Blink raises $20m funding to power frontline and remote workers globally

LONDON, England — Blink, the world’s first enterprise app designed exclusively for frontline workers, has raised a Series A financing of $20M led by Next47, including participation from early investors Partech. Blink is now valued at $100M. 

There are approximately 2.7 billion frontline workers globally, accounting for 80% of the world’s workforce; yet, today’s enterprise software is largely aimed at the desk-worker. The result is a frustrated, unmotivated workforce suffering from high staff turnover, low engagement, customer satisfaction, margins, and an inability to move fast and adapt. 

Unlike existing solutions, Blink is designed from the frontline worker’s perspective. To date, Blink has over 93,000 enterprise users, who open the app 13 times per user per day on average, and 73% of monthly users open the app each day. Existing clients have reduced staff turnover by 26%, doubled employee satisfaction and delivered an ROI in under three months. 

Blink is one of Europe’s fastest-growing SaaS startups. In less than two years, the company has grown from 14 employees to 70 and is set to double again within 6 months – with 40 planned in North America. Responding to mounting demand from the U.S market, Blink will also relocate key members of the executive team, including founder and CEO Sean Nolan, from London to New York. 

Nolan says: 

“This new investment fuels the scaling of Blink’s all-in-one employee retention platform in the midst of a global recruitment crisis. As labour shortages hit industries with historically high staff turnover, such as healthcare, it’s clear that wages aren’t the only factor driving employees away. Using Blink has become a competitive advantage in the battle for talent, with organizations using the app to attract and retain their frontline workforce.”

Blink serves over 50% of the U.K. transport market, including Network Rail, Stagecoach and Go-Ahead, and already has over 100 U.S. clients across healthcare, transport, logistics, manufacturing and government, including Falck and Coach USA. 

“We’re obsessed with delighting our customers, and this investment allows us to rapidly accelerate our product roadmap for them,” Nolan continues. “By building some of the deepest industry integrations our space has ever seen – including HR and People platforms – we will further deliver on our promise of a ‘digital front door’, giving our users one-click access to everything they care about. Not only will the funding transform the platform, but it also brings our vision of a better everyday for every frontline worker one step closer.” 

“Today’s top enterprise software companies are reexamining the way we work; Blink is uniquely positioned to lead in this category for frontline workers”, said Daniel Kirchleitner, Partner at Next47. “We’ve been blown away by their customer feedback and results so far, especially the impact on employee retention. We look forward to partnering with the Blink team as they continue their expansion into the US market and beyond.”