Kollabo co-founders Andri Studer, Cédric Baumgartner, and Manuel Inauen | Image credit: Kollabo
Zurich-based Kollabo, a digital platform that enables job searches for skilled blue-collar workers – starting with professional construction workers, announced that it has raised €2.2M in its Seed round of funding.
Founded in 2018 by Andri Studer, Cédric Baumgartner, and Manuel Inauen, Kollabo helps skilled blue-collar workers find the “perfect match” while making the search process easy.
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Investors
The round was led by Berlin-based PropTech1 Ventures, a venture capital fund dedicated to addressing the untapped potential of real estate industry innovation in Europe.
The Seed round also saw participation from existing investor Wingman Ventures and renowned business Angels Roland Brack, Christian Wenger, and Stéphane Pictet.
Anja Rath, Managing Partner of PropTech1 Ventures says, “It is no secret that the shortage of skilled workers is the crucial bottleneck in the timely completion of construction projects. In Kollabo, we see the right solution to this problem, and there’s a reason that the platform’s revenues are growing threefold every year. Kollabo is building a pan-European digital ecosystem for blue-collar professionals and contractors to complete transnational projects faster and easier.”
“Jobs in construction”
Currently, Europe is short on skilled blue-collar workers, especially in the construction and renovation of buildings. According to Kollabo, Germany alone needs an additional 320,000 skilled workers in order to meet the construction challenges of the future. The industry right now is addressing the shortage by using temporary workers. Such temporary jobs are contracted by companies – creating more than 10 million jobs across Europe every year and representing a market volume of €166B.
Traditionally, the industry uses temporary employment agencies for short-term hires, which constitute a very fragmented market with 14,000 companies in Germany alone. However, since this process takes place offline, professionals have to reapply each time and have to go through a hard time proving their past work experience.
This is where HRtech startup Kollabo looks to make a difference.
The company aims to close the gap between job seekers and temporary offices. It refers job seekers to ‘trustworthy’ and competent temporary offices in the region free of charge.
Since 2019, Kollabo has been digitalising and simplifying the job search process for construction workers, with plans for adding other job categories later on. To do this, the startup is building a market network for workers, employment agencies, and construction companies that efficiently connects all parties.
Professionals can create their own profiles on the platform, similar to LinkedIn, allowing them to build long-term relationships with employers and provide proof of their expertise through a rating system. With a network of over 100 temporary offices and construction companies, clients can receive a suitable job offer within 1 – 2 days.
Funds for expansion
Manuel Inauen says, “Skilled blue-collar workers need a digital home. With this funding round, we will further expand our platform and become the dominant digital ecosystem for blue-collar workers in the DACH region. This is an important step for us on our way to becoming the global platform for talent performing manual labor.”
Kollabo aims to offer more advanced products in the future, such as the ability for construction workers to book accommodation or insurance for individual jobs, thereby opening up the opportunity for further synergies and growth potential.
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