Element
Element builds secure, sovereign messaging and collaboration products on the open Matrix protocol, serving European governments, defense, healthcare, and international organizations via Element Server Suite Pro, Element Pro, and the Element messenger suite.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Element does
Element (legal name Element Creations Ltd, formerly New Vector Ltd) builds secure, self-sovereign chat applications and collaboration products on the open Matrix protocol. Founded in 2017 in London by Matrix creators Matthew Hodgson and Amandine Le Pape, the company operates Element Server Suite Pro for governments and large organizations, Element Pro as a workplace-focused client with MDM and enterprise controls, and a flagship end-to-end encrypted messenger (with the 2025 Element X rewrite) available across iOS, Android, desktop, and web. The underlying technology is the Matrix decentralized communication standard, which Element stewards via the Matrix.org Foundation, contributing over 90% of server components and SDKs and supporting federation, air-gapped deployments, and integration with identity systems (SSO, OIDC, LDAP, SCIM).
The business model is enterprise subscription and licensing: per-seat Element Server Suite Pro subscriptions, Element Matrix Services hosting, multi-year per-deployment Sovereign contracts for air-gapped and high-side networks, Build licensing for organizations building proprietary software on Element components, and supporting professional services. Element sells primarily through direct enterprise field sales to governments, defense, healthcare, and international organizations, with named anchor customers including HM Government, French DINUM, German Bundeswehr, NATO (NI2CE), UNICC, US Space Force, US Marines, Swedish Försäkringskassan, and Luxembourg's Luxchat. The company has subsidiaries in France, Germany, and the United States, raised $30 million in Series B funding in 2021 led by Protocol Labs and Metaplanet, and refocused in 2023 on European digital sovereignty customers as the strategic center of gravity, with 2024-2025 product launches and partnerships extending the footprint into healthcare (CompuGroup Medical, T-Systems TI-Messenger) and modern enterprise IT (Helm/Kubernetes, MDM, Element X).
Element firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Element
- Legal name
- Element Creations Ltd
- Website
- https://element.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Element builds secure, sovereign messaging and collaboration products on the open Matrix protocol, serving European governments, defense, healthcare, and international organizations via Element Server Suite Pro, Element Pro, and the Element messenger suite.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Element industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Secure Messaging Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Secure/Encrypted Messaging (BPAMACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP) (BPAEAKAC)
Keywords
Where Element is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Element business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Element Server Suite Pro Subscriptions: Subscription-based revenue from Element Server Suite Pro for governments and large public organizations. Provides professional-grade backend solution with enterprise features, advanced security advisory, technical support and services.
- Element Matrix Services (EMS): Hosted platform for Element and other Matrix-based messaging and collaboration installations.
- Consulting and Services: Specialist knowledge and support for large organizations requiring assistance with large-scale deployments.
- Build Subscription: Commercial licensing subscription for organizations building proprietary software on Matrix who cannot open source their projects. Provides license agreement, security updates, and setup support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Community - Free self-hosted solution for non-professional use |
| Per seat | Monthly | Enterprise - Per seat subscription for professional use |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Sovereign - Full sovereignty without internet dependency |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Element product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Element builds secure, self-sovereign chat and collaboration applications on the open Matrix protocol, offering end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice/video calling, and file sharing. The company provides Element Server Suite Pro for governments and large public organizations, Element Pro for workplace use, and the Element messenger app for cross-platform consumer and professional use. Its offerings support air-gapped deployments, federation across organizations, and integration with enterprise identity systems.
Product overview
Element is a suite of secure, sovereign, and interoperable communication products built on the Matrix open standard. The portfolio centers on Element (the flagship end-to-end encrypted messenger and collaboration app) and Element Pro (the workplace-focused version with enterprise control features), supported by Element Server Suite Pro (professional-grade backend for governments and large organizations) and Element Server Suite Community (free self-hosted option). The Matrix Standard provides the underlying open, decentralized protocol. Key complementary products include Element Call (E2EE voice/video), Element X (modernized mobile client), Synapse Pro (next-generation homeserver), and specialized deployments like NI2CE for NATO and Thirdroom for 3D spatial experiences. The offering architecture spans free consumer-grade apps, subscription-based enterprise tiers, and air-gapped sovereign deployments, all interconnected through Matrix federation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Matrix: The open standard for secure, decentralised real-time communication created by the Element team in 2014, governed by The Matrix.org Foundation.
- Element Server Suite
- Element Pro
- NI2CE
Products and services
- Element The flagship end-to-end encrypted secure messenger and collaboration app built on the Matrix open standard. Available on iOS, Android, Desktop, and Web platforms for professional and consumer users requiring sovereign communications.
- Element Pro Workplace-focused collaboration and messaging app with additional enterprise control features including mobile device management (MDM), certificate pinning, analytics, and custom branding. Included in Element Server Suite Pro subscriptions for governments and public sector organizations.
- Element Server Suite Pro (ESS Pro) Professional-grade server solution for governments and large public organizations providing enterprise scalability, advanced security, compliance features, and centralized administration for Matrix-based communications.
- Element Server Suite Community (ESS Community) Free self-hosted Matrix distribution for non-commercial deployments and evaluations, featuring open source AGPL licensing for organizations wanting to evaluate or deploy Matrix without commercial licensing.
- Synapse Pro Next-generation Matrix homeserver for professional use providing dynamic scaling and over 90% resource savings compared to Community Synapse, included in Element Server Suite Pro.
- Element X Complete rewrite of the flagship mobile client with a radically improved user interface, built to outperform conventional alternatives on iOS and Android platforms.
- Element Call End-to-end encrypted voice and video calling service for 1:1 and group conversations, powered by self-hosted LiveKit infrastructure and integrated into Element messenger.
- Thirdroom Platform for creating decentralized 3D spatial applications and multi-party experiences for the Open Web, built on the Matrix open standard.
Quantifiable outcome
- 77% of IT leaders say their organization struggles to maintain privacy and control of data shared via communications technologies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Element
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Element technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
Feature6 records
Element partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.
- Matrix.org FoundationcoreNon-profit community interest company protecting the Matrix open standard. Matrix.org Foundation has four legal directors, two from Element's founding team. Element donates significant employee time and development to the Foundation. Foundation operates in accordance with its manifesto.
- IBMstrategicTechnology partner providing implementation services for Matrix-based deployments. IBM has presented on Matrix deployments at universities and large organizations.
- BearingPointstrategicProfessional services firm partner offering implementation and consulting services for Element deployments in government sector.
- ZenDiS (Center for Digital Sovereignty)coreGerman public organization promoting technical independence in public administration. Coordinates Matrix adoption across German government via OpenDesk platform. Strategic partner for German market.
- Deutsche TelekomstrategicGerman telecom partner offering Matrix-based solutions including TI-Messenger implementation for healthcare sector.
- AdessominorGerman IT services company and Element partner offering Element solutions to German market.
- BechtleminorGerman IT system house and Element partner distributing Element solutions.
- NordeckstrategicGerman IT company providing Matrix/Element implementation services for public sector.
- AdfinisminorSwiss open source company and Element partner providing implementation services.
- MaternaminorGerman IT services company and Element partner.
- RaytheonminorDefense contractor partner implementing Matrix solutions for government customers.
- CompuGroup Medical (CGM)strategicHealthcare software company partnering with Element to build sovereign, interoperable and secure communications solutions for healthcare sector.
- MeediostrategicPartner collaborating with Element to deliver sovereign communications solutions across Europe.
- T-SystemsstrategicDeutsche Telekom subsidiary powering T-Systems TI-Messenger solution built on Matrix/Element infrastructure for German healthcare.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Element competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Signal: End-to-end encrypted messaging app popular with governments and security-focused users. Direct alternative to Element's secure messaging capabilities, though primarily consumer rather than enterprise/government focused.
- Wire: Enterprise secure messaging and collaboration platform with end-to-end encryption, also targeting governments and regulated industries. Most direct commercial competitor to Element's secure enterprise offering.
- Rocket.Chat: Open-source secure messaging and team collaboration platform with a focus on sovereignty and self-hosting for enterprises and governments. Competes head-to-head with Element on open-source, sovereign deployments.
- Mattermost: Open-source, self-hostable collaboration and messaging platform targeting enterprises, defense, and government customers with sovereignty and compliance requirements. Closest direct competitor in the secure, on-premises collaboration space.
- Threema: Swiss secure messaging provider offering Threema Work for enterprise and government customers with end-to-end encryption and on-premises deployment options. Comparable sovereign communication positioning to Element.
- Nextcloud Talk: Open-source sovereign collaboration suite from Nextcloud, providing integrated messaging, video, and file sharing for enterprises and governments seeking data sovereignty. Competes with Element on sovereign, on-premises collaboration.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft Teams: Dominant enterprise collaboration platform bundled with Microsoft 365, used extensively by governments and large enterprises. Broad incumbent Element competes against when governments seek alternatives to Big Tech solutions.
- Wickr: AWS-owned end-to-end encrypted messaging service for enterprises and government/defense customers. Broader portfolio incumbent with secure messaging focus overlapping Element's target market.
Emerging players
- Beeper: Unified messaging client built on the Matrix open standard that consolidates multiple chat networks into one interface. Shares Element's underlying protocol technology and reflects growing Matrix ecosystem adoption.
Others
- Matrix.org Foundation: Non-profit steward of the Matrix open standard. Not a competitor but a closely linked ecosystem entity that governs the protocol Element's founders created; Element donates significant development resources to it.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Element social profiles
Digital presenceElement compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Element financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Element leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Element subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Element funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Element M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Element
What does Element do?
Element builds secure, self-sovereign chat and collaboration applications on the open Matrix protocol, offering end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice/video calling, and file sharing. The company provides Element Server Suite Pro for governments and large public organizations, Element Pro for workplace use, and the Element messenger app for cross-platform consumer and professional use. Its offerings support air-gapped deployments, federation across organizations, and integration with enterprise identity systems.
Is Element a public or private company?
Element is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Element founded?
Element was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Element based?
Element is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Element make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Element Server Suite Pro Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are element Matrix Services (EMS), consulting and Services and build Subscription.
Who are Element's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Signal, Wire, Rocket.Chat, Mattermost, Threema and Nextcloud Talk. Broad incumbents are Microsoft Teams and Wickr. Beeper is listed as an emerging player. Matrix.org Foundation is listed as an others.
Does Element have an API?
No public API is recorded for Element.
What industry is Element in?
Element's product category is Secure Messaging Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAG, Secure/Encrypted Messaging, with a secondary code of BPAEAKAC, Platform Engineering & Internal Developer Platforms (IDP). Its NAICS code is 51821 and its SIC code is 7370.