April 2016: Bizimply

Pictured (L-R): Matt Scaife, Causeway Capital; Gerard Forde, CEO, Bizimply; Mikey Cannon, head of Product; and David Raethorne, Causeway Capital at new offices in the Digital Hub in Dublin

With new investment and plans to double its workforce in the coming 12 months, the Digital Hub-based Bizimply is going places.

These are exciting times at tech start-up Bizimply. Founded in 2013 at the National Digital Research Centre, the cloud-based workforce management app came out of beta early last year and has experienced growth thanks to its product being adopted by customers such as Compub, Wagamama Ireland and Insomnia Coffee.

There’s now a 14-strong team in place at the company’s Digital Hub HQ – and it has announced plans to double this roll-call in the coming 12 months.

“We started our journey at the NDRC, as part of their LaunchPad programme in 2013, so it really feels like coming home to be back in the Liberties area of Dublin,” said CEO and co-founder Gerard Forde.

“It is great to be surrounded by so many great tech companies and we believe the Digital Hub will give us the flexibility and support that will allow us to expand rapidly and double our headcount in the next 12 months.” Bizimply is one of seven new companies at the Digital Hub, where 700 people work at 94 companies.

GEARED FOR GROWTH

Not only that, but the company has also announced a successful €2m funding round courtesy of Causeway Capital in Dublin, a London-based private equity fund, and Silicon Valley venture capital seed fund 500 Startups.

“We have been growing rapidly over the past 12 months, with interest from businesses all around the world,” said Forde. “The investment by Causeway Capital and 500 Startups will enable us to really scale the business and expand our team as we move to the next level.”

Forde, along with Mikey Cannon and Norman Hewson, founded the company in order to help managers of single and multi-unit businesses to manage their hourly paid employees. The app makes the job of scheduling employees and shifts easy, and its Timestation iPad app simplifies payroll functions and gives owners instant access to information and analytics. Attendance and timecards are user-friendly, making spreadsheets a thing of the past.

“Managers should be on the shop floor driving sales and developing staff,” explains Forde. “Instead we see them in an office, frustrated with spreadsheets, notebooks, emails – even post-its! It is hard to get a clear snapshot of how your business is functioning – not just for the owner, but also from the point of view of all staff. If the day-to-day is easier for them, your customers will see the benefit.” The idea’s potential was rubber-stamped last year when it emerged victorious from the sixth ESB Spark of Genius Award, taking home a €25,000 cheque from an impressive panel of judges.

As revealed in Business & Finance’s Ones to Watch last year, the company targets the hospitality and retail sectors but has designs on healthcare and construction too. Some 60% of companies’ employees are paid by the hour, and 70% of employees are uncontactable by email for work purposes – things that Bizimply can make easier. Already with customers in 11 countries and 100,000 registered users, the company’s ambitions and growth path are clear.