Today’s workforce is increasingly global – and mobile. While this offers more flexibility for companies, clear communication and organisation remain a challenge.
Eko, which was founded in 2012 in Bangkok but is moving its headquarters to London, is a mobile workforce platform designed to simplify collaboration between remote workers.
The startup has just raised a €17.6 million Series B financing round led by SMD Ventures, with participation from Redbeat Ventures, Gobi Partners, and East Ventures, as well as existing shareholders. Along with the funding round, Eko has announced its expansion in Europe, with new offices in London, Amsterdam, and Berlin.
Many companies that use remote workforces have seen their employees create informal communication chat groups and processes using existing consumer messaging applications like WhatsApp, which in turn creates security, confidentiality, and GDPR issues. Eko solves this problem by providing a secure platform for employees and management to collaborate in real time, with a host of functionalities including communications, custom workflow creation, and task and project management.
The startup has seen revenues more than triple in the past year. Eko now boasts over half a million paid users across sectors including retail, hospitality, banking, and other service-based industries. Eko will use the funds to further accelerate its international expansion. Its app is currently available in English, Thai, German, Dutch and French, with plans to expand to Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, Latin America, Australia and Canada in the first quarter of 2019.
Korawad Chearavanont, Eko’s CEO & founder, said: “To date, digital communication and productivity platforms have focused on appealing to a largely desk-based, highly tech-savvy workforce, who are confident using an array of digital tools. This has left a large portion of the UK’s workforce without a communication tool fit for purpose and teams have often had to rely on consumer messaging platforms to fill the gap, creating significant inefficiencies as well as a myriad of security issues. Eko solves these problems whilst adding significant value to organisations looking to use mobile technology to supercharge their productivity. We have seen enormous demand from companies across sectors and this fundraiser will help us roll out Eko to more and more customers across Europe and the US.”
Ashley Ely, General Manager at Leman Locke, said: “Mobile technologies and apps have enabled us to do so many things from the comfort of our smartphones. Eko has revolutionised the way our employees communicate and collaborate across all departments. It is a fantastic application that is an integral part of our operations.”
