Office tech startup Robin raises $20M to help you always find a meeting room

by Katie Fustich
May 20, 2019
Robin
image via shutterstock

Last month, we reported that the Boston-based office-tech company Robin had submitted a regulatory filing for $18 million in new equity funding, with more money potentially still on the way. Today, the company officially announced the closure of that funding round to the tune of $20 million.

The company plans to use the funding to expand its team and invest in its employees, according to CEO and co-founder Sam Dunn:

“We’re at 87 employees now and we’re looking to double that by the end of the year,” he said. “This is important to get right, since workplaces are built for people — and we want to make Robin a place people are proud to be.”

Founded in 2014, Robin helps companies modernize their workspaces with software designed to make meeting spaces and conference rooms bookable and manageable.

We want to make Robin a place people are proud to be.”

Major companies like Kayak and Shopify have come to rely on Robin for their office needs, and the list of clients continues to grow. Accordingly, Robin will also be investing heavily in its customer experience team.

“We’ve got 1,300-plus customers, including many local folks,” said Dunn, pointing to DraftKings, HubSpot and Lola.com. “We want to make sure we’re providing them with a cohesive product that’s consistent across devices and intelligent about how it suggests improvements to people’s workday and workplace.”

With Robin, companies are given a virtual map of their office space, with a breakdown of availability information for each meeting room. When meetings are “abandoned” (which Robin reports happens to 25 percent of all scheduled gatherings), rooms are automatically r-listed as available, so other employees can take advantage of the space.

This information is accessible to employees via desktop and mobile, and can also be integrated to display on office TVs, and tablets mounted outside each meeting space.

“The open office is messy,” said Dunn. “People steal meeting rooms, no one knows if a desk is free to use, and everyone gets lost trying to find their colleagues. Robin helps with both resource scheduling and space management in offices.”

The open office is messy... Robin helps with both resource scheduling and space management in offices.”

When a company uses Robin over time, the software is also capable of providing companies with useful insights and data points about how employees are using the office space. For example, if data shows that meetings rooms are constantly jam-packed, maybe it’s time to add another conference room or too. Or, conversely, if a certain space is basically a ghost-town, perhaps that corner of the office can finally be repurposed into a ball pit (okay, maybe not  — but you get the idea).

The company’s latest funding round was spearheaded by Tola Capital. In addition, new investor Allegion Ventures joined returning investors Accomplice and FirstMark Capital.

To date, Robin has raised a total of $29.1 million in funding.

Jobs at Robin

Boston startup guides

LOCAL GUIDE
Best Companies to Work for in Boston
LOCAL GUIDE
Coolest Tech Offices in Boston
LOCAL GUIDE
Best Perks at Boston Tech Companies
LOCAL GUIDE
Women in Boston Tech