Ex-Uber exec launches virtual office Teamflow

Meet San Francisco,CA-based start-up Crivello Technologies Corp which has introduced its collaboration platform Teamflow. Teamflow has recently emerged from stealth as an all-in-one virtual office to help remote teams collaborate, have fun and build culture – just like being in the office again.

Teamflow uses a spatial interface that taps into our deep human instincts for social interactions. Before the pandemic, we could just wander over to someone's desk to day hi.

Now, you need to open a tool like Slack, or Teams chat, search for their name, or send a Teams/Zoom link, and wait for the response before being able to have a conversation with them.

Teamflow uses a virtual office for remote teams. Users can see themselves and their colleagues in a video bubble on a virtual floor plan.

You can move that bubble around the virtual floor plan, and to chat with someone, drag your bubble over, and start talking. Spatial audio means that you can only hear the conversations of the people you are near – no noise from the whole organisation.

You can also invoke apps such as whiteboard and notes in a conversation so that people can use them in the conversation. All of the apps you need are collated in one place.

Usefully you can also create context-relevant meeting rooms which have persistent apps connected to the room which will still be there the next time you join. Rooms are customisable so that you can feel that you really do have your own space.

The start-up has launched with $3.9 million in seed funding from Menlo Ventures, Other investors include Abstract, Elad Gil and Ron Conway's SV Angel. Teamflow will use the funding to grow its team and build its product.

Florent Crivello, ex-Uber exec founder and CEO of Teamflow said: "Remote work is missing the joy, energy and fluidity of in-person interactions. But there's more to a virtual office than spontaneity — it needs to improve serious, scheduled meetings too."

Teamflow pricing starts at $15 per seat per month for small teams and collaboration, and $25 per seat per month billed annually for businesses.

30-Day free trials are also available. You can sign up on Teamflow's waitlist and the product will be rolled out over the next few weeks.

with 82% of business leaders letting employees continue to work from home, it's clear that remote working is here to stay. Teamflow could be an option for a better solution for collaboration and to combat loneliness and isolation at work.

After so long working from home, people do miss the interaction and casual conversations that a trip to the water cooler could bring.

Teamflow tries to bridge the gap from the environment we used to enjoy and brings spontaneity into the new working workforce environment.

Hopefully having those water cooler moments could improve your productivity and bring back some of the zing you used to feel about office life.