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Q1 '26 - $4M seed closed, 175 MSPs deployed, $2M allocation open

Update #7

AIFUNDINGMSPMSP TOOLSOPEN SOURCE

January 2026 - April 2026

Reporting Period

April 12, 2026

Published

Michael Assraf

Michael Assraf

Founder and CEO

TL;DR

  • Round progress: $4M closed of $6M round at $30M post-money SAFE. Led by Tami Bronner at Vertex Ventures, with Focal VC following on. $2M allocation remains - book time here if you're intersted.
  • Traction: 175 MSPs deployed (4 to 175 in 90 days), representing $7.3M addressable pipeline at $5/device/month pricing ($42K avg ACV).
  • Market timing: Treeline AI raised $25M from a16z last week to bolt AI onto acquired MSPs. We own the stack AND the AI - no M&A debt, no vendor tax, more than double the gross margin potential.
  • Differentiation: Only platform that eliminates both vendor cost (open source stack) and labor cost (AI agents) simultaneously. AI rollups inherit legacy tooling costs; we zero them out.

The Raise

We've closed $4M of our $6M round at a $30M post-money SAFE, led by Tami Bronner at Vertex Ventures, with Focal VC following on. $2M remains available. If you're interested in participating, book time here

The quarter in one line

We went from 4 production deployments to 175, shipped enough of the platform for MSPs to replace their full stack, and lined them up as real revenue starts flowing.

Traction

  • Deployments: 4 → 175 (production tenants with 10+ devices)
  • Addressable pipeline: $7.3M - 175 MSPs × 700 avg devices × $5/device/month = $42K ACV each
  • Waitlist: 1,932 MSPs → $81M of top-of-funnel capacity
  • Community: 526 Slack members (up from 241)

Product: crossing the stack-replacement threshold

We shipped 8 of 19 product categories this quarter - RMM, MDM, SIEM, patching, monitoring, remote access, IT knowledge management and ticketing. That's the completeness threshold: MSPs can now replace their entire legacy stack with OpenFrame instead of running us alongside Datto or Kaseya.

The milestones that mattered most:

  • Mingo AI adaptive execution. Our AI technician now handles command timeouts and script conflicts autonomously.
  • FleetMDM policies and queries (v0.7.8). MSPs can now set compliance (SOC2, HIPPA etc..) rules and audit device state - patch status, installed software, security posture - across entire fleets.
  • Mac agent parity with Windows.
  • Infrastructure hardening. 78 bug fixes, separated API gateways, MongoDB replica sets. 99.7% uptime across the fleet.

Customer proof

Two deployments that capture what's changing:

  • An MSSP director in Australia is using Mingo to run vulnerability assessments across 300+ endpoints - SMB1 status, legacy TLS configs -without touching a single machine.
  • A Scotland-based MSP with 1,000 endpoints, 14 years on legacy platforms, is in active migration conversations after Mingo resolved issues in seconds that would have taken his team a week.

These aren't tire-kickers. They're production deployments with documented ROI and migration intent.

What didn't work: the activation gap

Conversion was harder than modeled. 144 of 175 deployments are active tenants (10+ devices, agent action in 30 days). The 31-tenant gap taught us MSPs need hand-holding through their first 10 devices - documentation isn't enough.

Our response: concierge onboarding. 1:1 calls, pre-configured templates, weekly check-ins for the first 30 days. The next cohort is already tracking better. Once we hit 95%+ activation consistently, we'll codify the playbook into product (onboarding wizard, in-app walkthroughs).

Competitive position: why AI rollups can't catch us

Treeline raised $25M from a16z in March to build an "AI-native IT operating system" by acquiring MSPs and bolting AI onto their legacy stacks. General Catalyst deployed $1.5B into the same playbook - Titan MSP, Long Lake, Eudia.

Our model is structurally different:

Legacy MSPs (use Kaseya, ConnectWise)AI Rollups (Titan MSP, etc.)🦩 Flamingo
StackCommericial licensing ($120-180/seat)Acquire MSPs with legacy stacks (Kaseya, ConnectWise, etc.)Open source (zero vendor cost)
Vendor tax30% of RevenueInherited from acquired MSPsZero
AI layerAdding AI products to existing toolsetBolt AI onto legacy stacks post-acquisitionAI-native from day one (Fae + Mingo)
Gross marginService margin profile (20-30%)Service margin profile with AI labor uplift (40-50%)Targeting 90%+ (no vendor tax, AI labor replacement)

We can be the vendor layer for their rollups. That lifts their margin while giving us enterprise distribution. The conversation is open.

Now to the first real revenue test

Everything before this quarter was pipeline theater. Now is where it gets real.

We're activating billing with all 175 L2/L3 MSPs. Every one has given us soft committments to deploy but we need to lock it. We'll do 20-minute 1:1s with each, 30-60 days pre-launch, to validate pricing and lock commitments.

The math:

  • Conservative (60% convert): 105 MSPs × $42K = $4.4M ARR
  • Base case (80% convert): 140 MSPs × $42K = $5.9M ARR

Four priorities to hit those numbers:

  1. Activate billing with the 175 L2/L3 cohort. Conversion reported by tier in Q3.
  2. Ship PSA Module (ITFlow - contracting, invoicing, billing). Last blocker for MSPs running us alongside ConnectWise or Autotask. Beta Q2, GA Q3.
  3. Launch partner referral program. 10% rev share for 12 months on referred paying customers. Formalizes what IT-noch, Secure Tokens, and LNC DATA are already doing organically. Target: 20% of Q3 signups via referrals.
  4. Close the activation gap with concierge onboarding. Target: 144/175 → 95%+.

Key Metrics

OpenMSP Slack Members
+118.3%
526
vs previous:241
OpenFrame Tenants
+4275%
175
vs previous:4
OpenFrame Waitlist Signups
+76%
1.9K
vs previous:1.1K

Key Highlights
4

  • 175 MSP deployments in 90 days

    Grew from 4 to 175 deployed MSPs (Jan-Apr 2026), representing $7.3M addressable pipeline at published pricing ($5/device/month, $42K avg ACV). All currently in free beta. We're getting close to launch our billing, at which point we'll measure conversion by cohort and report recognized revenue. The deployment velocity demonstrates product-market fit in the testing phase; conversion rates will validate pricing power.

  • $4M closed of $6M round, $2M allocation open

    Closed $4M at $30M post-money SAFE led by Tami Bronner at Vertex Ventures, with Focal VC following on. $2M allocation remains available. Book time here - allocation closes when we activate billing in Q2 2026. This is last-look access before revenue recognition begins.

  • Market validation: AI rollups raising hundreds of millions

    Treeline raised $25M from a16z (March 2026) to acquire MSPs and automate workflows with AI. General Catalyst deployed $1.5B across IT services, legal, and call centers using the same thesis: buy distribution, automate 30-70% of tasks, hit software-like margins. The difference: they bolt AI onto legacy commercial stacks and inherit the vendor tax. We own the stack (open source) AND the AI, unlocking more than double the gross margin and positioning us as a vendor partner to rollups, not a competitor.

  • Structural moat: only platform that owns stack + AI

    We are the only vendor that owns BOTH the infrastructure stack (RMM, MDM, monitoring, patching, backup, ticketing) AND the AI layer. AI rollups acquire MSPs and layer AI on top of Kaseya, ConnectWise, Datto - they inherit 30% vendor licensing costs. We replace the stack with open source (zero vendor cost) and build AI natively. This unlocks partnership opportunities with rollups as an MSP vendor that increases their margin, something no legacy vendor or rollup can offer.

Product Milestones
3

  • 8 of 19 product categories shipped

    Completed RMM, remote access, monitoring, alerting, patch management, scripting automation, and MDM (macOS/Windows) in Q1. Each category we ship moves us closer to full stack replacement - the only platform that can eliminate both vendor licensing cost (via open source) and labor cost (via AI agents) simultaneously. Remaining 11 categories (backup, EDR, SIEM, asset management, reporting, billing, network monitoring, password management, and compliance) are in active development. Full stack completeness is the unlock for zero-vendor-cost MSP operations.

  • Concierge onboarding program launched

    The program includes 1:1 deployment support, configuration templates by MSP size, and weekly check-ins during first 30 days. This will scale via automation and self-service tooling as we approach billing launch.

  • AI agent capabilities expanded

    Fae (end-user helpdesk agent) and Mingo (technician copilot) now handle device queries, script execution, log analysis, and vulnerability assessment across the deployed fleet. Early customer feedback: Mingo resolved complex technical problems in seconds that would have taken a week manually (Scottish MSP, 1,000 endpoints). IT-noch saved 20-25 hours/week automating L1/L2 support across 1,700 endpoints. AI automation is the labor cost unlock - the second half of our two-layer thesis (open source kills vendor tax, AI kills labor cost).

Community Updates
2

  • 1,932 MSPs on waitlist (top-of-funnel)

    Waitlist grew to 1,932 MSPs (~5% of US MSP market). This is top-of-funnel pipeline, not billing cohort. We're focused on converting the 175 deployed MSPs first before opening access to the waitlist. Waitlist conversion assumptions are speculative until we measure actual billing conversion - we're not multiplying waitlist x ACV in our projections. The waitlist validates distribution leverage via the OpenMSP community, but deployment and activation are the leading indicators for revenue.

  • OpenMSP community: 550 validated MSPs in Slack

    550 MSPs active in the OpenMSP Slack community, up from ~200 in Q4 2025. Community is the primary distribution channel - MSPs discover OpenFrame through open source content (TacticalRMM migration guides, Datto/ConnectWise/Kaseya alternative comparisons, MSP margin breakdowns). 13 blog posts published Q1 2026, including vendor comparison guides and case studies. Community-led distribution is a structural advantage - legacy vendors can't replicate it without cannibalizing their own revenue.

Upcoming Priorities
3

  • Billing launch and conversion measurement

    Activating billing for the 175 deployed MSPs. We'll measure conversion by cohort (L3 committed, L2 engaged, L1 exploratory) and report recognized revenue starting Q3 2026 update. Conservative case: 60% convert at $42K ACV = $4.4M ARR. Base case: 80% convert = $5.9M ARR. This is the validation milestone for pricing power and product-market fit beyond free beta adoption. Pre-launch validation: 1:1 call with all 175 L2+L3 MSPs after pricing reveal to gauge willingness to pay and surface objections before launch.

  • Complete remaining 11 product categories

    Shipping PSA billing, backup (incremental, cloud, bare-metal recovery), EDR (endpoint detection and response), etc.. in Q2-Q3 2026. Full stack completeness is the unlock for MSPs to eliminate all vendor licensing costs - the only platform that can do this because we own the infrastructure layer, not just the AI layer. Each category shipped increases pricing power and reduces churn risk (fewer legacy tools to compete with).

  • Partnership outreach to AI rollups

    Initiating conversations with AI-enabled MSP rollups (Treeline, General Catalyst portfolio companies, Thrive Capital MSP holdings) to position Flamingo as an MSP vendor partner. Our value prop to rollups: we can eliminate the 30% vendor licensing cost they inherit when they acquire MSPs running Kaseya/ConnectWise/Datto. This increases their EBITDA margin without M&A complexity. We're the only vendor that can offer this because we own the stack (open source) and the AI. Rollups are raising hundreds of millions - if we can capture even 5-10% of their acquired MSP base as customers, that's a significant TAM expansion beyond our direct MSP channel.

Michael Assraf

Founder and CEO

Serial tech entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience and deep knowledge of MSP partnerships and operations. A decade ago he founded a cybersecurity company that continues to protect and support MSPs today, sharpening his insight into the challenges service providers face.

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