Bridging the Digital Communication Gap With Deskless Workers: Our Investment in TeamSense

We are excited to announce that TeamSense has raised $4.0M in seed funding lead by Bonfire Ventures with participation from Operator Collective.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

‍

We recently invested in Seattle-based TeamSense, a company that has created an exciting text-based product tailored for the manufacturing industry. The product targets a unique problem in this sector: unplanned absenteeism, a significant issue that can greatly impact production. Here’s more on why we invested in TeamSense.

‍

*The Problem and Solution:*

Unplanned absenteeism in the manufacturing industry has always been a pain point. Employees traditionally call a number and leave a voicemail if they can't attend work. This antiquated process creates a number of down-stream issues, most notably that production supervisors are notified after they already experience production delays.  Unlike other sectors, these employees do not have company-provided laptops or phones, nor are they likely to install a company-provided app on their personal devices. 

‍

TeamSense offers a digital engagement tool that allows hourly employees to communicate that they will be out with management via a simple text. This immediate notification helps HR and management act promptly, reducing the risk of production interruptions. 

TeamSense also takes that simple request and provides all of the required data seamlessly into a manufacturer’s human resource systems.

‍

*A Simple Deployment with Big Implications:*

TeamSense has not only solved the absenteeism issue, but has also opened the first digital communication channel for companies to engage with their hourly employees that they actually embrace. Teamsense has an amazing opportunity to expand from its high in-demand absenteeism solution to become the broader platform that manufacturers leverage for all facets of employee engagement and communication.  

‍

*The Team:*  

Leading TeamSense is CEO Sheila Stafford, a veteran in the manufacturing industry. Post-college, she entered the General Motors as a manufacturing engineer supporting new model launches on the factory floor, followed by leadership roles at leading manufacturers Whirlpool and Fluke. She's intimately familiar with this industry and understands what truly matters in the plan for management, human resources, and the production floor employees. Her inspiration for TeamSense arose from the specific challenges she encountered while working on and around the manufacturing floor.. 

‍

Recent hires underscore the team's prowess and the attractiveness of the opportunities ahead. Shelia’s co-founders, Jeremy Wadsack and Alison Teegarden, leading the technical and product divisions respectively, are joined by two significant additions. Rob Belena, taking charge of sales, and Justin Sears, a proven CMO steering marketing efforts, enhance the team's capability and signify the promise of the venture.

‍

*Positive Feedback from Customers:*  

TeamSense's customers, HR managers, are thrilled by how quickly they can deploy the  product and even more pleased at the enthusiastic adoption by hourly employees - a first in this sector. The stark contrast between their previous process and the new ones with TeamSense is a night and day difference from any other HR tools they have deployed to their hourly workforce to date.  We rarely hear such glowing reviews - which is a great sign of a new movement that TeamSense will surely lead.

‍

Read more about our investment in TechCrunch.