By Kristy Dorsey
Workplace engagement start-up Trickle is looking to raise another £1 million this year to further growth following the launch of its new app focused on employee wellbeing.
The Edinburgh firm’s “How was your day?” app kicked off a 12-month pilot in December in conjunction with NHS Education for Scotland, NHS Lothian, NHS Tayside, the University of Aberdeen and the University of St Andrews. This allows healthcare staff to provide instant feedback on working conditions to their employers.
Paul Reid, who set up Trickle in 2018, said in its first weeks of use the app allowed administrators at NHS Lothian to identify a “major problem” with poor hydration among staff using PPE equipment.
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“We are really proud to be working with the NHS, which is going through a massive challenge at the moment,” Mr Reid said.
Trickle had quadrupled its headcount to 16 during the past 12 months and now has a sales team in place to secure new corporate and public sector clients across the UK. It most recently signed up transport operator FirstGroup, with local authorities, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission and Food Standards Scotland among other customer wins in 2020.
To date the company has raised £1.4 million in two rounds of seed funding led by TechStart Ventures, which backed Mr Reid in his previous business Sigma Seven, a geospatial solutions specialist. Sigma Seven employed 33 people when it was sold to outsourcing group Capita in 2015 for an undisclosed sum.
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Mr Reid said Trickle hopes to raise another £1m in backing this summer to hire seven further staff, adding new roles in technology, marketing and sales. The company is targeting £2m in annual recurring sales by July 2023.
He added that changes in working practices brought about by the pandemic meant it has “never been more important” for organisations to focus on meaningful employee engagement.
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