The Barcelona-based firm Zinklar, specialized in market research, will attract new talent and accelerate the internationalization of its platform based on automation and data analysis thanks to the resources it has just obtained in a new financing round, about 5.5 million euros.
Caixa Capital Risc has been the main investor in the round with 1.7 million euros. A significant part of this amount comes from Criteria Venture Tech, Caixa Capital Risc's new investment fund, whose objective is to invest in B2B technology firms ---commercial transactions between companies--- to improve business efficiency and performance.
The operation has also allowed the entry of the British fund Beacon Capital, Easo Ventures, Full Global Investments, and CDTI Innvierte. These investors have joined Inveready and Sabadell VC, and Caixa Capital Risc itself, which has invested more than 2 million euros in this project since 2017.
Founded in Barcelona in 2016 by Jordi Ferrer (with experience at Kantar, one of the main international data managers) and Borja Ormaechea (former marketing manager at Groupe SEB), Zinklar has become a market research platform aimed at companies to connect their brands with consumers.
After six years, the portal's interface allows access to 140 million consumers in more than 80 markets. Now, it wants to focus especially on the United States. Its automation and the use of Big Data make it possible to develop highly specific segmentations that provide companies with tools to drive more effective advertising campaigns and increase brand value, to name a few uses.
The capital injection that will accompany growth will also allow the incorporation of new talent and the doubling of the workforce, currently made up of 60 people, by the end of the year. Based in Barcelona, the company has offices in New York, London, and Mexico City.
Thisstartupis a valuable disruptive company backed by multinational clients from very diverse sectors," states Xavier Álvarez, director of Caixa Capital Risc's Tech funds, referring to Zinklar's portfolio of over 300 clients: Reckitt, Puig, Hershey's, Panasonic, CaixaBank, Uber, Body Shop, Bayer, Disney, and AT&T, among others.
Brands in the food and beverage sector have been the most affected by changes in consumer habits. ©Nathália Rosa
The business promoters also plan to develop new tools for the platform, providing new research solutions and strengthening its analytical capacity to meet the needs of the most advanced users.
The platform will develop new research solutions and strengthen its analytical capacityBorja Ormaechea explains that "Zinklar has helped hundreds of businesses adapt their products, brands, and advertising campaigns to the changing needs of consumers," and even more so now in the post-pandemic stage where societal habits have substantially changed. According to the latest report by Zinklar with data from France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States,54% of consumers report having changed their eating and drinking habits since the pandemic began, with health and wellness as the driver of change.11% say the level of change has been significant.
The technological improvements that the startup team will apply "will allow our clients to use Zinklar more frequently and new companies to discover a tool that, without a doubt, will become an indispensable part of their decision-making processes. The democratization of access to insights represents a golden opportunity to create greater value for consumers, our clients, and our shareholders," said the company's co-founder.
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