Our investment in Sona: Empowering the Frontline Workforce with the Tech they Deserve

At Northzone we’ve had a long history of investing in the Future of Work, having backed the likes of Personio, Wagestream, Medwing, and Kota. Moreover, we’ve long been believers in the opportunities within the frontline segment of the workforce as outlined in our thesis last year, the sector has been chronically underserved by technology, despite representing circa 50% of the global workforce. Moreover, the industry is suffering more acutely from structural issues such as labour shortages which are only set to get worse over the coming years. These factors, combined with outdated tooling has led to unnecessary costs, poor employee experiences and lost revenue opportunities for businesses across industries.

As a result, we’ve seen an increasing need and willingness from frontline companies to modernise and replace legacy solutions. A central part of our thesis is that in order to build a truly lasting company in this space, a solution needs to be able to serve as the system of record for the core operations of a frontline business, covering multiple functions such as HRIS, scheduling, payroll, and provide actionable insights to operators about how to best run their businesses.

Having followed Sona’s journey since Seed, we’ve been consistently impressed by the team’s vision, understanding of the market and product capabilities. Building a true operating system’ for frontline companies is no small feat and the fact that Sona has been able to build a multi-modular platform that’s serving enterprise customers in multiple verticals is a testament to the team’s efforts and capabilities, which is why we’re delighted to announce our investment in the company today.

We’re taking part in their $27.5m Series A, alongside Felicis, with participation from existing investors Gradient Ventures, Speedinvest and a number of notable angels. Founded in 2021 by Steffen Wulff Petersen, Oli Johnson, and Ben Dixon, Sona is building the modern workforce management platform for frontline teams. By leveraging AI-powered modules, real-time data processing, and industry-specific features, Sona empowers businesses in sectors such as social care, restaurants, and hospitality to drive multiple operational efficiencies while at the same time improving the employee experience and service. The market response to their product has been incredibly strong, with revenues growing a remarkable 400% revenue growth in 2023 alone.

Our Principal Deepka Rana adds: “Having spent a long time looking into the multiple challenges facing frontline companies, we were excited by Sona’s vision from the very first time we met them almost two years ago. As they’ve continued to execute and expand their product offering, we could see how closely aligned their path was to our thesis and our level of conviction only continued to grow. We see Sona as very well-positioned to become a category-defining company in the sector, tackling these long-overlooked issues and creating new opportunities for frontline companies and their employees.

The new funding will be used to expand Sona’s go-to-market function and further develop the AI capabilities of the product. As Sona continues to progress, we are confident that the platform will become an indispensable tool for frontline enterprises globally. We are excited to partner with Steffen, Oli, Ben, and the entire Sona team as they work towards their vision of reshaping the way frontline businesses are run.

If you’re a frontline enterprise looking to optimise your workforce management and drive operational efficiencies, check out getsona.com and experience the power of their platform firsthand.