Workforce collaboration platform Zuper raises $1.1M to help companies manage field teams

Zuper CEO Anand Subbaraj. (Zuper Photo)

Seattle startup Zuper raised a $1.1 million seed round and hired a longtime Microsoft manager as its new CEO.

The 4-year-old company sells software to more than 100 clients such as IKEA India that use Zuper to help manage field workforces. It integrates with supply chain and point of sale systems, and facilitates communication between various stakeholders. The software also enables scheduling, routing, identity management, video conferencing, and chatbots. Some companies use Zuper to run COVID-19 screenings for employees.

Customers hail from industries including residential and commercial cleaning, HVAC, electrical, internet service providers, plumbing, and landscaping.

“Zuper reduces/eliminates manual mundane work and improves efficiency and productivity, enabling service businesses to optimize the entire workforce management process and offer the best customer experiences,” said CEO Anand Subbaraj.

Zuper just brought on Subbaraj to lead the company. He previously spent 13 years at Microsoft, most recently as head of product in the Azure Data Factory.

The company has 30 employees across Seattle and Chennai, India. Prime Venture Partners led the round, with participation from Gunderson Dettemer and Gemba Capital.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/workforce-collaboration-platform-zuper-raises-1-1m-to-help-companies-manage-field-teams/

French work collaboration startup iObeya plans Seattle-area headquarters

The iObeya team. (iObeya Photo)

Work collaboration startup iObeya announced plans for a Seattle-area office Thursday that will serve as a dual headquarters with the company’s Massy, France, home base.

Tim McCracken, iObeya’s Americas general manager. (iObeya Photo)

iObeya announced a $17 million funding round led by Red River West to fund the expansion. The iObeya platform provides visual management and collaboration software for large organizations with distributed teams, services that have seen a 400% increase in demand since the outset of the pandemic, according to the company.

The tools are designed for engineering, manufacturing, and research and development teams that use the Lean and Agile methods. iObeya customers include Airbus, Volvo, Philips, Cartier, and others.

The company’s plan is part of a larger rise in workplace communication and collaboration technology in the Seattle region, such as Microsoft Teams, Amazon’s Chime video conferencing service, collaboration work management company Smartsheet, and startups pivoting into the space.

iObeya’s office will be in the Kirkland/Bellevue area and will be led by iObeya’s Americas general manager Tim McCracken and VP of marketing Rick Tywoniak. It will serve as iObeya’s sales and marketing hub for North America.

Although iObeya plans to lease a physical space eventually, the Seattle team will mostly work from home at the outset. iObeya plans to have employees at the office in late 2020 or early 2021, according to McCracken. The remote team in Seattle will start work as soon as possible.

iObeya plans to hire 20 employees this year and 50 over the next few years, primarily in sales and marketing roles. It’s one of more than 100 companies that have set up shop in Seattle to mine the region’s deep tech talent pool, although the work-from-home trend and cutbacks at some companies are raising questions about the future of those outposts.

View the original article here

from WordPress https://cybersonday689753477.wordpress.com/2020/07/26/french-work-collaboration-startup-iobeya-plans-seattle-area-headquarters/