folk
folk is a Paris-based relationship CRM platform that centralizes email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and calendar into one AI-augmented workspace for SMB sales teams, agencies, startups, and partnership teams.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What folk does
folk is a Paris-based, venture-backed relationship CRM company founded in 2019 that targets SMB and mid-market sales teams, agencies, startups, partnership teams, and venture capital firms. The platform centralizes multi-channel relationship context — email (Gmail, Outlook), LinkedIn (via the folkX Chrome extension), WhatsApp, calendar, and social — into a single CRM timeline, automating data entry, enrichment, follow-up drafting, meeting recaps, and pipeline management.
The product is built around a Chrome extension (folkX) for in-context capture, native iOS and Android apps, a public API, and an announced Model Context Protocol (MCP) layer for LLM-driven interaction. A 1-click waterfall enrichment engine queries multiple data providers (Apollo, Dropcontact, Clearbit, Prospeo, People Data Labs, Datagma) to verify emails and phone numbers. The differentiator is a suite of four AI Sales Assistants — Follow-up, Recap, Research, and Workflow — that autonomously scan communications, draft outreach, summarize relationships, enrich records, and orchestrate multi-step CRM workflows. Native integrations span 6,000+ tools via direct connectors plus Zapier and Make.
folk operates a product-led growth model anchored by a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, supplemented by a sales-assisted motion for 10–50+ seat mid-market teams and a "Migrate my CRM" wedge against HubSpot, Pipedrive, Airtable, and Monday. Monetization is via a Premium subscription (annual billing) that unlocks sequences, custom objects, dashboards, roles/permissions, and API access, with pricing gated behind a sales contact flow. Distribution is amplified through a Chrome Web Store presence (20,000+ downloads, Featured status), iOS and Android app stores, a Partnerstack affiliate program, and SEO-led comparison content. The company claims 5,000+ customers globally, holds SOC 2 Type I, GDPR, and Google Security certifications, and has raised a $3.3M seed round led by Accel (Sept 2021) plus a subsequent 2025 capital event from 7BC Venture Capital.
folk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- folk
- Legal name
- folk
- Website
- https://folk.app
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- folk is a Paris-based relationship CRM platform that centralizes email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and calendar into one AI-augmented workspace for SMB sales teams, agencies, startups, and partnership teams.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
folk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marketing Automation, CRM & Lifecycle Messaging (BPAMALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Social CRM & Community Engagement Platforms (HDAEAFAF), Customer Engagement & Messaging (Email, SMS, Push, In-App) (BPAFAFAI)
Keywords
Where folk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
folk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Premium Subscription: Recurring subscription revenue from the Premium plan, which unlocks features such as email sequences, custom objects, dashboards, roles/permissions, and API access. Positioned for medium-to-large B2B sales teams (10–50+ seats).
- Free Trial → Paid Conversion: 14-day free trial with no credit card required functions as a freemium-style top-of-funnel, after which teams upgrade to paid plans to retain premium features.
- Affiliate / Partner Referrals: An affiliate program (run on Partnerstack) lets external partners earn commissions by referring new customers to folk.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Premium plan with dashboards, sequences, custom objects, roles/permissions, and API |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
folk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
folk sells an all-in-one, relationship-centric CRM platform (folk CRM) that centralizes contacts, companies, deals, and pipeline management and is delivered as a SaaS product. It is extended by the folkX Chrome extension for LinkedIn and multi-channel capture, native iOS and Android mobile apps, AI Sales Assistants for follow-up, recap, research, and workflow automation, built-in contact enrichment and outreach sequences, and a public developer API with a forthcoming Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.
Product overview
folk offers a single unified relationship-CRM platform (folk CRM) extended by a portfolio of tightly integrated modules and channels. The core platform centralizes contacts, companies, deals, pipeline management, and dashboards. Layered on top are Messages and Sequences for multichannel outreach, 1-click Enrichment for automated data enrichment, and a suite of AI Sales Assistants (Follow-up, Recap, Research, Workflow) for AI-driven productivity. Channel-specific add-ons include the folkX LinkedIn Chrome Extension and the folk Mobile App, while a native Integrations layer connects the platform to email (Gmail, Outlook), messaging (WhatsApp, Slack), telephony (Quo, KrispCall, Allo), enrichment (Apollo, Clearbit, Dropcontact, Prospeo, Datagma, PeopleDataLabs), iPaaS (Zapier, Make), meeting tools (tldv, Fireflies), and AI (OpenAI, ChatGPT, Perplexity). The platform is also exposed to developers through the folk API (with documentation at developer.folk.app) and the upcoming folk MCP server for syncing CRM data across tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- folkX: folk's Chrome browser extension that connects the CRM to LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, Google Meet and other platforms for one-click contact capture and in-context workflows.
- folk AI Sales Assistants
- Contacts by folk CRM
Products and services
- folk CRM All-in-one, relationship-centric CRM platform that centralizes contacts, companies, deals, and pipeline management. Targets sales teams, agencies, startups, and VC firms as a lightweight alternative to legacy CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive.
- folkX Chrome Extension Browser extension that connects the CRM to LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Gmail, Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, and Google Meet, enabling one-click contact capture, enrichment, in-inbox templates, and reminders directly inside these web apps.
- folk Mobile App (Contacts by folk CRM) Native iOS and Android application distributed as "Contacts by folk CRM" that lets users capture contacts, take talk-to-text notes, sync email/calendar/interactions, and run AI-driven contact search on the go.
- AI Sales Assistants (Follow-up, Recap, Research, Workflow) Suite of four AI agents embedded in the folk CRM: Follow-up Assistant (drafts personalized follow-ups from stalled conversations), Recap Assistant (summarizes meetings and interactions in MEDDIC/BANT-style briefs), Research Assistant (enriches contacts/companies with research notes via Perplexity and People Data Labs), and Workflow Assistant (automates personalized email sequences on CRM field changes).
- folk API Public REST/developer API documented at developer.folk.app that enables customers and partners to automate workflows and integrate external systems with the folk CRM platform.
- folk MCP (Model Context Protocol) Announced Model Context Protocol server for folk CRM that allows users to chat with their CRM data in their preferred LLM, ask AI to analyze CRM data, and let agents take action across the sales stack via MCP.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted by 5,000+ companies globally (main website claim)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use folk
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
folk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration40 records
AI capability12 records
Feature8 records
folk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Google (Gmail, Google Contacts, Google Calendar)coreNative integration with Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar; folk syncs Gmail conversations and contacts into the CRM and auto-imports calendar events.
- Microsoft OutlookcoreNative Outlook integration that auto-imports email conversations into folk CRM. Marketed as "the modern way to build real relationships and close deals with a CRM that complements your Microsoft suite."
- LinkedIn / Sales NavigatorflagshipfolkX Chrome extension is the #1 LinkedIn CRM with one-click imports of profiles and Sales Navigator leads directly from LinkedIn; flagship product positioning.
- WhatsApp (and WhatsApp Business)flagshipNative WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business integration; "The #1 WhatsApp CRM" — automatically imports conversations and contacts into folk and links each chat to a contact, owner, and pipeline stage.
- OpenAIcoreIntegration to generate AI-powered custom fields (Magic Fields) in folk CRM.
- ChatGPTcoreAllows users to "Chat with your CRM on ChatGPT."
- Apollo.iocorePowers part of folk's waterfall enrichment: "Your contacts are automatically enriched with Apollo."
- DropcontactcoreOne of the trusted enrichment partners in folk's waterfall enrichment engine.
- ClearbitcorePowers part of folk's waterfall enrichment: contacts are automatically enriched through the Clearbit API.
- ProspeocoreOne of the trusted enrichment partners in folk's waterfall enrichment engine.
- People Data LabscorePowers the enrichment layer of folk's Research Assistant.
- DatagmacoreOne of the trusted enrichment partners in folk's waterfall enrichment engine.
- Perplexity AIcorePowers the research notes behind folk's Research Assistant.
- ZapiercoreZapier integration connects folk to 1,000+ apps through a published Zapier app.
- MakecoreMake integration connects folk to 1,000+ apps through a published Make app.
- PartnerstackcorePartnerstack powers folk's affiliate/referral program: "Become an Affiliate — Share folk with your audience and earn commissions."
- Apple (App Store) and Google (Play Store)coreNative distribution of "Contacts by folk CRM" mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
folk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Attio: Attio is an AI-native, relationship-centric CRM targeting modern GTM teams and agencies with flexible data models and AI-powered workflows. Closest direct competitor to folk in the SMB-to-mid-market horizontal CRM category.
- Pipedrive: Pipedrive is a sales-focused SMB CRM with visual pipelines and built-in sequences/automations. Folk explicitly positions 'Migrate my CRM' pages against Pipedrive, indicating direct overlap in target customers and pipeline-centric workflows.
- Copper: Copper is a CRM built natively on Google Workspace, syncing Gmail, Calendar, and Contacts like folk does. It targets similar SMB and mid-market sales teams with relationship-centric pipelines and integrations.
- Close: Close is a sales CRM built for small B2B sales teams with built-in calling, SMS, and email sequences. Folk and Close both target 10-50-seat SMB sales teams with multi-channel outreach and pipeline management.
Broad incumbents
- HubSpot: HubSpot is a broad CRM, marketing, and customer platform serving SMB through enterprise. Folk explicitly lists HubSpot as a migration target, framing itself as a lightweight alternative for SMB/agency segments.
- monday.com: Monday Sales CRM is part of Monday's work-OS platform, offering customizable pipelines and CRM modules. Folk lists Monday among migration competitors, signaling overlap in flexible, work-management-adjacent CRM use cases.
- Salesforce: Salesforce is the enterprise CRM leader, explicitly cited by folk as the 'heavy' incumbent it positions against. Folk targets the SMB and mid-market segment Salesforce is over-serving.
- Zoho CRM: Zoho CRM is part of Zoho's broader business app suite, offering affordable CRM to SMB and mid-market. It overlaps with folk in budget-conscious SMB and emerging-market segments.
Emerging players
- Streak: Streak is a Gmail-native CRM that lives inside Google Workspace, with pipelines and simple sales tracking. It overlaps with folk's Gmail/Google Contacts integration strategy in the SMB Gmail user segment.
- Clay: Clay is a data-driven outbound and enrichment platform with AI-powered workflows and waterfall enrichment. It is comparable to folk's AI Sales Assistants and waterfall enrichment motion for outbound-heavy GTM teams.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
folk social profiles
Digital presencefolk compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
folk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
folk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
folk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
folk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about folk
What does folk do?
folk sells an all-in-one, relationship-centric CRM platform (folk CRM) that centralizes contacts, companies, deals, and pipeline management and is delivered as a SaaS product. It is extended by the folkX Chrome extension for LinkedIn and multi-channel capture, native iOS and Android mobile apps, AI Sales Assistants for follow-up, recap, research, and workflow automation, built-in contact enrichment and outreach sequences, and a public developer API with a forthcoming Model Context Protocol (MCP) server.
Is folk a public or private company?
folk is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was folk founded?
folk was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is folk based?
folk is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does folk make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Premium Subscription is the primary driver. The others are free Trial → Paid Conversion and affiliate / Partner Referrals.
Who are folk's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Attio, Pipedrive, Copper and Close. Broad incumbents are HubSpot, monday.com, Salesforce and Zoho CRM. Emerging players are Streak and Clay.
Does folk have an API?
Yes. folk offers a public API for developers, allowing automation and integration with the folk CRM platform. The API is documented at developer.folk.app. Additionally, folk MCP (Model Context Protocol) is announced to sync CRM data across tools and enable the chat interface to act as a sales command center. MCP is listed as Coming soon. Developer documentation is at developer.folk.app.
What industry is folk in?
folk's product category is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMALAE, Marketing Automation, CRM & Lifecycle Messaging, with a secondary code of HDAEAFAF, Social CRM & Community Engagement Platforms. Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7310.