If you use Slack at work, you’ve likely noticed the overwhelming number of channels you're invited to join.
David Sacks, a co-founder of the popular All In podcast and a seasoned entrepreneur known for Yammers—a workplace chat tool sold to Microsoft for $1.2 billion in 2012—believes he has a solution. Partnering with Evan Owen, the former VP of engineering at the collaboration tool Zinc (acquired by ServiceMax in 2019), they’ve launched Glue, an innovative employee messaging app aimed at tackling what they call "Slack channel fatigue."
Emerging from stealth mode on Tuesday, Glue focuses on topic-based threads and incorporates GenAI technology. Sacks’ Craft Ventures incubated and funded the project through several funding rounds. Glue originated in 2021 when Sacks and Owen—then an entrepreneur-in-residence at Craft—recognized the need for advancements in workplace messaging.
“Our view was that there’s still a lot of room for innovation,” said Sacks, who serves as Glue’s co-founder and chairman. “While Slack is a competent tool, many users find the constant noise from channels overwhelming.”
In Slack, discussions occur within distinct channels, meaning that anyone wanting to communicate with a group must join that specific channel. This often leads to users remaining subscribed to multiple channels that see little activity, creating a sense of chaos.
Glue changes this by organizing conversations into threads. Teams or individuals can initiate a thread, inviting other teams or Glue’s AI bot to participate. While Glue's interface resembles Slack's, it personalizes content based on individual users' needs.
“You can create a thread for a specific short task,” said Owen, Glue’s co-founder and CEO. “It’s a transient conversation that can easily disappear once it’s complete.” Users can archive discussions, and related chats will resurface if they are mentioned again.
Although organizing work discussions in threads may seem like an old-school approach to decluttering communication, Sacks asserts that this is a feature that Slack and Microsoft Teams will struggle to replicate. “To adopt our model, they would need a complete overhaul of their existing architecture,” he explained.
This concept feels reminiscent of Yammer, which has evolved into Microsoft Viva, even as Microsoft Teams enables team discussions and video calls; Yammer also operated on a thread-based communication format similar to Facebook.
However, Glue allows Sacks and Owen to reimagine thread-based messaging through the lens of AI technology. "We made AI a virtual team member that can join the chat anytime," Sacks noted, emphasizing the power of integrating AI into workplace communications.
“Picture starting a conversation with your colleagues, only to realize you need AI support. It makes sense for your AI interactions to coexist with your discussions with coworkers,” he explained. “Diverting users to a separate platform for AI interactions is counterproductive.”
Glue’s AI capabilities will evolve as underlying language models improve. Currently, the bot can name thread topics, summarize discussions over time, and gather relevant employee information based on chat history.
The Glue AI can leverage either ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude AI, allowing users to switch between models or letting the system select the most efficient option automatically.
While embedding AI into corporate communication isn't new—Slack and Microsoft Teams also offer integrated AI functionalities—Glue differentiates itself with its streamlined approach.
Having employed Glue internally for a year, Craft Ventures is now set to offer the product to other businesses. After a three-month trial, Glue will charge $7 per employee per month, slightly lower than Slack's basic package.
Owen addressed the offering’s value, noting that Slack charges between $15 to $18 for access to SlackGPT, Salesforce's AI chatbot introduced last year.
Glue marks the latest startup Sacks has incubated at Craft Ventures, following other ventures such as Callin, a social podcasting app, and SaaSGrid, which tracks SaaS metrics.
As the company prepares for external funding post-launch, Sacks commented, "We want to demonstrate how remarkable our product is. A standout AI product has the potential to secure a Series A quickly."
Regarding valuation expectations, he mentioned, “You can’t really predict valuation until the process begins.” His co-hosts from All In have shown interest in investing in Glue, indicating excitement around its prospects.
With a focus on AI capabilities, Sacks is clearly aiming for a significant valuation as Glue begins its market journey.
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