Poka is a connected worker platform built specifically for manufacturers that empowers factory workers to learn, share, and collaborate at the point of need. Its core product centralizes operational knowledge and enables workers to solve problems and drive continuous improvement on the production floor. Poka is used by global manufacturers including Nestlé, Danone, Bosch, Kraft, Johnson & Johnson, and Tetra Pak. The company was recognized with the 2020 Open Bosch Award and appeared in Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Manufacturing Operations Strategy. Poka positions its platform as a response to workforce skills shortages, operational complexity, and pandemic-driven volatility. The company plans to use new funding to accelerate product development and to scale go-to-market teams to serve a growing global customer base. Poka builds a connected worker platform designed for manufacturers that centralizes operational knowledge and enables workers to learn, share and collaborate on the factory floor. The company calls its product a single hub for operational knowledge and collaboration, replacing in-person shift changeovers, classroom training and paper forms. Poka plans to use the new funding to broaden its global market reach through new distribution strategies and to accelerate product development. The startup has adapted implementations to be done remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic and says the crisis has increased urgency for manufacturers to adopt its platform. Financially, Poka has now raised C$6.4M in its most recent round and reports total funding to date of $23.4M, after prior financings including a $10M round in 2018. Poka was founded in 2014 and is based in Quebec City. Poka offers a mobile and web app targeted at factory floors that enables employees to capture and share critical real-time multimedia information. The platform creates standardized multimedia guides and training content for specific machines and stations to accelerate onboarding and improve operational knowledge. Poka’s tools aim to help employees communicate problems more effectively and reduce downtime. The company says it addresses an industry skills gap driven by an aging workforce and increased automation. Poka has commercial customers including Thomas & Betts, ArcelorMittal, WestRock and Danone. Leadership and investors say the funding will support the company’s development and international expansion. Poka develops a social platform for manufacturing companies that focuses on training, enabling employees to share video and images, knowledge retention and real-time information. Led by CEO and co-founder Alexandre Leclerc, the company builds tooling to improve frontline worker training and on-the-job knowledge capture. The funds from the most recent round will be used to accelerate product development and grow the engineering team. Poka also plans to expand into new markets across North America and Europe. The company closed a $2.5m funding round to support these efforts. Poka is based in Quebec City.

Total raised

$42M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jun 2021