Mobile work platform Roamler has secured an investment of 20 million euros. The amount will be used to gain a foothold in Germany and the UK. Companies such as Vattenfall and Eneco employ Roamler technicians for boiler maintenance and smart thermostat installation.

The money comes from Endeit Capital, SmartFin and Achmea Innovation Fund, which became Roamler shareholders in exchange for that amount. It was not stated what interest they earned. Roamler wants to use this investment not only for international expansion, but also for further development of its IT and ‘data science’ departments.

Mystery shopper

Roamler works through crowdsourcing. This means that self-employed people can register for the jobs offered on the platform whenever they want. The platform has been around for nearly ten years and was initially focused on retail, with the company working for clients such as Unilever, P&G, and Red Bull. mystery shopper used to take photos of the shop’s interior design.

Smart thermostat and central heating boiler

A new branch was added in 2016. Roamler Tech was founded together with Eneco. The collaboration started with the installation of Toon smart thermostats and expanded to boilers and central heating boilers in 2019. Currently, around 10,000 to 15,000 boilers in the Netherlands are managed by Roamler engineers, said Micha Willemse, managing director of Roamler Tech.

The collaboration with Eneco is not exclusive, emphasizes Willemse, as technicians are also involved through Roamler, including Vattenfall (Thermosmart thermostats), ANWB (home security) and Ring (doorbells).

England and Germany

The injection of funds from three new shareholders allows the company to spread its wings in the UK and Germany. Willemse: “We have already taken steps in England. In September we will start installing modems for telecom providers.” In the long term, Willemse said, maintenance of boilers and heat pumps should also be improved.

“We have not yet committed to completing boiler and heat pump installations – not even in the Netherlands. Maintenance is more suited to our services. This is a somewhat repetitive job and you can estimate the time it will take. That’s important to us.”

Shareholders

With the entry of three new shareholders in Roamler, Eneco has said goodbye to its 49% stake in Roamler Tech. This will be replaced by a 5% stake in Roamler BV, Eneco said. Management also has a stock package. PostNL is also a shareholder, but specifically in Roamler Care, a branch introduced in 2018 and focused on healthcare.