Keel funding news – London-based Keel Secures $6 Million in Seed Funding

Struggle of trio

Operations often struggle with a significant gap between no-code solutions and ERP systems. As agile operations teams outgrow their initial spreadsheets and no-code stacks. They often have to choose between using complicated ERP systems.

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Building custom solutions from scratch is often impractical due to limited engineering resources focused on operational challenges. Existing platforms from companies like Oracle, SAP, and NetSuite offer one-size-fits-all proprietary software with restricted customization options.

This all-or-nothing approach results in lengthy and costly implementations leaving businesses with rigid systems that hinder productivity and responsiveness to new challenges.

Benoit Machefer, co-founder and CEO, explains, "Many companies still rely heavily on spreadsheets or off-the-shelf tools that cover 80% of their needs. The remaining 20% requires significant workarounds, leading teams to spend more time fixing broken tools rather than focusing on value-added tasks."

Challenges

With Keel operators get a clear understanding of their specific challenges. They can easily start building customized solutions upskilling themselves in software development and leveraging best engineering practices to create robust systems that surpass legacy ERP offerings. The platform has seen significant traction in physical operations, such as inventory management, logistics, shift management, and driver payroll.

Murvah Iqbal, CEO of HIVED, stated, “The best aspect of Keel is that a member of our ops team has been able to develop the system themselves, ensuring that the person closest to the problem also owns the solution.”

Advantages of Keel

Keel's platform offers multiple advantages including a backend engine, API-first solutions and auto-generated admin tools. It is open-source, providing an exceptional developer experience that allows technical operators to get started easily while enabling engineers to offer support as needed.

Earlybird Partner Dr. Andre Retterath remarked, “We recognized something extraordinary in this team and the vast market they are addressing with a customizable solution. To disrupt this market with a more operationally-focused product, you need a team that has built and scaled ops-centric organizations, which we found in Benoit, Tom, and Jon. We are proud to support them from day one.”

The fundraising will improve the platform’s user experience, helping Keel attract more businesses that want to avoid the difficulties of traditional ERP systems.

About Keel

Founded in 2022 by Benoit Machefer, Tom Frew, and Jon Bretman—who experienced the frustrations of inadequate off-the-shelf software while at Echo, Europe’s fastest-growing online pharmacy—Keel provides operators with the benefits of custom software without needing a dedicated engineering team. By providing operations teams with great tools, Keel helps them achieve high-quality results regularly.