Do frontline workers — workers who provide essential services like health care — use radios? They once did. But with the advent of smartphones and affordable services, radios have slowly but surely given way to mobile voice and video chat applications. According to a recent one reconnaissance44% of front-line workers now use push-to-talk – essentially a “walkie-talkie” function – on their smartphones.
Despite this trend, there is still a strong market for two-way radios. At least, that’s according to Kevin Turpin, co-founder and CEO And Yafixa startup that sells radios and software aimed at helping companies manage and communicate with their front-line workforces.
“With innovation happening in the frontline worker market, I recognized the opportunity to build a solution that enables both worker and management to drive organizational change,” Turpin told TechCrunch in an email interview. “The Weavix platform connects disconnected workforces through communications and data to transform frontline engagement and efficiency at scale.”
Founded in 2022, Weavix differentiates itself with “smart” radios — cellular and Wi-Fi radios with a built-in display and GPS. Weavix radios support live and recorded video messaging and text messaging as well as features such as translation and transcription. On the back end, managers can send alerts to groups of radios as well as organize and analyze incidents reported by workers – directing workers to where they need to go.
“Despite the prevalence of personal devices in today’s society, frontline workers often face a disadvantage at work,” Turpin said. “Failing to equip every worker with an electronic device represents a missed opportunity for the organization to collect vital data and overcome serious communication barriers.”
Investors seem to agree with this premise, and approve of Weavix’s business model, which is based on user licensing.
Weavix announced today that it has raised $23.6 million in a funding round led by Insight Partners, bringing the company’s total capital raised to $33.6 million. Co-founder and CEO Kevin Turpin said it will be geared toward expanding operations in the U.S. and expanding Weavix’s staff to more than 150 people by the end of the year.
Was Insight convinced by Weavix’s technology, customer momentum, or both? It’s hard to say without taking a closer look at the books. But on the customer momentum front, Weavix appears to be doing well for itself — the company has “several” Fortune 500 clients in the manufacturing, food and beverage production, commercial construction, energy and hospitality industries, according to Turpin.
Weavix faces competition from Origami Labs, which is similarly developing “smart” radios for front-line workers. But Vice President Grace Kotick of Insight Partners stresses that Weavix is one of the few companies that offers a lifetime warranty on its devices and a “data-driven platform.”
“The Weavix mobile device for frontline workers is a game-changer,” she said in an email statement. “Smart radios and their corresponding software are unlocking a new level of connectivity and productivity for the front-line workforce. Their combination of hardware, software and enhanced networking has transformed communications for those who need it most.