Workplace Culture Company Thriver Raises $33 Million

By Dan Anderson ● Aug 11, 2020
  • Thriver (formerly known as Platterz) announced that it has raised $33 million in a Series B round of funding

Thriver (formerly known as Platterz) announced that it has raised $33 million in a Series B round of funding led by Viola Growth with participation from new investors Vertex Ventures Israel, Union Tech Ventures, Journey Ventures, and FJ Labs, and existing investors Aleph and Altair Capital. This round of funding will enable Thriver to expand into new markets, extend the capabilities of its workplace culture platform, and grow its team.

Along with the funding news, the company also announced its new rebranding to Thriver.  The company was previously known as Platterz when it launched in 2016. The new brand represents the company’s evolution from food-centric solutions for the workplace to broader culture-driven programs for driving employee engagement and promoting workplace wellness.

In the past 5 years, the company had streamlined and standardized food-centric culture programs for a wide range of organizations throughout North America. And it served tens of thousands of daily meals to employees at over 2,000 companies, established partnerships with hundreds of restaurants, and processed over $100 million in food-related orders through its platform.

Now the Thriver workplace culture platform extends corporate food solutions to include virtual experiences, health and wellness initiatives, and professional development opportunities to bring employees together wherever they are to support personal, team, or company-wide engagement.

As COVID-19 has been forcing companies to think outside the box when it comes to employee engagement and retention, Thriver’s expanded platform is supporting the rapid adoption and implementation of culture-driven programs that work just as effectively in the new hybrid and remote work reality as it does in traditional office environments.

Thriver’s workplace culture offering includes the Treat Card, which is a reloadable prepaid card that provides remote employees with the funds to pay for corporate perks and office essentials. And similarly, Thriver’s Group Ordering capabilities — which are used to provide daily or weekly workplace meals for employees and catering for meetings is now also filling a critical gap as companies look for an effective way to feed employees safely through individually packaged meals.

With the all-new Virtual Experiences offering, Thriver also enables employees to connect through engaging activities like group fitness, cooking classes, or mental health sessions. And all activities offered by Thriver are available through a centralized platform that helps finance teams track company spend and optimize ROI, and facilitates interactive employee feedback through Slack integration.

KEY QUOTES:

“Authentic company culture that satisfies everyone’s needs and drives employee engagement has been impossible to maintain at scale, until now. We are on a mission to help create thriving workplaces through culture-building initiatives that are driven by the needs and values of individual employees. Our proprietary technology platform eliminates barriers and expands options to deliver customized, wide-ranging, and highly flexible food and culture programs that are as unique as each workplace, and which foster the togetherness that organizations – especially those with largely distributed workforces – need to thrive.”

— Eran Henig, co-founder and CEO of Thriver

“Culture has always been paramount to the employee recruitment, retention, and engagement process for companies. But given the uncertainty in today’s distributed workplace, our clients want a solid plan for reopening their offices while fostering a spirit of teamwork and building a strong culture. Thriver is in a unique position to empower companies right now and in the future, by enabling them to support their teams with the services they value most, while creating a safe, engaging work environment, whether employees are at home or in the office.”

— Yishay Waxman, co-founder and President of Thriver

“Since its inception, Thriver has focused on providing software products that strengthen corporate culture. It started with a B2B marketplace of meal plans, and it now has an opportunity to fulfill its expanded vision, beyond food, by providing personalized culture programs and wellness experiences that will help companies maintain their unique culture, even while working from home. Thriver is enabling companies to adapt to this new reality during and post COVID-19, where employers are looking for new ways to nurture and improve employee well-being, by building innovative, resilient frameworks for the future of work.”

— Natalie Refuah, Partner at Viola Growth