Introduction Of DryMerge

For years, platforms designed to connect apps that don’t typically interact — think Zapier — have been available to streamline workflows. However, these tools still pose a challenge for non-technical users. Even though generative AI has lowered some barriers, mastering these platforms, especially troubleshooting, often demands coding skills.

Developers Sam Brashears and Edward Frazer experienced these frustrations firsthand during internships at major tech companies like Meta and Stripe. They found that even popular automation tools didn’t meet their expectations, leading them to create their own solution.

“I had to design integrations from scratch, which was a pain,” Frazer shared in an interview with TechCrunch. “Sam believed generative AI could solve one of the biggest challenges in app integration — transforming data between APIs.”

Longtime friends since elementary school, Brashears and Frazer decided to tackle the problem head-on, creating a more streamlined integration platform. The result is DryMerge, a chatbot-driven platform that allows users to easily set up workflows between apps with simple text commands.

Imagine asking, “Whenever I receive an email from a new lead, notify the team on Slack and add their details to HubSpot.” DryMerge takes care of the technical details, allowing users to automate tasks with ease.

“Currently, IT departments use complex no-code tools to automate workflows for non-technical teams,” Frazer explained. “A natural language interface like DryMerge opens automation to anyone, regardless of technical skills.”

Intrigued by the idea, I decided to try DryMerge myself, hoping to replace some of my old automations. The interface is simple and clean, resembling something like ChatGPT. Users can start a new chat session for each automation request (e.g., “Send me a daily summary of calendar events”), which can be accessed anytime from a side panel.

DryMerge currently supports a growing list of apps, including Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Salesforce, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more. After setting up an automation, users can view its status in a dedicated window that shows when it last ran and whether there were any issues.

Initially, I had some success, like automating Gmail contacts to populate a spreadsheet or syncing calendar invites to Google Calendar. DryMerge walked me through the process, connecting to my apps and offering to test the automations.

However, I hit some snags along the way. Several times, the chatbot became unresponsive, and in other cases, it misunderstood my requests. Despite multiple attempts, I couldn’t get DryMerge to automate copying Gmail contacts directly into my calendar — it kept insisting I use a spreadsheet.

Despite these glitches, when DryMerge works, it’s a powerful tool. For example, I successfully set up an automation to copy posts from my X account to a personal Discord server, saving me some time and manual effort.

Frazer assured me that these bugs will be ironed out in the future. With only two people running the company, he admitted there’s a long to-do list, but they are committed to improving the platform.

“We think we’re in a position to iterate quickly and nimbly,” Frazer said.

While fixing technical issues is one hurdle, staying competitive in the growing integration-platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) space is another challenge. According to a recent IDG and TeamDynamix poll, iPaaS is one of the fastest-growing software markets, expected to hit $2.7 billion this year. Giants like AWS (with its AppFabric platform) and IBM (which recently acquired iPaaS tech) are vying for dominance, alongside established players like Zapier and IFTTT, who are also incorporating AI features into their platforms.

Frazer believes DryMerge’s edge lies in its simplicity. “We aim to be 10 times easier to use than the traditional drag-and-drop builders,” he said. “Our users range from online fashion retailers to school administrators and asset managers, most of whom have never written a line of code. They’re using us to save hours on tasks like customer support automation and CRM data entry.”

Indeed, the market opportunity seems vast. According to the same IDG poll, 66% of companies plan to invest in iPaaS to address automation and data integration challenges. DryMerge’s focus on making automation accessible to non-technical users could position it well in this competitive space.

Though still in its early stages, with around 2,000 users, DryMerge has shown promise. The company was accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 batch and recently raised $2.2 million in seed funding led by Garage Capital, with participation from Goodwater Capital, Ritual Capital, and several angel investors. Frazer says the new funds will go toward expanding app integrations and doubling their team in the coming months.

While DryMerge still has some growing pains to address, it’s clear that Brashears and Frazer have tapped into a significant need. If they can overcome the technical hurdles and stand out in the crowded iPaaS market, DryMerge might just become a go-to solution for non-technical users looking to automate their workflows with ease.

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