Office catering platform Thriver, formerly known as Platterz, is#nbsp;expanding its food-centric roots to#nbsp;provide culture-driven workplace programs aimed at#nbsp;driving employee engagement and promoting wellness.
"Rebranding to#nbsp;Thriver is#nbsp;a#nbsp;natural expansion for us," Eran Henig, co-founder and CEO, told Crunchbase News. "We have been piloting our wellness and meditation programs since October, and we#nbsp;thought our official expansion deserved new branding to#nbsp;support what we#nbsp;want to#nbsp;provide companies with."
Natalie Refuah, partner at#nbsp;Viola Growth, said in#nbsp;a#nbsp;written statement that Thriver is#nbsp;helping customers adapt to#nbsp;remote employees by#nbsp;offering new ways to#nbsp;engage them.
"Since its inception, Thriver has focused on#nbsp;providing software products that strengthen corporate culture. It#nbsp;started with a#nbsp;B2B marketplace of#nbsp;meal plans, and it#nbsp;now has an#nbsp;opportunity to#nbsp;fulfill its expanded vision, beyond food, by#nbsp;providing personalized culture programs and wellness experiences that will help companies maintain their unique culture, even while working from home," she said.
A#nbsp;new workplace
Since founding the company more than five years ago, Henig and Yishay Waxman, co-founder and president, were working primarily in#nbsp;North America, opening additional offices in#nbsp;Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Now armed with a#nbsp;new suite of#nbsp;professional development tools, including virtual experiences, they are ready to#nbsp;expand into Europe and other markets, Waxman said in#nbsp;an#nbsp;interview.
The new funding enables the company to#nbsp;create new workplace programs around wellness, education and teambuilding, as#nbsp;well as#nbsp;double down on#nbsp;research and development, and marketing functions. Those two areas are where the company will bring in#nbsp;additional hires over the next year, Henig said.
"What's happened during COVID-19 is#nbsp;that companies we#nbsp;are working with and signing on#nbsp;are dismantling their kitchens and boxed meal services and are asking us#nbsp;to#nbsp;help with their offices outside of#nbsp;North America," Waxman said.
In#nbsp;addition to#nbsp;the workplace programs, Thriver is#nbsp;shifting the focus of#nbsp;its "dine-in, dine-out" tools, Henig said. Its Thriver Card is#nbsp;a#nbsp;reloadable prepaid card that provides remote employees with the funds to#nbsp;pay for corporate perks and office essentials. Meanwhile, its group ordering tool that was used to#nbsp;provide daily or#nbsp;weekly workplace meals for employees and catering for meetings, is#nbsp;now helping companies feed employees safely through meal services or#nbsp;at#nbsp;grocery stores.
"It will enable employees to#nbsp;transfer their dining allowances to#nbsp;go#nbsp;out, buy groceries or#nbsp;invest in#nbsp;programs, such as#nbsp;group fitness, cooking classes or#nbsp;mental health sessions," he#nbsp;added.
Published by Crunchbase#nbsp;— on#nbsp;August 6, 2020