The initial momentum and seed funding provided by investors like Sequoia laid the foundational bricks for n8n. Part Two of the story chronicles the platform’s ascent from a favorite open-source tool for developers to a global enterprise solution focused on AI orchestration, a critical technology for the resource-intensive Middle East market.

Series A and the Introduction of n8n Cloud

• Series A Funding (April 2021): n8n secured $12 million in Series A funding, led by Felicis Ventures. This injection was pivotal, specifically aimed at professionalizing the company and scaling its core offering.
• The Launch of n8n Cloud: The funding directly fueled the development and launch of n8n Cloud. This managed service was the commercial counterpart to the self-hosted open-source version. It offered SaaS benefits like guaranteed uptime, easy scaling, and maintenance-free operation, making workflow automation accessible to businesses in the MENA region that prioritize managed cloud computing solutions over internal deployment.

This dual-product strategy cemented n8n’s unique position: developers retained the full power of the free, self-hosted version, while growing enterprises gained a secure, scalable Enterprise SaaS product for their mission-critical business processes.

The Fair-Code Philosophy and Licensing Evolution

A key element in n8n’s strategy to maintain a sustainable business model while honoring its open-source roots was its “fair-code” philosophy. This addressed the challenge faced by many open-source projects where hyperscale cloud providers monetize their code without contributing back.

• Sustainable Use License (SUL): In March 2022, n8n officially transitioned its open-source core to the Sustainable Use License (SUL). This fair-code license allows users to self-host, modify, and use n8n internally for free. However, it restricts commercial use, such as charging money to host and provide the n8n service itself—a strategic move to protect its SaaS market share while maintaining community trust.

This approach ensures a viable business model to fund continuous development, directly benefiting users worldwide, including those seeking advanced digital transformation tools in Riyadh and Dubai.

The AI Orchestration Inflection Point

The true game-changer for n8n was its pivot into AI Orchestration. Recognizing that future business automation would be driven by Generative AI, n8n quickly re-architected its platform.

Native AI Integration: n8n integrated natively with AI frameworks and Large Language Models (LLMs), making it one of the first workflow automation tools to treat AI agents and vector stores as first-class citizens. This enabled users to build complex, intelligent AI-powered automation workflows that combined deterministic logic with the creative power of AI.

Series B and C Funding: The Valuation Leap

The market quickly validated this strategic move, resulting in massive investment:

• Series B (March 2025): The company raised approximately $60 million, recognizing the massive potential for its AI platform.
• Series C (October 2025): n8n secured a massive $180 million round, led by Accel, with participation from strategic investors like NVIDIA’s NVentures. This round valued the company at $2.5 billion.

The investment was a clear bet on n8n becoming the default AI orchestration platform for global enterprise clients, particularly those in the Middle East rapidly adopting AI for digital transformation projects.

Outlook: Driving Scalable Automation in the Middle East

Today, n8n is positioned as a market leader, helping over 3,000 enterprise clients (including major global brands) and a community of over 700,000 developers worldwide. Its ability to combine a powerful low-code visual editor with the flexibility of custom code and native AI capabilities makes it the ideal tool for solving the complex System Integration challenges in the evolving Middle East tech landscape.

The focus remains on two key areas: making the platform easier for business users while deepening its power for technical teams, ensuring that the promise of AI-powered business automation can be reliably and predictably deployed at scale, from Smart City initiatives to large-scale e-commerce operations.