Keel

Keel, established in 2022, provides a customizable operations platform for businesses finding off-the-shelf tools and spreadsheets too restrictive for their scaling needs. The company was founded by Benoit Machefer, Tom Frew, and Jon Bretman, the former CEO, CTO, and Head of Product, respectively, of Echo, an online pharmacy that grew to $80 million in revenue and was acquired. Their experience at Echo, where they had to build a suite of custom software to manage complex logistics and scale operations, directly informed Keel's mission. They realized that while custom-built tools provide a significant operational advantage, most operations teams lack the dedicated engineering resources to create them.

Keel positions itself as a solution that bridges the gap between inflexible no-code platforms and monolithic Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. The platform is designed for technically-minded operations professionals, allowing them to build custom software solutions without extensive engineering support. It features a backend engine, API-first solutions, and auto-generated administrative tools. This allows clients to tackle specific operational problems one at a time—such as inventory management, driver shift scheduling, or payroll—while integrating with their existing third-party software. This modular approach differentiates Keel from traditional ERP systems that often require a costly and lengthy all-or-nothing implementation. The platform is open-source and built to be easily extendable by engineers when more complex customization is required, ensuring it can scale with a company's growth.

In late 2024, the London-based startup announced it had secured $6 million in a seed funding round led by Earlybird Venture Capital and LocalGlobe. This capital is intended to further develop the platform, with a focus on enhancing user experience and adding new features, as well as expanding the team and its customer base. Keel primarily targets growing, tech-enabled businesses with significant physical operations, such as those in logistics and e-commerce.

Keywords: operations platform, custom internal tools, no-code development, low-code platform, ERP alternative, business process management, workflow automation, operational software, internal tooling, API-first, open-source business software, backend for business apps, operations management, inventory management software, logistics software, tech-enabled operations, operator tools, business software development, custom workflows, scalable operations