Hello.
Great brands emerge from tough times. As difficult as this year has been for many Work Tech brands, we know that billion-dollar brands will be forged in this crucible. We’ve recently wrapped up research to supplement our next e-book on how to make the most of your brand in today’s market. What we discovered is a serious gap between brand importance and brand execution.
Our research shows that companies get it: 80% of respondents understood that brand experience impacts every way businesses measure ROI. However,
only 24% of responding companies with 1,000+ employees were definite that their brand resonated with their market.
That’s why we’re excited to see TriNet roll out its new brand identity with some serious flex: Creative work by iconic photographer Annie Leibovitz, award-winning documentarian Galen Summer, and distinguished film and commercial director Andrew De Zen. It’s beautiful, compelling work. Key takeaway: Now is a great time to go big on brand.
MICROPODCAST: Events Strategy
If you are a startup, is it worth going to trade shows? What is the biggest mistake that most companies make with their event strategy?
Straight from the team of experts at our full-service CX agency: Matt Tatum and Callie Kloenne discusses events strategy for b2b tech companies.
Check out the micropodcast and our latest e-book, Know Before Your Show: The big book of Work Tech events, 2023!
Funding, mergers, and acquisitions
- Hygraph raises $30 million Series B. This Berlin startup offers an enterprise-grade content management platform that handles knowledge management, among other use cases. (FinSMEs)
- LeapXpert raises $22 million Series A. The NYC responsible communications startup allows employees and clients to communicate on consumer messaging applications and voice channels in a compliant, governed, and secure manner. (TechCrunch)
- Parloa raises $21.67 million. The German-based enterprise software provider uses a combination of conversational AI tech and low-code tools to help companies lighten the load on their contact center employees. (TechCrunch)
- Wellth raises $20 million Series B. The LA-based digital health company provides a platform that generates lasting behavior change and positive health outcomes by motivating members — including employees — to follow through on healthy behaviors. (FinSMEs)
- Fixie raises $17 million seed round. The Seattle automation platform for Large Language Models (LLMs) can be used by enterprises to automate a wide range of business use cases. (FinSMEs)
- Zorro raises $11.5 million seed round. The New York- and Tel Aviv, Israel-based company provides health benefits experience for employees, employers, and brokers. (FinSMEs)
- Troop raises $11 million Series B. The Spanish startup develops corporate meeting technology and services. (FinSMEs)
- Flaim Systems completes $4.48 million Series A. The Australian startup offers an immersive virtual firefighting training system. (FinSMEs)
- Right-Hand Cybersecurity raises $5 million Series A. The Phoenix startup offers a Human Risk Management platform for cybersecurity. (FinSMEs)
- Playbook raises $7 million Series A. The San Francisco-based Gen Z and millennial-focused personal finance app is also offered through employers. (FinSMEs)
- Anvil raises $5 million Series A extension. The San Francisco startup offers a paperwork automation platform. (FinSMEs)
- Paraform raises $1.4 million in pre-seed funding. The San Francisco startup wants to change how the recruiting industry works by taking a marketplace approach, and is giving professional recruiters a new way to find work by going freelance. (TechCrunch)
- Kim Technologies raises funding from Engage VC. The Atlanta startup offers a no-code, SaaS, patent-protected document generation and intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and expand operations. Terms were not disclosed. (FinSMEs)
- GoJoe Raises £1.2 million in funding. The London social fitness app for work and play intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and expand operations. (FinSMEs)
- FinFit and SalaryFinance U.S. announce merger. The merged organization will service the financial wellness needs of more than 500,000 U.S. employers and over 10 million U.S. employees. (Press Release)
- Docebo acquires PeerBoard. The community as a service platform expands Docebo’s external training offering and social learning capabilities. Terms were not disclosed. (Press Release)
- Radency acquires Ascendify. (Blog)
Dani Johnson and Stacia Garr are the Co-Founders of RedThread Research, an expert research firm creating unmatched, unbiased insights on people practices.
They’re also co-hosts of the Workplace Stories podcast, share a love for the outdoors and a desire to make the world of work better.
Read their full story in the latest edition of our Founder15 series.
Industry notes
- Former Aetna CEO to take helm of health insurer Oscar. (Wall Street Journal)
- Seekout brings ChatGPT-powered assistant to recruiters; Eightfold launches Copilots for HR. (Josh Bersin)
- Zoom jumps on ChatGPT bandwagon, integrates Generative AI features. (CIO Dive)
- Axonify launches enhanced frontline enablement solution. (Training Industry)
- CoachHub introduces conversational AI career coach. (Training Industry)
- RedThread Research inaugural research on people analytics tech market. (Press Release)
- Hemsley Fraser refreshes brand to reflect full-service proposition. (Training Industry)
- Centrical releases AI microlearning powered by ChatGPT. (Training Industry)
- Payactiv research: Employers unable to measure impact of financial wellness benefits. (Press Release)
- HiBob announces Udacity, Salary.com veteran as new Chief Marketing Officer. (Press Release)
- Recruiter.com earnings: Revenue growth and a shrinking loss. (ProactiveInvestors)
- Layoffs: Hyland Software (1,000 employees/20% of workforce), Textio (30/20%)
Around the shop
Things we’re talking about or find interesting right now.
- 20 Commonly mispronounced brand names. (Mental Floss)
- The Starr Conspiracy’s Jeff Petersen breaks down 10 takeaways from his experience at the recent Transform event. (LinkedIn)
- Microsoft Chief People Officer: We are experiencing a global human energy crisis. (Fast Company)
- TikTok for B2B: How to do it right. (The Drum)
That’s it for this week!
Everybody love everybody,
Steve Smith
