Tangled Launches Platform for Decentralized Code Collaboration in Europe
- Marc Griffith
- Mar 2
- 4 min read
Summary Tangled secures €3.8M to accelerate a European decentralized code collaboration platform that connects developers and AI in an open network. The initiative aims to break down silos and promote interoperability, delivering transparent governance and open tools for innovators and businesses. Key takeaways
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Tangled, a Finnish code collaboration platform, announced today a €3.8 million funding round to scale the platform toward a foundational environment for global software collaboration.
The round was led by byFounders, the venture community-driven firm, with participation from Bain Capital Crypto and existing investor Antler. Additionally, prominent angel investors joined the round, including Thomas Dohmke, former GitHub CEO; Avery Pennarun (CEO of Tailscale); Mårten Mickos (former CEO of MySQL and HackerOne); and Sami Honkonen, a Finnish angel investor and founder of DIAS.
Anirudh Oppiliappan, co-founder, said: 'Tangled is built on the belief that code collaboration should be as open and social as the Web itself. We are moving beyond centralized silos to give developers a platform where they can truly own their data and their social network. This funding enables us to build the foundational layer for software collaboration, where both human developers and autonomous AI agents can participate directly in the network.'
Founded by brothers Akshay and Anirudh Oppiliappan, Tangled is a code collaboration platform with social elements that rethinks how developers work together on an open, extensible network. The pair bring experience building large-scale distributed systems and AI platforms for YC projects.
According to Tangled, the growth of AI-assisted coding has led to almost a 50% increase in professional developers over the last three years. Despite this expansion, current tools for contribution and review remain a significant bottleneck for efficient collaboration between human developers and AI agents.
Tangled says it is addressing this challenge by moving away from centralized legacy systems and building on Bluesky's AT Protocol. This approach aims to deliver API-less interoperability within an open network, enabling developers and AI to participate directly.
There are different models for decentralized collaboration platforms, ranging from federated ActivityPub systems (Forgejo) to the fully P2P Radicle model. Our goal is to offer the best of both worlds by adopting AT Protocol, a protocol for decentralized social applications with centralized identity. Anirudh explained in a blog post.
By combining developer tools with social features, the platform positions itself as a European alternative to U.S. services like GitHub, focusing on transparency and community sovereignty. Our vision is to offer a community-driven choice that reduces dependence on centralized providers.
Jussi Kallasvuo, Antler Partner, commented: 'The bottleneck in software development has shifted from writing code to large-scale review and governance. We backed Tangled because the team has the technical depth to manage this complexity, providing a critical infrastructure for the European tech ecosystem.'
Why a Decentralized Code Collaboration Platform
In an era of growing demands for transparency and digital sovereignty, Tangled positions itself as a platform that puts code collaboration at the center of an open network. The goal is to empower developers to truly own their data and their social graph, reducing dependence on centralized vendors and creating new opportunities for participatory governance. Decentralized code collaboration is not just a buzzword but an operating approach that blends development tools, collaboration, and technical interoperability into a cohesive ecosystem.
Round Details and Participants
In addition to the byFounders-led investment, Bain Capital Crypto and existing investor Antler participated. The involvement of prominent angel investors, including Thomas Dohmke, Avery Pennarun, Mårten Mickos, and Sami Honkonen, reinforces confidence in Tangled's approach. This support enables the startup to accelerate the development of a foundational layer for software collaboration, creating a network where human and AI intelligence can interact synergistically.
Technical Vision: AT Protocol and Interoperability
In Tangled's narrative, choosing to build the platform on Bluesky's AT Protocol stems from the need to offer interoperability between decentralized social applications without rigid API constraints. It's an attempt to balance developers' freedom to innovate with the need for an open network where identities and data can move freely. The company argues that the shift from centralized legacy systems to an interoperable network is crucial for truly efficient decentralized code collaboration.
Models of Decentralized Collaboration Platforms
There are different models for decentralized collaboration platforms, ranging from federated ActivityPub systems (Forgejo) to the fully P2P Radicle model. Our goal is to offer the best of both worlds by adopting AT Protocol, a protocol for decentralized social applications with centralized identity. According to Anirudh, this foundational choice enables developers to build open, resilient networks where users maintain real control over their content and social connections, without sacrificing shared governance.
Vision and Community Impact
By combining developer tools with social features, the platform positions itself as a European alternative to U.S. services like GitHub, focusing on transparency and community sovereignty. Our vision is to offer a community-driven choice that reduces dependence on centralized providers.
Antler Narrative and Technical Leadership
Jussi Kallasvuo, Antler Partner, commented: 'The bottleneck in software development has shifted from writing code to large-scale review and governance. We backed Tangled because the team has the technical depth to manage this complexity, providing a critical infrastructure for the European tech ecosystem.'
Conclusions and Outlook
From Tangled's perspective, the investment marks a significant step toward a new era of code collaboration, where the network is not just a toolbox but a social and technological ecosystem that lets both human developers and autonomous AI agents participate directly. The focus is on building a reliable, scalable, inclusive foundational layer capable of hosting new forms of collaboration, review, and governance. In a world where AI-assisted coding is growing, the aim is to offer users a platform that is open, secure, and community-centered, capable of reducing the frictions typical of traditional models.
