A Manchester-based tech start-up has secured a £3m investment from Praetura Ventures.
It means that to date, Orka Technology Group has had £31.5m of investment. Last year, it raised £29m through a mixture of debt financing from Sonovate and equity funding involving the British Business Bank Future Fund and existing investors.
Orka plans to “revolutionise” the recruitment of flexible workers in the facilities management industry, with clients including G4S, ISS and Wilson James.
It intends to use the cash to expand, accelerate product development, grow its API integration programme and target growth in new markets, including the mechanical and electrical sectors.
“We have been growing at pace over the past four years with a vision to transform the sourcing, onboarding and payment experience for both employers and their employees, culminating in the ultimate infrastructure for hourly-paid workforces,” explained Tom Pickersgill, co-founder and CEO of Orka.
“In this time, the employment landscape has changed dramatically and shift workers, who make up 85 per cent of the global workforce, are becoming even more flexible and keener to adopt technology that can support their needs. They are now looking for work that fits around their life without having to navigate the often-complex job hunting process.
The company’s products include a platform that enables workers to find temporary positions with large organisations; and a flexible payment offering, so that workers can access half of their wages as soon as they’ve earned them.
It will soon be launching a passport system to eliminate the need for background assessments every time someone sources work through the system.
“Our mission has long been to support brilliant Northern businesses with exceptional founders. Orka ticks both boxes and we’re looking forward to working closely with the team as they continue to address many of the pain points that exist within the shift work and labour space, including a lack of transparency when putting candidates forward for roles,” stated David Foreman, Managing Director of Praetura Ventures.
“Given the company’s track record in this sector and the changing face of work, investing in Orka made complete sense. We’re excited to play a supportive role in the business’ growth story by providing more than money, including but not limited to guidance from our operational partners and portfolio team to help Orka scale its SaaS solutions.”
