Company Overview

Abstract was founded in 2015 by Josh Brewer, Jory Burson, and Francis Luu, headquartered in San Francisco, California. Abstract is a version control platform designed specifically for designers, bringing Git-like workflow management to Sketch file management. Designers can create branches, make commits, initiate merge requests, and review design changes—enabling parallel collaboration on the same Sketch file. Abstract was the flagship product representing the "Git for Designers" concept. In 2023, Abstract was acquired by Thinkful (part of Chegg), with its brand and business gradually integrated.

Product Matrix

  • Abstract: Core design version control platform based on Git concepts (branching, commits, merging, conflict resolution), providing version management and team collaboration for Sketch (.sketch) files
  • Abstract for Teams: Team collaboration features including permission management, project organization, and team-level workflow configuration
  • Abstract Review: Design review functionality with layer-by-layer diff comparison, inline comments, and approval workflows for traceable design changes
  • Abstract Merge: File merging tool for combining design changes from different branches and resolving conflicts

Core Strengths

Version Control: Brings Git branching and merging concepts into the design workflow for design file management
Change Traceability: Every modification has a complete version history record with the ability to revert to any historical version
Parallel Collaboration: Multiple designers can work on different branches of the same project simultaneously without interference
Design Review: Layer-by-layer diff comparison with commenting for efficient design review workflows

Key Milestones

  • 2015: Founded in San Francisco by Josh Brewer, Jory Burson, and Francis Luu
  • 2016: Launched on Product Hunt, gaining significant traction with the "Git for Designers" concept
  • 2017: Raised $3M seed round to accelerate product development
  • 2019: Completed $30M Series C funding round with continued valuation growth
  • 2020: Increased demand for design collaboration and version control amid remote work trends
  • 2022: Value proposition challenged as Figma's built-in version history capabilities matured
  • 2023: Acquired by Thinkful (Chegg), with brand and business gradually integrated

Market Position

Abstract was a unique player in the design version control space, facing competition from full-featured design platforms:

  • Figma: Built-in version history with the ability to view and restore historical versions, eliminating the need for separate version control tools
  • Plant: Open-source version control plugin for Sketch with similar functionality to Abstract
  • Kactus: Git-based Sketch version control tool, open-source project
  • Sketch Cloud: Sketch's own cloud sync and version management features