London-based SaaS startup Sideways 6 closes £500,000 Seed

Sideways 6, a tech startup based in London, has raised £500,000 in Seed funding from investors including Brent Hoberman and the 24 Haymarket group.

The ‘innovation management’ firm provides clients with the means to gather and capitalise on employees’ ideas and feedback, allowing businesses to grow and strengthen staff relationships.

Sideways 6 plans to use the new funding to build its potential customer reach, employ new staff and further its overall business development.

Founder Will Read said: “We’ve already seen a lot of interest from large companies who are committed to listening to their employees and employees that are really enthusiastic about having their voice heard, too.

“This latest funding serves as a fantastic platform for future growth and will enable us to attract the very best people for some of the senior roles we are now recruiting for.”

Rather than offering a specialised app for customers, the tech startup focuses on using pre-established software such as Microsoft Yammer and work email accounts depending on clients’ preferences.S

The firm claims this strategy has provided customers such as British Airways, BP, British Gas and Virgin Trains with up to 10 ten times more employee engagement than what Sideways 6’s competitors currently offer.

“Sideways 6 was the natural choice for us,” said Drew McMillan, head of innovation at Virgin Trains. “I consider the team as strategic partners in our drive to be even more innovative as a business, and I’m delighted with the results thus far.”