According to data from the European Commission, more than 90% of the 23 million SMEs in Europe are micro-sized businesses employing up to 10 people, which often lack the resources needed to run their businesses efficiently. This is the problem that Holded is solving.
The Barcelona-based startup has created a “Business Operating System”, designed to help business owners manage every aspect of their business from a single platform.
Founded in 2016 by Bernat Ripoll and Javi Fondevila, Holded has just raised a €6 million Series A round led by Lakestar, with participation from existing early investors Nauta Capital and Seedrocket 4Founders Capital.
Since closing their seed round in early 2018, Holded has grown significantly, with the number of users increasing from 10,000 to 30,000 in just 12 months. The startup plans to use the new capital to accelerate its growth into international markets, as well as doubling its team and strengthening the platform’s core functionality.
Holded provides its clients with full operational capacity, from financial management such as accounting and invoicing to HR, CRM, and project and inventory management. Holded’s customisable platform also offers multiple integration capabilities, allowing its users to connect with popular solutions such as Amazon, Paypal, and Shopify, while automating their core business tasks.
“After launching Holded, we quickly noticed the virality of our software,” said co-founder Bernat Ripoll. “We never wanted to be just another software company – we wanted to develop a full Business Operating System – addressing the modern needs of modern companies. We provide a platform that addresses the key needs of small businesses, and one that lets users start working straight away from any location, on any device. This is the value we add, as SMEs spend a lot of time searching for and evaluating new software; they then need to migrate their data, and finally integrate with the rest of their applications. With Holded, we are saving them time and resources and making their companies fit for a sustainable future.”
“For us, securing this investment from an international VC such as Lakestar is a strong sign of confidence,” said co-founder Javi Fondevila. “This move from one of the world’s most highly regarded investors, which has invested in disruptive and successful companies such as Facebook, Spotify and AirBnB, shows that we are making an impact on how our SME clients run their businesses. We have become the #1 cloud-based solution in Spain in just 24 months, and we now aim to replicate this in other countries while continuing to consolidate the Spanish market, by continuing to add new product features and country-specific integrations.”
