Demand for the flexible workspace platform – including from members of S&P 500 and fast growing tech companies – massively accelerates growth into 40 counties.
Desana, a startup transforming how global employers utilise workspace, has announced that it has raised a $4 million seed round. The oversubscribed round was led by Berlin-based PropTech 1 Ventures, BGF and existing investor Techstart Ventures, with participation from GroundBreak Ventures and the Accel Scout programme.
Desana enables companies to manage how their workforce uses space globally. Staff can choose to work from their employer’s own buildings or from Desana’s fast growing global network of flexible workspace operators, with companies having the ability to curate which spaces can be accessed by any member of staff.
“Over the last year we’ve helped some of the world’s leading companies address the immediate challenges of hybrid working at scale, while also building the foundations for a more data driven approach to real estate strategy and urban planning,“ said Michael Cockburn, co-founder and CEO of Desana. “Enabling staff to decide where to work unlocks a unique stream of data that provides valuable insight into where employees actually want to work on a day-by-day basis. We were excited to discover that, even at this early stage, data from our platform is already informing decisions about where companies lease space.”
Desana also takes care of billing. This means that global employers get a single monthly invoice, even if they have many thousands of staff using the platform daily across hundreds of locations and multiple currencies.
“Existing flexible working platform solutions are mostly just aggregators of co-working space aimed at freelancers and gig workers,” added Cockburn. “The world’s leading employers need an enterprise grade solution that provides the tools required to manage large distributed workforces operating on a hybrid basis at global scale. Desana is the only platform that is delivering globally on this part of the “future of work” equation, and our customers are also seeing how the flexibility provided by Desana helps to attract and retain top talent.”
To meet massive demand and a rapid expansion, the founders are actively hiring for key positions in the US and Asia, and already planning for the next funding round.
“We are big believers in Desana’s vision and leadership team, especially after our thorough screen of the market revealed that Desana is already helping leading companies to radically change their relationship with real estate,” said Nikolas Samios, the founding and managing partner of PropTech1 Ventures. “Some customers are even talking about giving up traditional leases altogether and going “Desana native” which we see as an exciting indicator of where this is heading.”