Granola Raises $43M, Launches Collaborative AI Note-Taking

Granola Secures $43M Series B, Introduces Collaboration Features

AI-powered note-taking app Granola has raised $43 million in Series B funding, bringing its total funding to $67 million and its valuation to $250 million. The round was led by NFDG, with participation from existing investors Lightspeed and Spark, and prominent angel investors.

This funding coincides with the launch of Granola's new collaborative features. These features allow users to share transcripts and notes with teammates, enabling the AI to leverage a larger data pool for generating insights. Users can create custom folders for specific use cases like sales calls, customer feedback, and hiring.

Expanding Beyond Single-User Functionality

Granola has seen significant organic growth, with its user base increasing by 10% weekly since launch. Co-founder Chris Pedragel attributes this growth to the app's expanding use cases, with users increasingly relying on Granola for personal notes alongside meeting transcriptions. This allows the AI to analyze a broader range of information and provide more comprehensive insights.

“I think how Granola differs from other notetakers is that it is very personal and you are in control all the time. You can edit notes at any point. It is not about just capturing a meeting, but it is a space where you can work, even post meetings,” said Pedragel.

The new collaborative features address the growing demand for team-based knowledge sharing and analysis. Granola also allows users to share meeting notes with individuals who don't use the app, enabling them to interact with the AI and ask questions.

Competition and Future Direction

Granola faces competition from other AI-powered note-taking apps like Read AI, Fireflies, and Otter, which offer similar shared workspace features. However, Granola emphasizes its user-centric approach, providing control over note editing and a personalized experience.

The company recently enabled users to query the AI bot about all recorded meetings. Building on this, users can now ask questions about specific folders. This enhanced functionality aligns with the broader trend of AI-powered tools integrating with other platforms to become central knowledge hubs.

Lightspeed investor Mike Mignano highlights Granola's user interface and experience as key differentiators:

“Since the start, the company has had the right mix of AI transcript and human control of taking notes. Now that they are building context across the meetings and making the notes shareable, the product has become stronger. With these features, Granola will have long-term context for users and teams, kicking off network effects for the startup.”

With its latest funding and new collaborative features, Granola is poised to continue its rapid growth within the competitive AI-powered productivity market.