Here’s a good news story: Our friends at Blueboard announced their $9.3 million Series A funding last week. You think your business has had a rough year? Think again.
Blueboard founders Taylor Smith and Kevin Yip can beat most of the 2020 hard-knocks stories out there.
Their entire business model has been built around experiential employee recognition. Usually that means rewarding employees by going places and doing things. You know, something we generally don’t do anymore. So, when everyone went on lockdown earlier this year, things began to look kinda dire.
Did they give up? Hell no.
They got to work and quickly pivoted to virtual and in-home experiences, which were suddenly in demand. They also saw demand increase as sales teams looked to replace in-person events like President’s Club trips.
A recent Wired article mentioned the work-from-home perks Blueboard is helping put in place. Here’s a section from the write-up:
Blueboard, an employee rewards platform, has seen an uptick in companies asking for incentives focused on mental and physical health rather than the usual adventures (like, say, skydiving or snorkeling). “Companies realize that people are feeling drained—mentally and physically,” says Kevin Yip, Blueboard’s cofounder and COO. “We have a cohort of customers that have created separate programs to give well-being experiences to employees: Pelotons, Mirrors, Chorus meditation sessions, life coaches.”
By quickly shifting focus to in-demand services and keeping their ears to the ground for what’s next, Blueboard was able to create a great year and set themselves up for growth when others battened down the hatches.
We love it when good things happen to good people. Congratulations to Taylor, Kevin, and their amazing team. Way to never, ever give up.
