Willo Technologies secures £250k Seed investment from 1818 Venture Capital

MAJOR INVESTMENT WILL PUT WIND IN WILLO’S SALES 

Scottish video interviewing start-up lands £250K investment after lockdown boom 

Willo, a Scottish tech start-up that allows users to easily interview people on video at scale,  has raised a £250K seed round from Guernsey-based VC 1818 Venture Capital and board members.

The significant funding will allow the Glasgow-based video interviewing software company, which has grown at least 80% each month since April, to grow the company further internationally, begin a recruitment drive for 24 members of staff and advance product development. 

The Willo platform is already used in more than 60 countries across the globe. Prior to the pandemic, 95 per cent of the business was recruitment but Willo has diversified considerably since lockdown began. Since March, 60% of new business has emerged in a host of other areas, including reviews, training, learning and development, showing the versatility of the platform. 

CEO and founder Euan Cameron said, “We witnessed a huge amount of growth as businesses across the globe were forced to address the fact that face-to-face interviews and consultations were no longer possible, and the resource required to conduct everything over Zoom or Skype was prohibitive. 

“As well as finding a solution to interact with potential recruits, businesses had to act quickly to find efficient and effective ways to communicate with employees and their customers remotely. This demand shows no sign of slowing down as we adapt to a new normal, and it’s part of the reason we have been able to secure investment to develop the platform and take our business to the next level. 

“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved so far and it has been extremely rewarding to see how much appetite there has been for our service. With 1818 Venture Capital’s investment and expertise, we are very excited about the future.” 

1818 Venture capital CIO Marc Cohen commented,

“As the pandemic hit, we moved quickly to identify companies which helped people and businesses thrive in the fast-changing environment. During this time, we began using Willo’s product and were compelled by its simplicity and quality.

“While Willo’s growth has accelerated because of the pandemic, given the strength and vision of its management team, we truly believe the company has huge potential. Regardless of whether the trend towards homeworking continues, the need to communicate efficiently and effectively with people remotely will always be a priority for businesses around the world. “

Earlier this year, Willo secured £20K in funding from Scottish Enterprise. In addition to more than £200k of VC investment, board members Steve Perry, Stefan Ciecierski and Peter Preston also contributed further funds to prepare the company for further growth. 

ENDS. 

Notes to Editors;

Founded in 2018, Glasgow-based Willo Technologies high-tech SaaS platform enables businesses to communicate with people on video at scale, faster than Zoom or Skype calls.

Board of Directors

Former Chief Digital Officer of Visa Europe, Dr Steve Perry is the Chairman. Managing Director at Search Consultancy, Peter Preston, and CEO of PSD Group Stefan Ciecierski hold positions as advisers.

Dr. Steve Perry brings with him more than 25 years in leadership roles at Visa Europe including Head of Strategy, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Digital Officer. He also has extensive experience investing in and advising FinTech and data analytics start-ups and providing support and advice to private equity funds.

As managing director for Search Consultancy, one of the largest recruitment agencies in the UK, Peter Preston offers more than 17 years’ experience in recruitment, learning & development, technology and software consultancy, and has supported both global brands and startups in the scaling up of their technology solutions.

Stefan Ciecierski boasts over 30 years in leadership roles across the global recruitment industry, alongside experience of holding CEO positions in both private and public companies. His expertise lies in founding and selling businesses, building management teams and returning strong shareholder returns, with a particular focus on cutting-edge technology.

For additional information, or for interview requests, please contact Gregor Hollerin on 0781 332 0162 or email [email protected]

Manoj Ranaweera

Manoj has founded, failed and successfully exited from a number of technology product companies as well as support organisations since 2004. Among them, Northern Tech Awards and edocr.com were acquired by GP Bullhound and Accusoft, Inc respectively. Today, Manoj is building a trusted support network for technology companies. He is working with founding teams to help them accelerate including raising investment and M&A.

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