Brazil-based Bluesky adds another 2 million users to its social networking platform

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• Users skyrocket for Brazilian social networking startup: Four days after Brazil’s ban on X, Brazilian social networking startup Bluesky has added over 2 million new users. As engineers scrambled to stabilize servers amid the influx of new sign-ups, some users even experienced the occasional error message: “Not Enough Resources”. To put into perspective just how many users signed up over the weekend, app intelligence firm Appfigures reported a 10,584% increase in total downloads compared to the previous weekend, with a 1,018,952% increase in downloads from Brazil alone. If there was ever any doubt about the importance of social media in today's society, it's safe to say those doubts no longer exist.

• Virtual hospital startup raises Series B: While hospitals worldwide face bed shortages, one startup is looking to mitigate this problem. Doccla aims to build “virtual bed tech to help doctors remotely manage patients.” While the market is fairly crowded with players like Graphnet and Huma, investors think that Doccla can stand out among its peers, as they’ve just raised a $46 million Series B led by Lakestar. They’ve got traction in the UK and Ireland; now they’ve got their eye on the rest of Europe.

• Bootstrapped startup steadily growing: While it’s common for venture-backed companies to make headlines with their large funding rounds, it’s not every day that you see a bootstrapped company make the news, let alone grow steadily. Fleet, a Paris-based startup, offers companies a way to rent hardware such as laptops, phones, and tablets. They’ve since grown to include software services like device management, cybersecurity, and insurance. Currently, they work with 1,500 companies and have around 100,000 users. It goes to show that you can build a successful company without raising external capital.

Canva Hikes Prices

You may have read last week that Alex is on parental leave for the next few weeks, so you’re hearing from Erika on the LAUNCH team!

Today, I bring you news from one of the unicorns on our list, Canva. The Australian design software platform (valued at $37.8 billion from its last funding round) recently announced a price increase of 300% for subscribers of Canva Teams. What was once $39.99/month for up to five users is now $40.50/user, with a minimum of three users. That’s a price increase of $480/year to $1,458/year. While they are introducing new features to the platform, many of which are AI and generative AI-enabled, it is important to note that Canva is preparing for a potential IPO in the US in 2026. Let’s hope these price increases have their intended effect (and don’t drive people away from the platform). — Erika

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This Week in Startups

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