In recent years, tools like Figma, TLDraw, Apple’s Freeform, and the Arc browser’s Easel feature have tried to sell the idea of using an “infinite canvas” to capture and share ideas. French startup Cosmic builds on this general idea with a knowledge capture tool that does not require the user to switch between different windows or applications to retrieve information.
Kosmik was founded in 2018 by Paul Rony and Christophe Van Deputte. Before that, Rony worked at a video production company as a junior director and wanted a single whiteboard type canvas instead of a file and folders where he could put videos, PDFs, websites, notes and drawings. And that’s when he started building Kosmic, Rony told TechCrunch, drawing on an earlier background in computer history and philosophy.
“It took us nearly three years to build a working product that includes core features like data encryption, offline-first functionality, and creating a canvas-based spatial user interface,” explained Rony. “We’ve built all of this on IPFS, so when two people work together, it’s all peer-to-peer instead of relying on a server-based architecture.”
Image Credits: Cosmic
Kosmik offers an infinite canvas interface where you can insert text, images, videos, PDFs and links, which can be opened and previewed in a sidebar. It also has a built-in browser, saving users from having to switch windows when they need to find a relevant website link. In addition, the platform has a PDF reader, which allows the user to export elements such as images and text.
The tool is useful for designers, architects, consultants and students to create dashboards for different projects. The tool is useful for them because they don’t have to open a bunch of Chrome tabs and put details into a document, which isn’t very visual for various media types. Some retail investors use the app to track stock prices, and advisors use it for their project boards.
Image Credits: Cosmic
Rony emphasized that combining these different tools and bringing them into one place is Kosmik’s key selling point.
“I think it all revolves around the idea that we don’t have the best web browser, text editor or PDF reader,” said Ronnie. “But because we allow them to exist together in the same place, and you can drag and drop things between them, the tool becomes extremely powerful.”
Available via web, Mac, and Windows, Kosmik comes with a basic free tier, though it has a 50MB file and 5GB storage limit with 500 canvas “items.” For more storage and unlimited data, the company offers a monthly subscription of $5.99, with plans to eventually offer a “pay-once’ model for those who want to use the software only on a single device.
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Kosmik also revealed today that he has picked up $3.7 million in a funding round led by Creandum, with participation from Alven, Kima Ventures, Betaworks and founders of Replit and Quizlet.
Hanel Baveja, director at Creandum, told TechCrunch that the company decided to invest in Kosmik because it felt a bit like Notion and Miro, with the potential to create something that completely changes the workflows of organizations. However, Baveja said the startup will need to create immediate value for users, like any consumer tool in the space.
“Your time to value in any product should be immediate. you only get one chance to get a user, especially when you’re aiming to become an everyday product,” Baveja said. “Finding the balance of a rich feature set, with ease of adoption is definitely a challenge and an area where the Kosmik team has continued to double down.”
This cash injection is also timely given the product iteration in the pipeline. Indeed, Cosmic is in the process of merging its codebases, with Kosmik 2.0 bringing feature parity to the mix — the new app will be web-based, with desktop clients based on wrapper apps.
In addition, the new version will include features such as multiplayer co-op and automatic AI tagging of elements in images.
Rony said that with multiplayer, instead of sharing the entire canvas, you can work with someone on a single part of the canvas using a folder-like “card” with items dropped into it.
Kosmik opened to users in March and currently claims about 8,000 daily users, though he said it’s difficult to determine the exact number of people actively using it since they can work completely offline with the product.
It’s worth noting that Kosmik isn’t the only startup working in the personal whiteboard space. Berlin-based Deta is building a new cloud operating system for it and Healthy builds a social knowledge sharing platform. These companies will have to compete in some way to get users’ attention and also convince them to try a new paradigm for knowledge capture.
