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Scrollback provides an open-source text chat service designed to foster community interaction and collaboration. This platform hosts customizable chat rooms, enabling groups to connect, communicate, and engage in real-time discussions, effectively functioning as micro-forums for text-based exchanges. Its technical approach centers on delivering a robust, embedded chat solution that can integrate seamlessly into various online environments, facilitating dynamic group communication.
The company was founded in 2012 by Gaurav Srivastava and Aravind Ravi Sulekha. Originating from Bengaluru, India, the co-founders initiated Scrollback with the insight that online communities required more efficient and dedicated spaces for real-time engagement and structured discussions beyond conventional social media. Their vision focused on building a versatile communication layer for diverse interest groups.
Scrollback serves a broad range of communities seeking dedicated and interactive communication channels. Its product empowers groups to maintain persistent discussions and collaborative workflows, enhancing collective intelligence and shared understanding. The company's enduring vision is to equip communities with powerful, accessible tools that streamline their interactions and strengthen their communal bonds, aspiring to be the foundational communication infrastructure for countless online groups.
Scrollback has raised $400K across 1 funding round.
Scrollback has raised $400K in total across 1 funding round.
# High-Level Overview
Scrollback is an open-source platform for live community conversations that combines real-time chat functionality with forum-style content curation.[2][3] Founded in 2013, the company operates in the Enterprise Tech sector, providing chat solutions designed specifically for communities rather than traditional enterprise messaging.[1][2]
The platform addresses a distinct gap in community engagement tools by merging the immediacy of chat with the organizational structure of forums. Scrollback serves communities seeking lightweight, mobile-first communication platforms that enable meaningful real-time discussions while preserving conversation history and discoverability—a problem traditional chat applications and forums solve separately but not together.[3][4]
Scrollback emerged in 2013 as a response to the limitations of existing communication platforms.[1] The company was inspired by Twitter and Internet Relay Chat (IRC), drawing from the strengths of both to create something new.[4][5] The founders recognized that forums had become cumbersome and outdated, while pure chat applications lacked the content curation and searchability that communities needed. This insight led to the concept of "micro-forums"—forums reimagined as lightweight, real-time, and mobile-optimized spaces where shorter messages could flow naturally while remaining organized and discoverable.[4][5]
By positioning itself as an open-source solution, Scrollback aligned with developer preferences and community-driven adoption, establishing itself as a platform built *for* communities rather than *at* them.
Scrollback operates at the intersection of two significant trends: the rise of community-driven platforms and the shift toward decentralized, open-source alternatives to proprietary SaaS tools. As organizations increasingly recognize that community engagement drives loyalty and organic growth, demand for specialized community platforms has grown. Scrollback's open-source positioning also aligns with broader skepticism toward vendor lock-in and centralized control, making it relevant to organizations prioritizing data sovereignty and customization.
The company's emphasis on lightweight, real-time communication reflects a broader market shift away from heavy enterprise software toward nimble, purpose-built tools. In this context, Scrollback represents a meaningful alternative to both legacy forum software and modern chat platforms that weren't designed with community dynamics in mind.
Scrollback's long-term trajectory depends on its ability to capture mindshare in an increasingly crowded community platform market. While Discord, Slack, and others have dominated, they were not purpose-built for community engagement in the way Scrollback was. The company's open-source nature is both a strength—enabling grassroots adoption and customization—and a challenge, as it requires sustained community investment and clear monetization pathways.
Looking forward, Scrollback's influence will likely grow as organizations seek alternatives to closed platforms and as the value of community-driven growth becomes more apparent. The timing favors platforms that respect user data, enable customization, and prioritize genuine engagement over engagement metrics. If Scrollback can translate its technical differentiation into market adoption and sustainable business models, it could become a defining platform for the next generation of community-driven organizations.
Scrollback has raised $400K in total across 1 funding round.
Scrollback's investors include Jungle Ventures.
Scrollback has raised $400K across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $400K Seed in November 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2014 | $400K Seed | Jungle Ventures |