Flowers Software program helps SMBs handle their workflows • TechCrunch

Workflow automation will not be what will get you away from bed each morning, but it surely has lengthy been a sizzling matter on the earth of enterprise software program. There are few companies, in spite of everything, that don’t have dozens and dozens of repetitive workflows which might be at present completed manually that might be automated. Munich-based Flowers Software program, which initially launched in 2019, is making an attempt to place its personal stamp on this discipline by providing a considerably completely different strategy from a lot of its rivals.

The corporate in the present day introduced that it has raised a $3.2 million seed funding spherical led by La Famiglia VC, with participation from LEA Companions and Collective Ventures. Quite a few angel traders additionally participated, together with Personio’s co-founder Ignaz Forstmeier, SAP Hybris’ founder Carsten Thoma, SevDesk founders Fabian Silberer and Marco Reinbold, and Ironhack co-founder Gonzalo Manrique.

Based by Andreas Martin and Daniel Vöckler, who each frolicked working at quite a lot of small and medium companies, Flowers at present focuses its advertising and marketing on two use instances: bill approvals and basic approvals. However the thought behind the software is to supply a extremely versatile no-code workflow software to automate just about any repetitive enterprise course of.

“After we based Flowers, we already knew that we have been going to resolve this main drawback due to our expertise from our earlier jobs, the completely different industries and firm sizes, and so on.,” stated Martin. “What we discovered is that there are tons of duties that go mistaken in each firm actually each day. […] And sadly, since most duties are in recurring workflows, they go mistaken repeatedly. For all of these issues, you will see one software that solves precisely this drawback. So you may have 1,000 issues and 1,001 instruments fixing them. However Daniel and I didn’t wish to create one other single-solution software.”

Martin famous that many conventional workflow automation instruments concentrate on the backend, whereas Flowers gives anybody within the firm with instruments to construct these workflows but in addition entry to a person interface to step via these workflows from starting to finish. He famous that this additionally helps to make info extra accessible and clear to everybody inside an organization. And whereas customers can combine numerous third-party instruments, for lots of the present use instances, groups are doing numerous their work in Flowers themselves.

The workforce truly began constructing Flowers as a general-purpose automation software however discovered that merely giving its customers all of this freedom solely led to confusion. So after some trial and error, Flowers determined to construct out a number of templates for widespread use instances — invoicing being a type of — and with that, the service took off. What the workforce must do now — and what Flowers will use at the least a number of the new funding for — is constructing out templates for extra use instances so it may increase its person base. The workforce additionally plans to increase its advertising and marketing efforts to transcend its present core market of most German-speaking nations to extra of Europe and North America.

“We’re going to launch with completely different use instances in several nations, or service work to be used instances in each nation, however some nations have extra issues with contracts and approvals, or journey bills,” Martin defined. “Our extremely adaptable software program makes it potential for us to help these legal guidelines, laws and compliance guidelines very simply as a result of the software is versatile sufficient.”

Flowers Software program was already cashflow constructive early on in its historical past, however the workforce determined to lift now so as to have the ability to develop quicker and seize extra of the market. “We actually wish to push as onerous as we are able to and scale as onerous as we are able to,” stated Martin.

“Flowers is altering the sport for SMBs in enterprise effectivity, productiveness and profitability with a unique strategy to workflow creation and automation that’s resonating with many shoppers throughout industries,” stated Judith Dada, basic companion at La Famiglia VC. “With Flowers, corporations lastly have a software program that adapts to the way in which they work, somewhat than a software program that requires the shopper to vary. We’re impressed by the product and powerful gross sales traction that Andreas, Daniel and the workforce have already acquired and are excited to help them as they scale to new markets.”