that one day, users could interact with Airtable through conversation to build apps, and we are now witnessing this vision come to life faster and more effectively than anticipated.”

Liu emphasized that the driving force behind the Dopt acquisition is primarily its talent. He admired the Dopt team for their expertise in onboarding, noting that their experience across various companies equips them with a keen understanding of crafting intuitive user experiences. Within Airtable, the Dopt team will focus on introducing new AI capabilities and enhancing the overall user experience.

The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Before this acquisition, Dopt, based in Oakland, had successfully raised a $5.1 million seed round in 2022, with support from Unusual Ventures, Designer Fund, and several angel investors.