Jul 6, 2017

Sales tool Heresy gets £755,000 to expand across Europe Smart productivity tool provider Motivii has raised a £1.1m Seed from various business angels. The London-based startup will use the cash to gain new clients, deepen relationships with enterprise customers, expand its headcount and develop additional features. Backed by 36 angels, Motivii was founded in 2015 by entrepreneur and angel investor Eamon Tuhami, who set up the company in an attempt to help businesses gain a better understanding of their employees. The smart home revolution: Will it ever happen? Speaking about the fundraise, Tuhami, said: “At Motivii, we want to make managers’ lives easier. By helping managers identify when employees need support, Motvii helps improve engagement among employees, improve wellness, and reduce attrition. At least, that’s the feedback we’re getting from our customers. “Currently, we’re developing tools which make it easier to capture and share one-to-one meeting notes to ensure that employees and managers are on the same page. We’re also eyeing up a Series A funding round in the coming year,” Tuhami added. Charles Wiles, the founder and CEO of EdTech startup Zzish , and former product manager at Google invested in the startup alongside Sarah du Heaume, founder of Just Media. Wiles and Tuhami worked together at VisualDNA, a psychographic audience data provider, more than four years ago and have kept in touch since – even going as far as supporting each other’s business ventures. “When he [Wiles] setup Zzish I invested straight away, especially as it was both a great idea and it was an SEIS round. When I told him about Motivii a year later he did the same for me,” Tuhami told Tech City News, highlighting how a substantial amount of the funding he’s raised to date has come from fellow London startup founders, who he has known or supported over the years. Wiles, whose own startup has now raised $4.39m across five rounds, said: I’ve worked with many outstanding people in my career at places like Google, but Eamon instantly stood out as a truly exceptional leader. “For me investments are all about the quality of the founding team and so it was a no-brainer to invest in his company when he started it. Moreover, Eamon always had a passion for employee engagement and motivation and getting the best out of his team, and, so he is well placed to innovate in this space.” Du Heaume, who was backed other well-known startups in the UK ecosystem, including Hassle , also spoke about why she had decided to invest in the company. “I look for people who have relevant sector experience, who are problem solvers, and who have a strong appetite to succeed. It also helps if the business idea is sound. So Motivii was a no-brainer,” she concluded. Enter your email address to receive updates straight to your inbox * indicates required