WAY Secures 1.2 Million Euros in Pre-Seed Funding to Revolutionize IT Management for SMEs

Berlin, February 1, 2024 – WAY, an innovative Berlin-based startup, has successfully raised 1.2 million euros in a pre-seed funding round. The company plans to leverage this investment to enhance its cutting-edge IT platform. This new service is designed to streamline the procurement of IT equipment like laptops and smartphones, while also automating routine IT tasks.

Investment Attracted from Prominent VCs and SaaS Angels

Leading this funding round is Pitchdrive, a Belgian VC fund, with participation from IBB Ventures, FvS Investments, and HR VC allygatr. The round also saw significant involvement from esteemed SaaS angel investors, including David Padilla, CEO of Kenjo, Comatch founders Jan Schächtele and Christoph Hardt, Joblift CTO Denis Bauer, and Helge Plehn, CTO of Circus Kitchen.

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Koen Christiaens, Managing Partner at Pitchdrive, commented:

“As second-time founders, Jonas and Cedric found a way to build an enterprise-grade solution and made it accessible to the SME market. They made a no-brainer product for any company managing their IT, especially to on- and offboard employees.”

Revolutionizing IT Setup for New Hires

WAY is set to transform the role of IT in businesses, particularly benefiting founders, HR, and office managers who often handle IT tasks. The platform enables businesses to rent or buy devices from WAY, with the added benefit of automated IT processes like device setup, inventory management, and offboarding logistics. The platform also facilitates quick tool access for employees. Remarkably, equipping new employees with necessary devices and tools takes less than a minute, integrating seamlessly with major HR tools, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.

Expanding Beyond Small Enterprises

WAY’s service is not confined to smaller businesses; it's also tailored for larger organizations with existing IT inventories. The startup offers an AI-driven solution for effortless integration of IT assets, eliminating the need for cumbersome processes like manual Excel uploads.

Free for Many Features

WAY provides a variety of essential services free of charge. For businesses seeking higher levels of automation and security, premium add-ons are available. Jonas Baum, co-founder and CEO of WAY, highlights the accessibility of their services: "Even tech-savvy SMEs often delay professionalizing their IT due to the high cost and complexity of solutions geared towards larger companies with internal IT departments. Our aim is to ensure businesses get it right from the beginning, eliminating the notorious IT hassles many face."

Introducing WAY:

Founded in early 2023 by Jonas Baum and Cedric Bals, WAY emerged from a genuine understanding of the IT challenges faced by SMEs. Cedric Bals, during his time as an IT working student, observed the struggles traditional SMEs faced with their IT systems. These challenges were also prevalent in modern startups and scale-ups he later encountered. This experience laid the foundation for WAY, a smart solution addressing pervasive IT issues. Baum and Bals are seasoned entrepreneurs with a track record of establishing both VC-funded and bootstrapped companies.

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