Freeformers, which helps companies and individuals develop the digital mindset, skills and behaviours required to navigate the future world of work, has raised 拢1.2m of聽investment from leading UK social impact fund Impact Ventures UK (IVUK).
The investment is significant in bringing substantial growth capital to a major profit and purpose business with a focus on workforce transformation to support its scaling both in the UK and internationally.
Founded by Gi Fernando MBE, Freeformers helps companies and individuals prepare and react to the changing world of work, providing the necessary skills to manage workplace challenges generated by flexible work, automation and digital transformation.
Freeformers works globally with corporates and institutions – including HSBC, Barclays, Tesco and the Ministry of Justice – to ensure that their workforces are adapting to the mindset and behaviours needed to stay ahead of start-ups and competitors and to succeed in a fast-moving marketplace.
The company also helps individuals who want to increase their chances of being employable, successful and productive in a digital world.
The London-based company plans to use the funds to invest in capability building, sales and marketing acceleration and to capitalise on its market-leading platform development.
The investment will also be used to boost its social impact initiatives; such as its 鈥榦ne_for1鈥� social impact programme that trains less advantaged young people for free.
鈥淎t Freeformers, we are primarily concerned with two types of people: those currently in work and those entering, or hoping to enter, the workforce for the first time,鈥� said Fernando.
鈥淲e also help companies understand that people can change and do a new digital job, irrespective of what they were doing before, whilst bringing their strengths from experience, such as empathy, to make them more valuable not less.
鈥淭he investment from IVUK will deliver a major boost to our profit with purpose focus, and support our mission to provide large organisations with a diverse, data-driven workforce analytics model and platform to help them grow and allow people to grow with them.鈥�
Kevin Bone, partner at IVUK commented: 鈥淚VUK is delighted to support Freeformers鈥� continuing mission to build a digital economy for all by creating a future workforce now.
鈥淲e believe that Freeformers鈥� unique services and platforms will deliver significant societal impact and global market potential by ensuring that no one is left behind in the fast-changing world of work.
鈥淔or many, the rapid changes in the skills required for fulfilling employment is a source of great insecurity and can lead to dramatically negative life outcomes.
鈥淏y arming large workforces with a digital mindset, individuals are empowered to continuously upskill.鈥�
Central to Freeformers鈥� current offering are two key technology platforms – Freeformers Pulse and Freeformers Learn, which deliver solutions at scale and measure people transformation in real time.
Freeformers Pulse offers self and peer assessment, while Freeformers Learn allows employees to access coaching and digital learning. Both are connected to Freeformers鈥� Future Workforce Model鈩�, which helps Freeformers design experiential learning programmes and use data rich measurement to help people achieve their work life goals.
The investment from IVUK comes in parallel with an announcement on Monday 22nd January that Freeformers is partnering with Facebook on the social networking site鈥檚 鈥楥ommunity Boost EU鈥� programme, which aims to create a digital economy for everyone.
The partnership will see Freeformers deploy its Future Workforce Model鈩� to upskill 300,000 people across six European countries over the next two years, expanding its global footprint.