London-based startup Sticky, which provides a no-code operating system, just secured significant funding to revolutionize physical spaces and enhance customer experiences.
Specializing in optimizing physical spaces, Sticky has successfully raised €17 million in seed funding. Led by prominent UK venture investors, Praetura Ventures, with support from Cornerstone VC and follow-on funding from SFC Capital and new angel investors, this funding round positions Sticky to expand its customer base across the global leisure and retail markets.
In an era where maximizing revenue without increasing expenses is crucial for both sectors, Sticky offers a transformative solution for leisure and retail businesses. By leveraging NFC stickers, branded as “stickies,” and their no-code operating system, Sticky enables businesses to streamline interactions and payments, reducing them to a mere 10 seconds or less. With the ability to create “flows” for various tasks within physical spaces, such as easy payments, Sticky empowers businesses to increase efficiency, revenue, and customer satisfaction.
Sticky, which was founded in 2019 has already amassed over one million consumer “taps” and establishing partnerships in the charity, fitness, access-to-work, and live events sectors. The recent seed will allow them to further develop its partner ecosystem and solidify its position as the go-to solution for leisure and retail establishments.
James Garner, co-founder of Sticky, emphasized the great potential of their technology. Stating, “At Sticky, we view physical spaces as valuable assets that can generate substantial revenue. Our no-code, low-code solution facilitates rapid innovation, empowering businesses to optimize their physical spaces and boost profitability with a simple tap.“
Research shows that 41% of consumers are willing to pay more for products that offer quick and convenient purchase experiences. By bridging the online-offline divide and making physical spaces engaging and profitable, Sticky provides businesses with an edge in today’s competitive market.
Priscilla Israel, Co-founder of Sticky, highlighted the user-friendly nature of their technology. She explained, “Tapping a sticky is as simple as making a contactless payment. There’s no need for cameras, high connectivity, or data entry, which often introduces friction for businesses relying on QR codes, apps, or card machines. With our technology, customers can complete interactions and payments effortlessly, significantly enhancing the speed of service and overall customer satisfaction.“
Sticky’s technology enables businesses to up-sell and cross-sell seamlessly, reducing the challenges commonly associated with traditional in-store technology. Window shopping, for instance, takes on a new dimension as shops can accept payments through the window using this technology. Moreover, each sticky possesses its own distinct characteristics, allowing businesses to track each sticky’s performance and accurately measure return on investment.
Rodney Appiah, Managing Partner at Cornerstone VC, said: “Sticky’s innovative platform brings the rich functionality and customer experience of low-code platforms to physical spaces. Its remote configurability, ease of use and reliability in low connectivity environments lowers the barriers to digital adoption for a range of businesses and provides a versatile toolkit to drive customer engagement, retention and revenue. We’re delighted to support James and Priscilla on this journey and look forward to working with them both and the other investors in this round as the business scales.”
