Surge in customer demand across Europe and Asia accelerates global expansion strategy and new hires
London. Hong Kong. Shanghai. – Movvo, the monetisation platform for location intelligence has opened a UK headquarters in London and Asian offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. These actions serve to meet demand for Movvo’s products and services and continue its global expansion.
Movvo has been based in Porto, Portugal, where it was founded in 2009 by three researchers from Oporto University. The company has grown exponentially since then and currently employs 38 people in a burgeoning tech team. These employees will remain in Porto, where the majority of the company’s technology innovation will continue.
The new London office will house a senior strategy team with experience from across the big data, technology and real estate sectors, while the Hong Kong and Shanghai offices will both be base for the new sales teams, and also house the local support and delivery teams. Yannick Kennel – who joins Movvo as General Manager, Asia Pacific – will head up the Hong Kong and Shanghai offices and oversee the company’s expansion in that region.
The move is being overseen by CEO Cyrus Gilbert-Rolfe, who was appointed in November to spearhead Movvo’s ambitious global expansion plans, and position the company to take advantage of the expanding demand for live location intelligence data across a host of industries.
Speaking about the expansion, Gilbert- Rolfe said: “Movvo has spent the last few years developing the best technology available in the market today, which has been tried, tested and deployed by some of the great brands in retail and real estate. These moves to the UK and Asia are the first steps in our plans to address the global market, specifically in Europe, Asia Pacific and the US.”
“Our team in Porto is exceptionally talented and will continue to grow and remain as Movvo’s heartbeat. The new offices will complement our home in Porto, and house new, experienced; senior recruits from the European and Asian business ecosystems. Yannick is the first hire in this new direction and brings an array of experience in numerous global markets over the last 20 years.”
Commenting on his new position, Kennel said: “I’m exceptionally excited about joining Movvo – a company I believe has infinite potential and a fantastic reputation. Asia Pacific is at the forefront of technological adoption, so the opportunity to bring an offering such as Movvo’s, which is live and accurate to 1m2, is something I’m relishing.”
About Movvo
Movvo’s innovative technology detects mobile device signals with ground-breaking accuracy, enabling businesses to digitally map consumers’ behaviour in physical spaces, from shopping districts to city centres to entertainment venues. Movvo extends other analytics platforms by providing a live view of everyone, with the ability to communicate directly to customers.
Founded in 2009 by three researches from Oporto University, the company has grown exponentially, with 39 people currently employed in Porto and London. Its customer base includes Sonae Sierra, SportZone, Telefónica, Steen & Strom, and Renault.
Movvo was initial funding by Portuguese government and MIT grants but raised €1.6 million in October 2014 in a series A funding round, led by Caixa Capital and Sonae E. Ventures.
