Tyneside volunteering app onHand has secured a £750,000 investment to help companies to improve their corporate responsibilities through its social impact platform.
The onHand app was launched five years ago by Sanjay Lobo and has been described as ‘Uber for volunteering’, offering firms a way to engage and support employee wellbeing. It has been used by a number of businesses around the Ƶ to help employees complete thousands of sessions to help local communities.
Now Northstar Ventures has led a £750,000 investment round into the social impact platform, with £325,000 invested by the North East Innovation Fund supported by the European Regional Development Fund and £175,000 from Northstar’s EIS Growth Fund, alongside investment by 24 Haymarket. Total investment in OnHand to date now tops over £5m, including two lots of backing from Shazam’s co-founder Dhiraj Mukherjee.
Since Northstar Ventures’ initial investment in 2021, the business said it has acquired a diverse array of clients and it has just scooped 22nd place on Deloitte’s Fast50 of fastest growing tech businesses for 2024. CEO and founder Sanjay Lobo recently appointed CFO Will Turner, a proven expert in scaling SaaS metrics, having played a key role in growing Amplience from £3m to £25m in annual recurring revenue.
Mr Lobo said: “Delighted to have the continued support of Northstar Ventures, who invested in OnHand at such an early stage, and 24 Haymarket following their initial investment. The next stage for us is helping even more enterprise businesses deliver incredible social impact in their local communities and building a culture of purpose at work.”
Naomi Allen Seales, investment manager at Northstar Ventures, said: “It’s no surprise that OnHand is thriving, thanks to their exceptional leadership team. Our investment will support technical improvements to enhance the platform’s gamification and expand user options even further. It will also help the company achieve their ambition of breaking into the enterprise market. We are thrilled to support such an exciting, innovative company, as we recognise the value of corporate volunteering.”
James Campin, investment associate at 24 Haymarket, added: “‘We are delighted to continue to support OnHand as it scales into enterprise and grows its reach and impact with those in need.”
