Zoom to acquire Cork firm Workvivo

Employee communications company was founded in 2017 by John Goulding and Joe Lennon

John Goulding CEO and Joe Lennon CTO founded Workvivo in 2017. Picture Clare Keogh

Cork employee communications firm Workvivo is to be acquired by US tech company Zoom.

In an announcement today, the video platform giant said it would incorporate Workvivo into its existing platform.

Workvivo was founded in 2017 by John Goulding and Joe Lennon. The tech firm provides software that allows workers to engage and connect with each other. 

Workvivo's customers include Ryanair, Liberty Mutual, Lululemon, Madison Square Garden and Wynn Resorts.

Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed. In their most recent accounts filed with the Companies Registration Office, Workvivo reported a turnover of €6.4m for 2021, a significant increase on the €1.5m reported in 2020.

Headquartered in Douglas, Cork, Workvivo also has offices in Boston, London and Dublin. It currently has a workforce of 140.

The transaction with Zoom is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 with John Goulding and Joe Lennon remaining in their current roles.

Zoom founder Eric Yuan was an early backer of Workvivo. Zoom now plans to incorporate Workvivo’s capabilities into its platform as it evolves into a unified communications platform.

CEO of Workvivo John Goulding and owner of Zoom Eric Yuan.

Both Zoom and Workvivo experienced a significant boost in demand for their services when the covid pandemic saw huge numbers of employees worldwide working from home. Services that allow for employee communication such as meetings were in particular demand.

“We are excited to welcome the Workvivo team to Zoom. The power of Workvivo employee experience platform, with its robust communications and engagement offering combined with Zoom’s all-in-one collaboration platform, allows organizations to fully unlock the potential of their employees and evolve their company culture,” said Kelly Steckelberg, chief financial officer at Zoom.

“Workvivo has set the standard for employee communications, helping businesses reach and engage millions of employees worldwide. Workvivo prioritizes ease-of-use and simplicity of design, offering the best user experience which is a perfect match to Zoom’s DNA.”

“Zoom’s rapid pace of innovation and the persistent dedication to building products with a human-first mindset is why we are most excited about joining the team,” said John Goulding, CEO and co-founder at Workvivo. 

“Our platform replaces outdated, clunky, internal communications tools with a vibrant, familiar social experience, and has a proven history of unparalleled levels of adoption. With Zoom, we can build great things together, make teamwork more meaningful, and extend collaboration beyond knowledge workers, allowing us to reach employees who have historically felt disconnected from the company.”