# Welcome

> Welcome built browser-based software for branded virtual events and webinars, combining a production studio, audience interaction, and later AI-assisted content repurposing for marketing teams. It pivoted from restaurant software in 2020 and raised a $12 million Series A. Y Combinator now lists the company as inactive.

- **Founded:** 2020
- **Headquarters:** Remote, United States
- **Founders:** Roberto Ortiz (Co-founder and CEO), Jerry Shen (Co-founder; COO at launch, later President), Tiger Shen (Co-founder), John Keh (Former founder, as listed by Y Combinator)
- **Products:** Welcome virtual events platform, Welcome Studio, AI-assisted content repurposing, Event onboarding and support
- **Notable:** Announced a $12 million Series A led by Kleiner Perkins in November 2020., Public company and partner materials describe Welcome as a Webby Award winner., Historical marketing advertised SOC 2 Type II.

## Products & services

- **Welcome virtual events platform** — Branded virtual and hybrid events with a control room, speaker green room, lounges, breakout rooms, polling, chat, Q&A and recordings. Historical product; company is now listed inactive.
- **Welcome Studio** — Browser production tools for live and prerecorded video, overlays, backgrounds, speaker layouts and on-screen calls to action.
- **AI-assisted content repurposing** — Turn event conversations into short-form videos and shareable marketing content, as described in Agora’s customer case study.
- **Event onboarding and support** — Historical marketing offered onboarding by event professionals to help customers run their own productions.

## Achievements

- Announced a $12 million Series A led by Kleiner Perkins in November 2020.
- Public company and partner materials describe Welcome as a Webby Award winner.
- Historical marketing advertised SOC 2 Type II.
- A 2021 profile reported growth from three people to 50 full-time employees in under a year.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Research check: Y Combinator lists Welcome as inactive. This is an observation date, not an established shutdown date.
- **2026-10** — Roberto Ortiz’s personal website labels Welcome “Exited”; it does not name a buyer or disclose transaction terms.
- **2026-03** — Competing vendor Univid says users reported a shutdown. Treat as a competitor account, not a company announcement.

## Links

- Website: https://www.experiencewelcome.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/createonwelcome/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/createonwelcome
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/createonwelcome

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/welcome
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25