Brightpearl (previously Pearl), the cloud-based software suite for SMEs, has raised a $1.5 million funding round from Eden Ventures and Notion Capital.
The UK startup will use the new investment to support its “global expansion”, having already picked up customers for its offering, which integrates accounting, CRM, order and stock management, e-commerce and help desk functionality, in countries as far ranging as China, India, South Africa, Spain and the United States.
Brightpearl’s pitch to SMEs is that its cloud-based and modular approach produces “significant time savings in management and administration”, therefore reducing the overall cost of running a business. The idea was born out of founder and “serial entrepreneur” Chris Tanner’s own frustration when running his first startup – a Skateboard manufacturer – where he directly experienced the challenge of co-ordinating multiple systems. Brightpearl was founded in 2007 with the aim of enabling business owners to focus on “running their businesses and not on integrating their information system”, says Tanner.
The Software-as-a-Service is a paid-for offering (after a free trial), although its modular approach means that customers only pay for the functionality they need, as well as being charged per-user so that they can scale and downsize as and when required. Obviously, if the company grows, however, so could the cost of a Brightpearl subscription. The system also ties in with third-party web services such as Gmail, Google Apps, MailChimp and others.