Exploring the 2020 Future of Work Sector

H1 Deep Dive on the Global Future of Work Sector Landscape

Last month, we published the first edition of our industry reports, diving into the Digital Health sector. As a continuation of the series, White Star Capital is proud to share our second report, exploring the investment landscape for the Future of Work sector. This report frames the industry from a global perspective, reviewing historical North American dominance while pointing to promising growth across Europe and Asia.

At White Star Capital, our Future of Work portfolio includes startups such as Spatial, a NY-based provider of Virtual and Augmented Reality collaboration software allowing remote teams to work together; Klaxoon, France’s leading collective intelligence and engagement platform that raised a $50 million Series B in late 2018; and Mindsay, a communication platform using AI to automate customer engagement channels.

As a result of the recent COVID-19 crisis, the business world has been forced to shift to virtual collaboration and new communication tools. Our report details which trends we expect to have staying power after the global workforce returns back to the office, and some of the challenges these emerging platforms might face. The report also highlights several other key insights on the sector, such as:

• Aided by security and latency improvements, and a surge in demand due to COVID-19, Virtual and Augmented Reality are seeing a new wave of venture capital activity
• VC activity in Q1 2020 grew 60% when compared to Q1 2019 ($3.2bn vs. $2.0bn invested)
• 93% of the 27 global Future of Work unicorns, including Zoom and Slack, are North American-based, but Europe and Asia have seen an increase in mega-rounds (> $50m) in recent years, with companies like Klaxoon leading the charge
• Given increased investor interest, valuations are increasing across all regions, with Asian deals experiencing the largest spikes, including Series B round valuations that have increased 251% on average since 2014

We work with and support Future of Work startups across the globe and we look forward to continuing investing in the sector’s most promising companies.

Please have a read and share widely!

If you have any questions or feedback on our report, please email karolina@whitestarcapital.com

About White Star Capital

White Star Capital is a global multi-stage technology investment platform that invests in exceptional entrepreneurs building ambitious, international businesses. Operating out of New York, London, Paris, Montreal, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, our presence, perspective, and people enable us to partner closely with our Founders to help them scale internationally from Series A onwards.

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