Organize, a British start-up that has built a platform to help workers organize and campaign for better rights, has raised £ 570,000 in seed funding.
The round is led by Ada Ventures, part of the venture capital company's mandate to support "neglected markets and founders". Also participating in Form Ventures, RLC Ventures (a seed fund which devotes part of its profits to charitable causes chosen by the founders) and Ascension Ventures via its Fair By Design Fund.
Founded in 2017 by CEO Nat Whalley and CTO Bex Hay, Organize describes itself as a "worker-focused network" that provides and offers a range of digital tools and support to enable anyone to launch a campaign to improve their conditions of work. The idea is to combine the power of collective action, traditionally harnessed by unions, with the reach and insight of modern digital campaigns.
It makes sense. taking into account the curriculum vitae of its founders. Whalley has experience in 38 degree political campaigns and Avaaz, and has also led ChangeLab, a digital agency building campaign technology. And Hay was previously technical director at 38 degrees, and also led Amazon Anonymous, which led to her being nicknamed "the thorn on the side of Jeff Bezos".
"With so many people working remotely, it's harder to share your problems with colleagues or raise work problems," says Whalley. "When people face problems in dangerous environments or concerns about unfair wages or maternity rights, they have nowhere to turn for help. We provide a way to bring workers together and give them the tools to be heard. Our platform allows individuals, groups and workplaces to help them bring about meaningful change. "
Whalley explains that users discover Organize in three ways: they seek to change something in their workplace and discover Organize as a way to do it; they join a campaign that someone else at their workplace has already started; or they join a campaign calling for national change related to the world of work.
"When people join Organize, we ask them to share their work and employment status," she says. "The platform is then able to connect employees to existing networks of people from the same organization, immediately allowing them to speak in a much louder voice. For new campaigns, we can help people develop the awareness they need to get colleagues or workers from across their industry on board.
"Once integrated into the network, users control their campaigns. They decide what change they want and we provide the tools to make it happen. This can be done through surveys, calls for petitions or open letters to decision makers. "
To date, Organize has enabled workers to launch successful campaigns against unfair working practices in companies such as McDonald's, Ted Baker, Amazon, Uber and Deliveroo. Undoubtedly helped by the coronavirus crisis and the resulting pressure on workers, the platform has grown from 90,000 to 400,000 members in the last three months.
When asked if Organize is designed to be an alternative to, or to work with, unions, Whalley replied that the platform is complementary to union activities and that many of its members are also union members.
"They're using Organize tools to improve their impact and increase their reach," she adds. "For others, Organize brings colleagues together around a single issue that is running out of time. The dynamic nature of the tools we provide and the speed with which campaigns can get started may be exactly what employees need to bring about meaningful change. "
On competitors, Whalley says that Organize is the only platform for workers' rights on a large scale. There are also whistle-blowing platforms, like Vault, which she says is paid for by companies, "which means it's not ultimately in the interests or control of workers."
Meanwhile, the business model is fairly simple and, I am told, works. Organize is free for everyone, but also offers paid and improved support for those who need it.
About 5% of users pay a subscription (usually £ 1 - £ 2 per week, depending on income) for improved support. This includes employment counseling and access to a peer forum. "Because it is paid for by the people who ultimately benefit, we can simultaneously extend and maintain the impact," says Whalley.