Adalo Inc., a startup that enables knowledge workers to create web services and mobile apps without writing any code, has secured a $8 million funding round led by Tiger Global.

The round, announced today, also saw the participation of GitHub Chief Technology Officer Jason Warner, Zapier Inc. Chief Executive Officer Wade Foster and multiple other investors. Adalo is aiming to use the capital to triple its headcount over the next 18 months.

Adalo’s namesake cloud service provides no-code tools that enables users to create software using drag-and-drop controls. Applications can be assembled from a large library of pre-packaged components, developed by Adalo, that range in sophistication from individual interface elements to logic modules that perform relatively tasks such as sending out push notifications. There’s also a marketplace that provides access to additional components created by independent developers.

On top of simplifying the development of application features such as the user interface, the startup promises to ease database implementations. Setting up an application’s database is often one of the most complicated aspects of software projects. By offering tools for building both front-end features and the backend information repository on which an application is built, Adalo allows users to perform all the core aspects of their projects in its platform without requiring external tools.

The startup’s service enables workers to implement a database in the form of relatively simple spreadsheets. They can create one spreadsheet for end-users’ account details, another for their data and then link them together.

Adalo claims to have an installed base of more than 223,000 users, most of which have signed up for the free version of its service. The startup also has 1,000 paying customers that range from small businesses to enterprises. According to Adalo, organizations use its service to build applications for both internal use, such as project management, and applications that manage user-facing functions such as processing purchases.

In addition to expanding its headcount, the startup will use the funding to provide more capabilities for building web services. “Our origins were mobile first but creating apps that can work across every screen size on the both app stores and the web has always been our ultimate goal and completing this will really prove that no-code software has made it,” Adalo Chief Executive Officer David Adkin detailed in a blog post today.

Demand for no-code and low-code tools is growing rapidly in the enterprise because they can lower the costs of software development by reducing application projects’ complexity, as well as their duration. Such tools enable companies with limited in-house development expertise to relegate some engineering tasks to business workers. Development teams, in turn, can use low-code technology to speed up repetitive parts of their work.

Gartner Inc. estimates that “process-agnostic” tools, a category that includes low-code tools and certain other technologies such as robotic process automation, will see 54% growth this year. 

Image: Adalo