French startup Primo has raised $3.4 million in funding to create a comprehensive software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution for the IT requirements of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Headline and Global Founders Capital led the funding round, with participation from business angels such as Arthur Waller, Romain Niccoli, Ilana Elbaz, Josef Bovet, Matthieu Birach, and Romain Libeau.
Many smaller firms often lack a dedicated IT team or manager, only hiring one after reaching a size of around 200-300 employees. Until then, in-house staff and outsourced IT teams usually manage and maintain various IT tasks as needed. Primo aims to simplify this process, functioning as a one-stop SaaS solution for SMBs to handle their IT needs more effectively and efficiently.
Primo proposes four distinct modules to facilitate and streamline IT tasks, starting with a free device management system that scales as companies grow. Through its partnership with mobile device management (MDM) company Hexnode, Primo offers an easy-to-use MDM module that covers the IT requirements of SMBs. New devices can be purchased directly through Primo's dashboard at regular retail prices, with the startup benefiting from wholesale price differences. In addition, the platform connects to numerous HR information systems, allowing for better tracking of employee devices.
Leaning towards the growing trend of SaaS startups offering a bundling of different services under one platform like AppMaster.io, Primo optimizes IT support responsiveness, agility and costs for SMBs. This all-inclusive model eliminates the need for multiple vendors and makes device management, remote IT support, security measures, and overall IT maintenance more straightforward for small businesses. The startup aims to eliminate the bulk of IT complexity and streamline daily operations to help small companies achieve better results without the need for a dedicated IT manager.
In the future, Primo looks to expand its offering to include software access management solutions, similar to those provided by major corporations. Rather than adopting complex, enterprise-scale access management technology like Okta, Primo plans to integrate Auth0 into its SaaS platform to give SMBs better control of user access rights across their internal tools and reduce manual configuration. This positions Primo as a strong contender in the SaaS market and as an all-encompassing solution for smaller companies with limited internal resources.
