Edinburgh-based startup SWURF has secured a six-figure funding and welcomed three further trade leaders to its board to attach underutilised venues with distant/hybrid staff.
The newest funding spherical contains follow-on funding from Gareth Williams, Co-founder of Skyscanner, who has backed SWURF since 2022. The spherical was additionally supported by the Scottish Authorities’s Techscaler programme, Scottish Enterprise, and personal traders.
The brand new funds will speed up SWURF’s rollout throughout further UK areas and choose European markets. Wanting forward, the corporate is getting ready for an extra elevate of €1.1 million later this yr to gasoline international growth.
Nikki Gibson, CEO and Co-founder of SWURF, mentioned: “With Alison guiding our worldwide rollout, Scott shaping our tech technique, and Daniel bringing a confirmed observe document in tech innovation, strategic improvement, and digital transformation, SWURF is positioned to develop with objective and precision.
“Their management is a game-changer as we take SWURF to new markets and new heights.”
Based in 2020 through the pandemic, SWURF provides a cellular app that connects distant and hybrid professionals with underused hospitality venues – corresponding to cafés, lodges, and co-working hubs – remodeling them into dynamic off-peak workspaces. The platform allows entry to versatile working places and goals to foster neighborhood engagement via unique perks and curated occasions.
In tandem with the funding, SWURF has made three strategic board appointments aimed toward strengthening its management for worldwide development.
- Alison Grieve, Founding father of G-Maintain and an professional in product innovation, joins as Chair of the Board.
- Scott Leckie, who beforehand served as SWURF’s fractional CTO, steps right into a everlasting board function to steer the corporate’s tech evolution.
- Daniel Rodgers, Founding father of hospitality tech success story QikServe, has been appointed Non-executive Director.
The app presently boasts a community of over 300 activated venues throughout the UK and has constructed a person base of greater than 11,000. In accordance with inside information, it has generated roughly €2 million in income for its hospitality companions, highlighting the platform’s potential to create actual financial influence for venues throughout off-peak hours.
Alison Grieve, Chair of the Board at SWURF, mentioned: “In an financial setting the place each hospitality and industrial property sectors are in search of new fashions of resilience, SWURF is focusing on a fast-evolving phase of the versatile work economic system.
“This subsequent part of funding will assist us remodel extra on a regular basis venues into productive, community-driven workspaces, powered by expertise and a hospitality-first mindset.”
Daniel Rodgers, Non-Govt Director at SWURF, added: “SWURF solves an actual ache level for me. When travelling, it’s typically troublesome to search out welcoming areas to work.
“I’m additionally keen about supporting hospitality to search out new markets and alternatives. Swurfers usually spend £15–£30 per go to. By extending conventional service home windows, hospitality operators can faucet into this neighborhood and create incremental income that helps profitability and reduces waste.”
With a rising inhabitants of over 35 million digital nomads globally and rising demand for accessible, community-oriented workspaces, SWURF is rising as a notable participant within the intersection of hospitality and the way forward for work.
If it really works, the corporate’s mannequin provides a win-win for each venues and clients: it provides staff flexibility and connection, whereas serving to hospitality venues increase footfall and generate sustainable earnings outdoors peak hours.
