Founders meet
Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper meet in an online chatroom and begin collaborating on web projects.
BigCommerce
The History of BigCommerce: Building a SaaS Platform for Enterprise Growth
History
BigCommerce’s story began in 2009, when Australian founders Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper launched a platform designed to make enterprise-grade eCommerce accessible to growing brands. Over the years, BigCommerce has evolved into a powerful SaaS solution trusted by thousands of merchants for its flexibility, API-first architecture, and strong B2B capabilities. From its first office in Sydney to its NASDAQ debut, this timeline explores BigCommerce’s milestones that shaped its rise as a global commerce platform.
Key Facts About BigCommerce:
- Founded: 2009, Sydney, Australia
- Founders: Eddie Machaalani, Mitchell Harper
- Headquarters: Austin, Texas
- Public Listing: 2020 (NASDAQ: BIGC)
- Key Acquisitions: Feedonomics (2021)
- Focus Areas: SaaS eCommerce, Headless, B2B, Multi-Storefront
Interspire founded
The two officially form Interspire in Sydney, building web software including Interspire Shopping Cart, which becomes the foundation for BigCommerce.
August 2009 | BigCommerce launches
The SaaS version of Interspire Shopping Cart launches, marking the official start of BigCommerce as an eCommerce platform.
U.S. expansion begins
Opens its first U.S. office in Austin, Texas to target the North American market.
July 2011 | Series A funding ($15M)
Secures first major funding round led by General
Catalyst to accelerate platform growth.
June 2012 | 20,000 active merchants
Reaches 20,000 stores powered by BigCommerce, signaling strong early adoption.
July 2013 | Series B funding ($40M)
Raises a second major round led by Revolution Growth, backed by AOL founder Steve Case.
November 2014 | Series C funding ($50M)
Raises $50M led by SoftBank Capital to expand globally and scale the enterprise business.
April 29, 2015 | Acquires Zing
Adds checkout and inventory technology to
strengthen in-store and omnichannel capabilities.
June 8, 2015 | Leadership change
Brent Bellm becomes CEO, replacing founders Machaalani and Harper; HQ moves officially to Austin, Texas.
October 12, 2016 | Partnership with Amazon
Launches direct integration with Amazon to sync products, inventory, and orders across channels.
June 27, 2017 | BigCommerce for WordPress (Beta)
Introduces early headless functionality, allowing merchants to run WordPress front-ends with BigCommerce back-end.
April 25, 2018 | Growth funding ($64M)
Raises capital led by Goldman Sachs, General Catalyst, and GGV Capital to enhance enterprise offerings.
December 5, 2018 | WordPress plugin launches
Officially releases BigCommerce for WordPress plugin in partnership with WP Engine.
July 2019 | Enters UK market
Opens a London office to expand into Europe
and serve international merchants.
August 5, 2020 | IPO on NASDAQ
Goes public under the ticker “BIGC.” Shares surge 200%
on first day of trading.
July 27, 2021 | Acquires Feedonomics
Strengthens omnichannel and data feed management across Google, Amazon, Meta, and more.
October 2021 | Omnichannel partner program
Launches certification program for agencies and systems integrators focused on multichannel commerce.
February 10, 2022 | Launch of B2B Edition
Introduces advanced B2B functionality for enterprise and wholesale merchants.
March 28, 2022 | Multi-Storefront (MSF) launch
Allows merchants to manage multiple storefronts or brands from a single BigCommerce account.
April 1, 2022 | Multi-Storefront general release
Becomes available to all enterprise-level merchants globally.
February 6, 2023 | MSF expanded to all plans
Extends Multi-Storefront access to Standard, Plus, and Pro merchants.
May 1, 2023 | B2B platform updates
Adds buyer portals, quoting tools, and headless API improvements.
May 6, 2024 | Travis Hess joins as President
Brings leadership experience from Adobe Commerce (Magento) to strengthen enterprise growth.
October 2, 2024 | Travis Hess becomes CEO
Succeeds Brent Bellm as Chief Executive Officer.
July 31, 2025 | Rebrand to “Commerce”
Parent company rebrands to Commerce, uniting BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift under one brand.