Vercel

Vercel is a cloud application company specializing in frontend development, offering a platform that enables developers to build, scale, and secure web applications efficiently. The company is renowned for creating Next.js, an open-source web development framework that has become a standard in the industry, with over two million developers using it monthly at companies like Hulu, Nike, and Target. Vercel's platform integrates seamlessly with Next.js, providing a comprehensive solution for modern web development.

Founded in 2015 by Guillermo Rauch, Vercel was initially known as ZEIT. Rauch, an Argentinian immigrant, had previously developed Socket.IO, a real-time communication library, and Next.js. In April 2020, ZEIT rebranded to Vercel, reflecting its expanded focus on frontend development and cloud infrastructure. The company has experienced significant growth, raising a total of $863 million across seven funding rounds, with the most recent being a $300 million Series F in September 2025, valuing the company at $9.3 billion.

Vercel's flagship products include Next.js, v0, and the AI SDK. Next.js is a React-based framework that enables developers to build static and dynamic websites with ease. v0 is an AI-powered web development tool that allows developers to create web applications using natural language prompts, streamlining the development process. The AI SDK provides tools for building conversational interfaces in JavaScript and TypeScript, facilitating the integration of AI capabilities into web applications. These products have been instrumental in Vercel's growth, with v0 alone attracting over 4 million users by February 2026.

Vercel's customer base spans from individual developers to major enterprises, including OpenAI, Under Armour, and Perplexity. The company has established strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Accel and GIC, who co-led the Series F funding round. Vercel's market position is strong, with a valuation of $9.3 billion as of September 2025. Its main competitors include Netlify and AWS Amplify, which also offer cloud infrastructure and developer tools for web applications.

In April 2026, Vercel experienced a security breach when an attacker compromised a third-party AI tool, Context.ai, used by a Vercel employee. This led to unauthorized access to certain internal systems and the compromise of non-sensitive customer data. Vercel has since implemented enhanced security measures and is collaborating with cybersecurity firms and law enforcement to address the incident.