Our established work patterns have long been a relic of the Industrialized Era. In my opinion, the shift to an increasingly hybrid work model was long delayed because those in power felt more comfortable with a hierarchical, control-based model. Regardless of that preference, the impact of the last two years, and the resulting Great Resignation, has completely transformed the work paradigm as 64% of people would rather quit their jobs than return to office full-time (source: ADP Research Institute). Kettle powers hybrid work and solves its top challenges: connection (or lack thereof), collaboration, and culture.
My investment in Kettle is based on the emergence of a massive new market opportunity combined with an extraordinary founding team (talent, diverse skills, work ethic, etc.) with a uniquely differentiated vision of where the world of work is going. As far as the team, I have never backed a harder working, more resilient or nimbler founding team than Nick, Dan, and Ryan. As far as unique vision, Kettle’s product is people-centric whereas the closest competitive products are asset-centric (think utilization of a desk, office, etc.). While Kettle addresses space utilization, its vision and ethos is to help connect and empower people to do their best work on their own terms. This means being the platform that makes connecting and collaborating with colleagues in-person effortless in the more challenging context of our new hybrid reality.