Member Article

Operations management app Trail raises six-figure funding with Seedcamp backing

London-based Trail, the hospitality management app, has announced it has raised £900k in what it has described as ‘late seed’ funding with backing coming from some big names.

Global Founders Capital, Seedcamp and ex-Gondola Chief Financial Officer Nick Carter have all contributed to the round in the tech firm which aims to help hospitality staff streaming their operations and processes.

The app, which already counts the likes of Enterprise Inn and Asian fast-service restaurant Itsu among its clients, aims to bring hospitality management into the 21st century with its checklisting feature for teams and suite of auditing and data tools helping hospitality firms do away with paperwork.

Commenting on the inspiration behind the app, Joe Cripps, who is Managing Director, explained that he and his management team, which also includes Will Grace and Ian Fuller, are ‘passionate’ about revolutionising an industry that is often reluctant to embrace change.

He said: “Currently, operators are doing the best they can with the tools they have available in the marketplace, but to be honest, what is available was designed over 20 years ago.

“The hospitality sector is the UK’s fourth biggest industry in employment terms. However, operators are facing major challenges in today’s marketplace with high employment turnover often averaging 120%.

“New employees and growth bring challenges to Operations Managers, who rely on paper and email to manage tasks. We want to help hospitality operators streamline their businesses to ensure their teams work much smarter, whilst also being compliant.”

Trail is looking to use this new investment to spread its net further as it starts targeting multi-site operators such as coffee shops and restaurants as it eyes a greater market share.

The team also have plans to improve its user platform and expand its team to support the app’s growth plans.

“We want to help hospitality operators streamline their businesses to ensure their teams work much smarter, whilst also being compliant,” Nick added.