Postman bought Orbit to turn its API network into a community engine

A SaaS platform for building, testing and shipping APIs across enterprise development workflows.

API discovery would become community-driven: publishers who grow engaged developer communities win usage, and Postman would own that layer.

Orbit, founded in 2019 by Patrick Woods, built SaaS that helps developer companies manage and grow communities across forums and social channels with insights, automations and engagement capabilities, backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue and Heavybit.

In April 2024 Postman cofounder and CEO Abhinav Asthana announced on X that Postman had acquired Orbit for an undisclosed amount to 'scale our Public API Network to the next level'. The plan: fold Orbit's community features into the network so API publishers could grow their communities, increase API usage and get feedback directly from users, while the two teams shared tech stack and distribution channels.

Orbit's team joined Postman to build the Public API Network into what Asthana called the first place developers turn to find, evaluate and deploy APIs — and the primary channel for growth and distribution for API builders.

It marks Postman's shift from selling a tool to operating a marketplace-like network where discovery itself is the product.

The acquisition shows 2024's buyer's-market dynamics: a funded startup with a16z on its cap table sold rather than raised.

Community-as-distribution is a repeatable playbook for developer platforms, documented here with both CEOs' stated reasoning.

The material situates the deal in Indian SaaS's global rise, with Postman among its flagships.

When a platform's next layer is network effects, buy the community tooling instead of building it — engagement features are easy to copy, an engaged community is not.

As of the April 12, 2024 announcement, Orbit's team was integrating its community capabilities into the Postman Public API Network; the purchase price was not disclosed.