Nick Budden, a serial entrepreneur and former UI/UX designer, founded Phase in 2017 to address inefficiencies in the design process. Budden's vision was to enable designers to focus solely on design work, eliminating the need for handoffs and meetings with engineers. To achieve this, Phase is building a no-code platform that empowers UI/UX designers to create fully interactive prototypes.

On Thursday, the startup announced that it has raised $13 million in funding from a consortium of investors, including Gobi Partners, New Economy Ventures, Palm Drive Capital, Shilling VC, SquareOne, WI Harper, 42CAP, and 500 Global. This investment will be instrumental in driving the development of Phase's platform, which aims to revolutionize the UI design process.

Today, Phase released its first product, a UI animation tool that competes with industry giants like Adobe After Effects and Figma. This tool allows UI/UX and product designers to create interactive website or app simulations without manual coding or relying on error-prone AI plugins. Moreover, the software can export UI code that's ready for production, significantly speeding up the design process.

Budden emphasized that Phase's product stands out from existing tools due to its ability to create prototypes that mimic 100% of a real website or app's functionality. In contrast, tools like Figma can only achieve 20-30% of the real website's capabilities, requiring designers to communicate with engineers and product managers to complete the design. Phase's platform eliminates this need, streamlining the design process and reducing the time and resources required.

This is just the beginning for Phase, as the startup plans to introduce three more UI design and code tools as part of its WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) platform this year and next. These upcoming features will include UI advanced prototyping, UI design, and UI code export, further solidifying Phase's position in the UI design market.

In an exclusive interview with TechCrunch, Budden revealed that Phase's strategy is to gain initial traction in the animation market before moving into larger markets. The CEO acknowledged that UI animation is not a standalone market for long, as tools like Figma are likely to integrate animation as a built-in feature in the future.

Phase initially launched its platform in South Korea in May, partnering with a local company to facilitate the rollout. The startup adopted a region-by-region approach, engaging deeply with each design community to build momentum. This strategy proved successful in South Korea, where over 10,000 designers tested the product within a few weeks of its launch. However, the company faced challenges in larger markets, where design communities were more dispersed, making it harder to gain traction.

After months of struggling to replicate the success in South Korea, Phase shifted its go-to-market strategy and opened a global beta. This adjustment led to rapid and sustained growth, prompting the company to move out of beta and focus on entering the U.S. and European markets as its next priority.

With its innovative no-code platform and first product launch, Phase is poised to disrupt the UI design industry and empower designers to focus on what they do best – creating exceptional user experiences.