Sona raises a $7M seed round led by Gradient Ventures

by Startacus Admin
Sona, the ‘People Operating System’ for deskless workers, secures major investment to support further growth and expansion.
We've been huge fans of innovative London-based startup Sona, for a while now and were delighted when Ben Dixon, Sona's Co-founder and CTO joined us at our Work: In Progress event late last year and shared all sorts of insights on workplace innovation. So we're thrilled to share the news of their successful $6.8M seed round, which was led by Google’s Gradient Ventures and comes just four months after the company’s pre-seed raise!
Sona is an all-purpose ‘people operating system’ providing deskless workers with an easy-to-use platform for managing everything work-related. It combines the power of modern workforce management software with a user experience that simplifies and centralises everyday work tasks for frontline workers, who typically spend most of their working hours away from a desk.
Created for industries that employ deskless shift-based staff - such as health and social care, retail, hospitality, and the voluntary sector - Sona lets employees access vital functions such as scheduling, shift allocations, attendance records, and one-to-one and one-to-many communication with a tap.
In just six months, the company has built and launched its platform to an early set of customers, covering over 10,000 deskless workers within the UK and Ireland, going from pre-revenue to six-figure ARR since incorporating in July 2021.
The London-based startup has now raised an aggregate of $9M since August 2021. It will use the investment to triple its team, with a particular focus on engineering and product development, and to continue its strong growth trajectory.
Although they make up 80% of the global workforce (over 2.7 billion people), deskless workers have been significantly underserved, with just 1% of funding for enterprise software dedicated to developing technology for employees in frontline jobs. The COVID-19 pandemic is restructuring the labour market and changing attitudes towards frontline work, accelerating the pace of digital transformation in all areas, including people operations.
Many work tasks typically involve multiple disconnected systems and manual processes (often including WhatsApp groups and paper chains). By consolidating them, Sona is helping companies reduce staffing agency spending by 35%, fill 70% of available shifts within 24 hours, and save managers an estimated five hours a week.
Founded by repeat founders Oli Johnson (Harvard Business School MBA graduate), Steffen Wulff Petersen (ex HelloFresh, Payleven/Sumup and Lazada) and Ben Dixon (CTO), the company currently employs 18 people across ten countries.
Oli Johnson, Co-founder of Sona, comments: “The technology gap between desk-based and deskless workers is set to close rapidly over the next decade. We believe that the growth of dedicated software for frontline staff will have the same transformative effect as the SaaS revolution had in desk-based work, and we want to be at the forefront of that movement. We’re beyond elated to have the support of world-class investors and customers who share our passion for transforming the world of deskless work.”
"Workforce management systems were designed for white-collar industries. As a result, these tools ignore a vital part of society – the frontline worker," said Asif Moosani, Investor at Gradient Ventures. "Scheduling, shift management, and surrounding communications are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Great Resignation. Steffen and his team empower frontline workers by simplifying their workflows. We're excited to back Sona as they bring this ecosystem into the digital age."
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Crowdfunding success for Omni, the vegan dog food brand, reaffirms the recession-proof growth of the pet nutrition industry.

Want to learn a new language? Weeve is an innovative startup that has created an innovative, creative and effective way to help you do just that.

Want to build an investable, scalable tech startup? The Raise Accelerator programme is now open for applications and will help you do just that.

Want to increase visual engagement for your startup's Instagram account? These tips will help you do just that.

Want to gain an edge over your business competitors? Listening to your audience is an absolute must.

The Clothes Doctor mission to fight fast fashion continues as the innovative eco clothing care brand raises £1m to support further growth.

If you plan on using social media to promote your brand, these simple rules will help, increasing both brand awareness and the number of consumers.

High-potential social impact startups from the UK sought for the 9th annual Les Tremplins by Voyage Privé programme.

The lowdown on Danish startup EvodiaBio and its innovative tech that produces sustainable aromas for the food and beverage industry.

Small Business Britain’s ‘How to Grow’ report outlines how small businesses are responding to economic challenges and how they can grow during recession.
Published on: 31st March 2022
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Vegan Dog Food Brand, Omni Smashes £400K Crowdfunding Target 1st Feb 2023 Crowdfunding success for Omni, the vegan dog food brand, reaffirms the recession-proof growth of the pet nutrition industry.
- Raise Spring Accelerator programme seeking applications for next cohort 30th Jan 2023 Want to build an investable, scalable tech startup? The Raise Accelerator programme is now open for applications and will help you do just that.
- Leading French Travel Co. Offers Mentoring to two UK startups on its prestigious two-month programme 23rd Jan 2023 High-potential social impact startups from the UK sought for the 9th annual Les Tremplins by Voyage Privé programme.
- Small businesses need new model for growth in recession 23rd Jan 2023 Small Business Britain’s ‘How to Grow’ report outlines how small businesses are responding to economic challenges and how they can grow during recession.