Explosion logo — Developer tools for AI and Natural Language Processing.
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Explosion

Developer tools for AI and Natural Language Processing. Makers of spaCy, Prodigy and Ellf.

Founded 2016 Germany Berlin, Germany 18 employees Series A Total: $6.00M AI, Developer Tools +1

General Information

Company Name Explosion
Founded Year 2016
Location Germany Berlin, Germany
Employees 18
Industries AI, Developer Tools, Machine Learning
Funding Stage Series A
Business Model B2B, SaaS, Open Source
Revenue Model Consulting Fee, Project Based, Subscription
Offices as of Oct 2026
‏Berlin‏، ‏DE‏, ‏Berlin‏، ‏DE‏
Social

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AI Insight

Bounce Watch AI
1 month ago

Explosion has strategically expanded its core offerings with the beta launch of Ellf, a new virtual assistant and platform for agentic NLP development. This significant product launch signals a move beyond their established open-source libraries (spaCy) and annotation tools (Prodigy) into more integrated, application-level AI solutions. This initiative positions the company to tap into emerging market segments within advanced AI and potentially elevate its platform strategy.

Signal Types
Product Launch
Strategic Labels
Product Expansion Agentic AI Platform Strategy
Next Move: Product Launch
·
Impact: 8/10
·
Ideal For: AI/NLP VCs – Series A/B, Developer Tools Investors

About Explosion

Explosion is a software company based in Berlin, Germany, specializing in developer tools and tailored solutions for Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing. The company is known for creating spaCy, an open-source library for NLP, and Prodigy, a tool for developing training data for machine learning models.

Founded in 2016, Explosion provides services such as NLP development, machine learning consulting, and custom AI tool development, catering to developers, tech companies, and various professional sectors including legal, healthcare, and finance. The company operates on a B2B and SaaS business model and generates revenue through consulting fees, project-based work, and subscriptions, while also supporting open-source software initiatives.

Business keywords: Natural Language Processing, Developer Tools, Data Annotation, Machine Teaching, Training Data, NLP Libraries, Open Source Software, AI Consulting, Text Analytics, Automation Solutions, ML Model Training

Services & Products

NLP Development
Machine Learning Consulting
Custom AI Tool Development
AI Strategy and Integration
Project Management for AI Solutions

Target Customers

Developers Tech Companies Research Institutions Legal Firms Healthcare Providers Finance Professionals Media Organizations

Funding Rounds & Investors (1)

View All
Funding Stage Amount Investors Lead Investors Date
Series A $6.00M 1
SignalFire
02 Sep 2021

Explosion Alternatives & Competitors

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FAQ About Explosion

Developer tools for AI and Natural Language Processing. Makers of spaCy, Prodigy and Ellf.
Explosion was founded in 2016.
Explosion is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. As of Oct 2026, it also has offices in ‏Berlin‏، ‏DE‏, ‏Berlin‏، ‏DE‏.
Explosion operates in AI, Developer Tools and Machine Learning. Its work centres on Natural Language Processing, Developer Tools, Data Annotation and Machine Teaching. Its customers include Developers, Tech Companies and Research Institutions.
Explosion has a B2B, SaaS and Open Source business model. Its revenue comes from Consulting Fee, Project Based and Subscription.
Explosion has approximately 18 employees.
Explosion has completed 1 funding round, raising a total of $6.00M. The latest funding stage is Series A.
Explosion offers: NLP Development, Machine Learning Consulting, Custom AI Tool Development, AI Strategy and Integration, Project Management for AI Solutions.
Top alternatives and competitors to Explosion include M47AI, Lingua Custodia, deepsight, Aqilius AI, Scale. These companies operate in related industries and serve comparable markets. You can compare them side by side on Bounce Watch.
Explosion and M47AI are both companies in similar industries. Compare their funding, team size, growth signals, and market position on Bounce Watch to see which one fits your needs.

Source: BounceWatch company record for Explosion, https://bouncewatch.com/company/explosion-ai, updated 13 October 2026. When citing, please name BounceWatch and link this page.

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