99designs early investors back customer service software start-up with $250,000

Influx.com, a start-up providing targeted technical customer service online, has announced a successful seed-funding round from investors who have all previously backed start-up powerhouse 99designs.

The investors are the SitePoint Group, including 99designs founder Mark Harbottle and Startup Victoria chair Leni Mayo.

The founder of Influx.com, Mikey De Wildt, has previously worked for SitePoint as a developer. He incorporated Influx.com in late 2013.

De Wildt told StartupSmart he’s targeting a small but growing niche.

“We realised there was a gap for people who had created great tech offerings such as an app or plug-in but weren’t big enough to hire customer service people themselves. That group is only going to grow,” he says.

Customers are the most important aspect to any start-ups, so convincing founders to outsource their support has been challenging.

“Getting a founder to trust me with their precious customer support has been and still is a challenge. Getting face to face helps so I’m wracking my brains trying to work out the best way to scale that process,” De Wildt says.

Scaling is De Wildt’s passion. Joining the 99designs team immediately after their Series A round with Accel Partners means he’s had experience in a rapidly growing company.

“That experience scaling up that fast with customers was really good. It helped me come up with this idea, but also taught me a lot about hiring and product development and being part of a successful start-up,” he says.

The funding will enable Influx.com to grow their team and start investing in marketing campaigns.