Top Startup Studios by Website Traffic
What Makes The Top Startup Studios So Successful?
Startup studios have been on the scene longer than many people are aware, but only in recent years have we seen a few top startup studios produce successful businesses with sustainable success. The success rates of companies launched by startup studios are proof of the model’s approach to establishing scalable and sustainable companies (of the 415 companies that startup studios have created as of 2020, 88% are still operating successfully).
How are top startup studios so successful?
One of the major competitive advantages of startup studios is their ability to mitigate risk and expedite growth by providing funding, shared resources, and operational support that are unique to the startup studio model. With many founders entering the industry and a few key players dominating the startup studio space, it can be difficult to determine which studios are leading the charge in terms of launching and scaling successful businesses.
Ultimately, the success of a studio is determined by the progress and achievements of the companies they build and their ability to solve consumer pain points. For this article, we will use website traffic to measure the success of the best startup studios. Website traffic is a telling metric in measuring the impact of a company as it demonstrates the traction the company has gained with customers. To illustrate both the growth potential of companies launched within startup studios and their impact, we have compiled the best startup studios and their most successfully launched companies, measured by 2020 annual website traffic, according to SimilarWeb.
🏆 1st Place: Wilbur Labs
Annual Traffic of Top 3 Businesses Combined: 47.3M
Landing at the top of our list is Wilbur Labs. Founded in 2016 by ex-Googlers Phil Santoro and David Kolodny, Wilbur Labs is located in San Francisco, CA, a hub of creative ideas and innovation. Relatively younger than each of its counterparts listed throughout the article, Wilbur Labs continues to produce high-growth startups that offer smart solutions to major consumer pain points across various industries.
In the words of the startup studio…
“Wilbur Labs is a San Francisco-based startup studio turning bold ideas into market-leading companies. We identify big customer pain points and build businesses to solve these problems.”
Top 3 Startups:
Annual Traffic: 31.38M
If you are an avid traveler or have a case of wanderlust, VacationRenter is a dream come true. Their advanced AI technology combines all the top listings from popular rental sites to provide access to the best rental properties worldwide in one place. The site offers a convenient hub for conventional accommodations like houses, condos, and hotels, but also offers the largest RV inventory globally — perfect for a cross-country road trip for those who enjoy a vacation on the more adventurous side. And to speak to its massive success, in 2020, VacationRenter announced over $1 billion in gross bookings, making it the fastest-growing travel company ever. In fact, it was recently named one of the top 100 fastest-growing websites of 2020 by SimilarWeb.
Annual Traffic: 14.85M
Many of us can attest to the difficulty of searching for jobs online. With an over-saturation of job sites, it can be incredibly daunting to sort through listings of jobs that seem loosely related to our search query. Joblist is a job search site that goes beyond simple keyword search to provide users with job listings that match their specific interests, skills, and expertise. Upon entering the site, users are prompted to complete a short questionnaire to cut through the clutter and generate a personalized set of applicable positions. After a successful soft launch in 2019, the company expedited its public launch to help people find jobs during the global pandemic.
Annual Traffic: 996K
Living a healthy lifestyle can be pricey, and to find the best deals on your favorite healthy, natural products, you may find yourself scrambling to multiple retailers, just to save a couple of bucks. Vitabox sells thousands of everyday household items, such as vitamins, nutritional supplements, household supplies, and more at competitive prices to give users access to a healthier lifestyle in one location. And the best part? Vitabox removes the middleman retail stores to pass on significant cost savings to customers. The company experienced significant growth in 2020 as consumers shopped more for everyday items online, and the team implemented advanced automation technology to onboard high-demand necessities like disinfectants, cleaning supplies, and other health essentials. Throughout the pandemic, Vitabox also provided COVID-19 testing centers with disinfecting wipes.
🏅2nd Place: Atomic
Annual Traffic of Top 3 Businesses Combined: 23.3M
In second place is Atomic, with an impressive 23.3.M in annual traffic to its top three portfolio companies. Founded by Jack Abraham in 2012, Atomic has made waves in the startup studio community. Located in San Francisco, CA, the studio emphasizes the power of synergies and working together to build something amazing.
In the words of the startup studio…
“When you co-found a company with Atomic, you’re immediately surrounded by an experienced team. You have co-founders who’ve started $1B+ companies, functional teams of experts across legal, design, engineering, finance, people ops, and IT, as well as access to Atomic’s $250M Fund III.”
Top 3 Startups:
Annual Traffic: 21.06M
Personalized health products are hard to come by, and if you do have access to them, they are typically pretty expensive. Hims is a virtual health and wellness company that provides personalized wellness products to address and provide solutions to common health problems and ailments for men. Products cover the gamut for a variety of issues, such as hair loss, anxiety and depression, and skin problems like acne and aging. Whether you’re an anxiety-ridden twenty-something-year-old with acne or fighting off your family curse of male-pattern balding, Hims is for every man. In fact, after four years of business, the company has recently gone public, valued at $1.6B, demonstrating that the brand’s innovation is not only here to stay, but likely to grow and evolve as the future of the health and wellness industry.
Annual Traffic: 1.55M
There are few things more stressful than moving, and nothing more stressful than moving into a new home with an unfamiliar roommate. Bungalow absorbs the stress of moving by connecting users with fully furnished available homes worldwide, along with a community of vetted roommates with your common interests. In the app, users can tour their accommodations and apply within minutes. Not only does the site eliminate your urgent search for housing, but Bungalow also negotiates and manages rent and utilities on the behalf of users to get the customers the most value with competitive rates.
Annual Traffic: 700.2K
One of the biggest pain points for businesses spending money on digital platforms is the challenge of linking digital ad spend to in-store sales. Zenreach connects your online marketing tactics to in-store performance to provide extensive, detailed data and insights into the effectiveness of your digital marketing tactics. In linking digital efforts to in-store sales, businesses can more accurately measure ROI and make pivots as needed.
🏅3rd Place: eFounders
Annual Traffic of Top 3 Businesses Combined: 9.5M
Headquartered in Paris, France, eFounders was founded by Quentin Nickmans and Thibaud Elziere in 2011. In the past decade of operations, eFounders has successfully launched 27 companies and based on their strong portfolio, we expect to see many more.
In the words of the startup studio…
“We give founders an edge. We partner with the best entrepreneurs to launch world-class products and game-changing businesses. Our founders have built 27 startups with over $400M in funding, +1000 employees, and offices in Paris, San Francisco, New York, and Berlin. Join us to launch the next big thing!”
Top 3 Startups:
Annual Traffic: 7.26M
In a remote world, keeping your team organized can be a major challenge for businesses. Lapses in record-keeping and communications can allow valuable customer interactions to slip through the cracks. Front is a customer experience management platform that combines your team with access to all customer touchpoints in one convenient place. With a universal inbox and task management, Front gives teams the ability to control and improve customer experience.
Annual Traffic: 1.19M
Managing multiple social media channels for a brand can be very time-intensive, and many brands fail to analyze the performance of their social media communications, rendering them ineffective. Mention is a social media tool for brands and agencies to publish social content and glean insights from social listening and brand monitoring, ultimately enhancing your brand’s digital presence. Mention offers tiered packages to accommodate your brand’s specific needs.
Annual Traffic: 1.04M
Similar to Front, Aircall strives to provide convenient and efficient business solutions for remote teams. Aircall is a cloud-based customer call center that allows you and your team to manage and access customer service information and data from anywhere, making your team more effective and efficient, and improving customer interactions.
🏅4th Place: Pioneer Square Labs
Annual Traffic of Top 3 Businesses Combined: 9.3M
Ranking number four for annual website traffic is Pioneer Square Labs. Founded by Greg Gottesman, Mike Galgon, Ben Gilbert, and Geoff Entress in 2015 the Seattle-based studio also has a venture capital arm, entrenching them even further in the startup space.
In the words of the startup studio…
“Pioneer Square Labs exists to build the next generation of world-changing companies, bringing together exceptional founders, big ideas, and investment capital.”
Top 3 Startups:
Annual Traffic: 9.04M
Few of us comprehend the challenges and extensive costs of obtaining a green card or naturalization. On top of there being a rigorous, multi-step process, after all is said and done, the entire ordeal can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees. Boundless is an immigration company that simplifies the experience and gives users direct access to legal advisors and resources to help them obtain a green card or citizenship.
Annual Traffic: 208.6K
In recent years, the popularity of podcasts has exploded. But oftentimes, what you and other listeners see in your podcast queue are the top dogs in the podcasting space. Starting off, it can be challenging for podcasters to grow their following, earn reviews, and generate revenue from their content (which can take a lot of time and money to produce). Glow is a podcast membership growth platform to help podcasters monetize their programming. The site provides membership tiers for listeners to contribute to their favorite podcasts in exchange for fewer ads, bonus episodes, and extended content, which allows podcast producers to keep churning out the content we love.
Annual Traffic: 79.9K
Small business tax is a tricky world of rules and regulations that presents its unique challenges, for both the business and their accountants. Lumatax is a tool for CPA and accounting firms to assess small business clients’ regulatory compliance. The technology uses automation to analyze and digest the complexities of sales tax law and identify opportunities for advisory.
🏅5th Place: Rocket Internet
Annual Traffic of Top 3 Businesses Combined: 1.8M
Coming in 5th for annual website traffic is Rocket Internet. Founded in 2007 by Oliver Samwer, Alexander Samwer, and Marc Samwer, Rocket Internet is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and has been churning out impressive startups for over a decade.
In the words of the startup studio…
“Rocket Internet incubates and invests in internet and technology companies globally. We provide deep operational support to entrepreneurs and help them build market-leading companies.”
Top 3 Startups:
Annual Traffic: 1.64M
If you have ever studied abroad or traveled abroad for an extended period, you may understand the pains of requiring temporary living arrangements that include furnishings. It can be hard enough to find a place to stay without dropping a significant amount of money on a couch, table, bed, and other necessities. Nestpick conveniently aggregates listings of fully furnished apartments and rooms for rent worldwide for students and travelers to enjoy a comfortable stay.
Annual Traffic: 129.3K
Home 24 is a home goods online retailer, selling products like furniture, gardening products, storage, and home accessories. They seek to create value for their customers by improving the home online shopping experience and providing selections for all tastes and budgets.
Annual Traffic: 150K
While businesses can seem complex, it comes down to one fundamental truth — companies want to make sales, and consumers seek value. Global Savings Group provides the ultimate win/win by using proprietary technology and data to facilitate the connection of businesses with potentially interested consumers. Global Savings Group drives conversions by linking consumers to deals and discounts relevant to their stage in the consumer journey, leading to digital growth for companies.
We are excited by the innovation we have seen from the top startup studios in the space, and we look forward to watching their projects grow and evolve. With track records of proven success, we can expect to see major transformations within the startup ecosystem from Wilbur Labs, Atomic, eFounders, Pioneer Square Labs, and Rocket Internet, and other industry leaders. For more on startup studios and the exciting potential of the startup studio model, check out Startup Studios in Action, and follow the page for new content.
