Image: How.fm
German workplace training technology start-up How.fm has raised $2.8m to further develop its product and grow its team.
Today (14 July), German start-up How.fm announced that it has raised $2.8m in a funding round led by Kindred Capital and Capnamic Ventures. Other investors included Trivago co-founder Rolf Schrömgens and the founders of Blinkist and Just Spices.
Launched in 2019 by serial entrepreneur Andreas Kwiatkowski, How.fm has created a human process automation platform, allowing workplaces to create their own step-by-step videos to train workers on the job.
The start-up has built a digital coach for worker onboarding, training and performance support that can cover topics including health and safety, compliance training and work procedures such as packing processes.
How.fm’s platform
The Cologne-based start-up has seen its solution adopted by logistics, manufacturing and retail companies to interactively train workers. Content on the How.fm platform can be automatically translated into each worker’s native language and workers can interact with it hands-free using a voice interface.
The start-up said that the platform is particularly useful for workers with reading difficulties, as well as migrants and elderly workers. Supply chain services provider Ingram Micro, which provides logistics for companies including Asos and Zalando, uses the technology to train warehouse staff in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian and other languages.
The technology has also been rolled out by Tommy Hilfiger to support its German retail staff in fulfilment tasks during peak season. Other customers include Duisport, the world’s largest inland port, and the European Space Agency.
Funding plans
“We have a unique opportunity to revolutionise work and productivity for those in manual roles, and for the companies that employ them,” Kwiatkowski said. “We believe in a future where any worker can get the best training, tailored to their individual needs, anywhere and any time – delivered by a superhuman digital coach.”
He said that the latest investment will help How.fm to improve its product and grow its team – both in Germany and remotely.
Kindred Capital partner Chrys Chrysanthou and Capnamic founding partner Jörg Binnenbrücker will now join the start-up’s board of directors.
Chrysanthou said: “There is an overestimation of the state and speed of automation across industries.
“We are passionate about the team at How.fm and their vision of long-term demand in human hard skills training and performance optimisation, from doing the job in the next 10 to 20 years and maintaining the machines that do the job in the next 20 to 50 years. We want to support them to position their platform for the evolution of industries during this journey.”
