20NINE
By 20NINE Tech AB
20NINE Tech AB is a Swedish-based software company headquartered in Stockholm that specializes in creating an integrated 'super app' ecosystem for small businesses. Originally known as Salesbox CRM, the company rebranded to 20NINE in June 2023 to signal its shift from a sales-focused tool to a broad business management platform. The company operates with a global perspective, maintaining a strategic 'hub-and-spoke' model with three primary offices: the Stockholm headquarters manages strategy, branding, and finance; the Nairobi office in Kenya handles sales, support, and market activations for Sub-Saharan Africa; and the Hanoi office in Vietnam serves as the center for product development and rigorous testing. This geographic spread allows 20NINE to tap into diverse talent pools and stay close to its 'leap market' customer base. The company's mission is to empower the 400 million underserved entrepreneurs worldwide by providing them with the same high-quality digital infrastructure that larger corporations use, but at a fraction of the cost. By focusing on modularity and mobile accessibility, 20NINE has positioned itself as a key player in the digital transformation of micro-retailers and SMEs globally.
20NINE was founded in 2014 by Andreas Lalangas, who currently serves as the CEO. The company was born out of a vision to disrupt the CRM market, which Lalangas perceived as being dominated by systems that were too complex, visually unappealing, and difficult to implement for small teams. The original product, Salesbox CRM, was designed to make CRM 'fun and modern'—a philosophy that remains at the core of the 20NINE identity. Lalangas brought a background in entrepreneurship and sales strategy to the project, focusing on creating a system that would automatically log data and provide 'action-based' insights rather than just serving as a passive database. In the early years, the company focused on building a robust mobile application, recognizing that salespeople were increasingly working away from their desks. This 'mobile-first' DNA allowed them to eventually expand into emerging markets where mobile usage is the primary gateway to the internet. The transition to the 20NINE brand in 2023 marked the culmination of a decade of development, evolving from a sales tool into a multi-faceted app ecosystem that serves shop owners and merchants as much as it serves traditional sales teams.
20NINE has followed a disciplined growth path, primarily raising Seed-stage funding to fuel its development and international expansion. According to market data from Tracxn and PitchBook, the company has raised approximately $330,000 to $360,000 across at least three funding rounds. Key institutional investors include Rite Ventures and MIKTHE. The first recorded funding occurred in early 2015, shortly after the company's inception, followed by subsequent Seed rounds in 2015 and a more recent undisclosed Seed injection in September 2022. While these amounts are modest compared to the multi-million dollar rounds of Silicon Valley competitors, 20NINE has leveraged this capital efficiently to build a global team of over 50 employees and establish a physical presence in three continents. The funding has been strategically allocated toward the development of the 'Super App' architecture and the launch of the Blipply platform, which integrates AI-powered financial services with the core CRM functionality, specifically targeting the financing gap in leap markets.
20NINE offers a uniquely modular suite of business applications designed to be activated as 'mini-apps' within a single platform. The core offering is the Sales CRM, which includes visual pipeline management, stage-based probability tracking, and automatic deal alerts. Complementing this is the Contact CRM, which provides a 360-degree view of interactions by syncing with Office365 and Google Workspace to log emails and meetings automatically. For businesses focused on professional services, the Recruitment and CV Management modules provide tools for tracking candidates and consultants. One of 20NINE’s most popular offerings is its E-Signing and Document Management module, which allows users to generate contracts from templates and send them for legal digital signature directly from the CRM. More recently, the company introduced the 'My Shop' and 'Bookkeeping' modules, specifically designed for micro-retailers to manage point-of-sale transactions and basic accounting. These modules are interconnected through a centralized 'Insights' dashboard that provides real-time KPIs, allowing business owners to monitor everything from sales performance to customer support response times in one place.
20NINE has executed a focused geographic expansion strategy targeting regions with high entrepreneurial activity and 'mobile-first' habits. While headquartered in Stockholm, the company made a significant move into the African market in May 2023 by opening a subsidiary and office in Nairobi, Kenya. This move was designed to capitalize on the rapid digitization of the Kenyan economy and to provide local support for merchants and mobile payment providers. Simultaneously, the company established a product development hub in Hanoi, Vietnam, to leverage the region's technical talent and support its growth in Southeast Asia. This expansion is part of a broader 'Leap Market' strategy, where 20NINE seeks to provide digital infrastructure to regions that are 'leaping' over traditional desktop-based business models directly to mobile ecosystems. The company’s rebranding in 2023 was specifically timed to align with this expansion, creating a brand identity that resonates with 'shop owners' and 'merchants' rather than just traditional office-based corporate sales teams. Future expansion plans include deepening its presence in Sub-Saharan Africa and exploring additional markets in Southeast Asia that share similar economic profiles.
In the last 18 months, 20NINE has introduced several major features that move the platform beyond traditional CRM. A standout addition is the 'Blipply' integration, an AI-based credit scoring and mobile banking platform designed to help micro-retailers in emerging markets establish creditworthiness and access financial services. On the CRM side, the company launched a 'LeadClipper' browser extension, which allows users to instantly import contact data and interaction history directly from LinkedIn. The 'Support & Ticketing' module was also recently overhauled to include automated status updates and customer satisfaction tracking. In late 2023, 20NINE introduced 'Stage Probability AI,' which uses historical data to automatically calculate the likelihood of a deal closing based on its current position in the sales funnel. Other significant updates include the introduction of the 'My Shop' module for physical retailers, advanced multi-currency support for international transactions, and a suite of pre-built document templates for common contracts and quotes. These releases reflect the company's commitment to building an all-encompassing 'super app' that addresses the diverse needs of modern global entrepreneurs.
The company culture at 20NINE is defined by its 'Purpose First' philosophy and a commitment to radical simplicity. With a globally distributed team across Sweden, Kenya, and Vietnam, 20NINE fosters an environment of diversity and empathy. The leadership, led by founder Andreas Lalangas, emphasizes that 'empathy and humility are as important to growth as strength and audacity.' The work environment is described as agile and innovative, encouraging team members to 'think out loud' and 'write on walls' to solve problems creatively. There is a strong emphasis on being 'fearlessly curious' and challenging traditional software norms. The company values accountability, with a core belief that 'clients count on us, and we count on each other.' This culture extends to their social initiatives, such as cultivating an inclusive and sustainable credit market for underserved populations. Employees are encouraged to work in a hybrid model, balancing the need for physical collaboration in the hubs (Stockholm, Nairobi, Hanoi) with the flexibility required to support a global user base. This blend of Nordic design principles and a global social mission creates a unique work environment that attracts talent dedicated to making a tangible economic impact.
20NINE actively cultivates a community of entrepreneurs and micro-business owners through various digital channels and regional initiatives. The company maintains a comprehensive 'Knowledge Base' filled with tutorials, webinars, and educational videos designed to help non-technical users master the platform. Beyond technical support, 20NINE engages its community through its 'Purpose First' creative consultancy framework, offering advice on branding and business strategy to its users. In its focus markets like Kenya, the company partners with local mom-and-pop shop communities, blogger groups, and Facebook forums to drive digital literacy and financial awareness. 20NINE also holds periodic webinars and 'Booster' training sessions to help users stay updated on new features and industry trends. The company's LinkedIn and Facebook pages serve as hubs for news and community discussion, where users can provide feedback that directly influences the product roadmap. By positioning itself not just as a software provider but as a partner for small business growth, 20NINE has built a loyal following among 'modern merchants' who value the platform’s accessibility and the company’s mission-driven approach to business management.
