Huggg
Corporate gifting and recognition platform for employees.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor | €0.0 | round |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | £800k | Seed | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Huggg is a corporate gifting platform designed to simplify and scale employee and client recognition. The company was founded in Bristol, United Kingdom, in 2015 by Paul Wickers, who transitioned from a 13-year career in corporate and leveraged finance to entrepreneurship. Wickers developed the initial consumer-focused app concept in his spare time, inspired by the idea of digitally sending a tangible gift like a coffee, before leaving his banking job in 2016 to focus on the venture full-time.
The business initially launched in 2017 as a consumer app for sending treats like coffee and cake from independent shops in Bristol. Observing that most usage was in a work context, the company pivoted to a B2B model, securing its first national partner, Caffè Nero, in 2019. The platform now enables businesses to send personalized gifts and rewards to individuals or teams at scale without needing the recipient's physical address, sharing them via a simple link. This model streamlines the process, offering gifts from partners like Greggs, Hotel Chocolat, and Lush, as well as options for recipients to choose their own gift.
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a significant evolution. With hospitality venues closed, Huggg rapidly adapted its model to an e-commerce platform with deliverable physical goods for remote teams. This led to the development of a B2G (Business-to-Government) arm, creating a system for local authorities and charities to distribute retail and cash vouchers for essentials like groceries and energy bills to vulnerable people. The business model operates on a freemium basis, with a free pay-as-you-go option and subscription-based 'Plus' and 'Pro' tiers that offer advanced features like bulk sending, company branding, and detailed reporting.
Keywords: corporate gifting, employee recognition, client rewards, digital vouchers, employee engagement, B2B platform, HR technology, rewards platform, employee experience, team appreciation, thoughtful gifting, gift automation, workplace culture, remote teams, customer loyalty, Paul Wickers