# Fred Stevens-Smith

> Fred Stevens-Smith is the British co-founder and CEO of Rainforest QA, a San Francisco-based no-code test automation platform that has run over 60 million software tests for more than 10,000 product teams. A Y Combinator W2012 alumnus who self-describes as 'pretty unemployable,' Fred pivoted from failed AWS analytics ideas to QA 30 days before Demo Day after cold-emailing his entire network and finding universal demand for better software testing. Backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Jason Lemkin, Marc Benioff, and Garry Tan, Rainforest QA has raised $42.3M and now leads the market in AI-powered, self-healing test automation.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Rainforest QA
- **Organizations:** Rainforest QA, Y Combinator, Seedcamp
- **From:** England, United Kingdom
- **Nationality:** British
- **Education:** BSc Economics, Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick, Secondary Education, Oakham School
- **Known for:** Co-founded Rainforest QA, which has run 60M+ software tests for 10,000+ teams, Raised $42.3M in total funding from top-tier investors including Bessemer, Marc Benioff, and Garry Tan, Built one of Y Combinator W2012's most enduring SaaS companies

## Career timeline

- **pre-2010** — Built a web design agency while at university to pay for education
- **2010** — Rejected investment banking graduate scheme; bought easyJet ticket to Berlin
- **2010-2011** — Spent two years building first business in Berlin
- **2011** — Took internship at Seedcamp (European YC equivalent) in London; got fired for being too disruptive
- **2011** — Told Seedcamp 'we're going to YC' before even applying - forcing commitment to apply
- **2012** — Accepted into Y Combinator W2012 batch with co-founder Russell Smith
- **2012** — Pivoted to QA testing 30 days before YC Demo Day after cold-emailing network
- **2012** — Raised $1.5M seed round; investors included Garry Tan, Jason Lemkin, Emmett Shear
- **2014** — Near-death moment: two months cash remaining; saved by Jim Andelman of Bonfire Ventures
- **2015** — Raised Series A of $12M led by Bessemer Venture Partners
- **2018** — Raised $25M Series B led by Bessemer Venture Partners; total funding $42.3M
- **2021** — Launched no-code QA platform, opening test automation to non-engineers
- **2024** — Launched free-forever plan and AI-powered self-healing tests
- **2025** — Released AI Test Planner; platform crossed 60M+ tests run for 10,000+ teams

## Achievements

- Co-founded Rainforest QA, which has run 60M+ software tests for 10,000+ teams
- Raised $42.3M in total funding from top-tier investors including Bessemer, Marc Benioff, and Garry Tan
- Built one of Y Combinator W2012's most enduring SaaS companies
- Pioneered no-code QA automation, making software testing accessible without engineering skills
- Scaled Rainforest QA to $10-20M ARR with 120+ employees
- Recognized as a thought leader in software quality and continuous delivery
- Led Rainforest to become the first QA platform offering both AI automation and on-demand human testers

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Released AI Test Planner, which crawls apps to deliver ready-to-use test plans automatically
- **2024-04** — Launched free-forever plan making Rainforest QA accessible to any team regardless of size
- **2024-04** — Shipped self-healing tests powered by AI, enabling tests to fix themselves when UI changes
- **2023-10** — Announced major platform launch: 'This is the biggest launch in our history' (per LinkedIn post)
- **2021-08** — Launched no-code QA platform enabling non-engineers to create and maintain automated test cases

## Links

- Website: https://rainforestqa.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredstevenssmith/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/fredsters_s
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAr9LN7Guaw
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RainforestQa

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/fred-stevens-smith
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26