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Dundee tech firm to double headcount for second year running

The Dundee firm hopes a move to new offices will help it attract staff in a "competitive market".

Optimove boss Pini Yakuel and Mark Petrie, one of the Kumulos co-founders, Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.
Optimove boss Pini Yakuel and Mark Petrie, one of the Kumulos co-founders, Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

A tech company that doubled its headcount after it acquired a Dundee firm last summer plans to repeat the feat this year.

Kumulos, the Dundee app messaging and management platform, was acquired last year by Optimove for an undisclosed sum.

And since the takeover, Optimove has doubled its Dundee headcount

Mark Petrie, one of the co-founders of Kumulos, said: “It’s just over a year since the acquisition and it’s been absolutely fantastic.

“Optimove is a company that is growing. Worldwide it hired about 200 people and has 400 employees worldwide.

“We hired eight new staff in Dundee to bring us up to 15.”

And the company plans to double its Dundee headcount again before the end of the year.

New Dundee office to help attract staff

The firm has also recently moved into new offices at The Flour Mill on Exchange Street.

Mr Petrie, who is now director of research and development, hopes that will help it to attract people amid a shortage of tech workers.

He added: “We’ve got 10 open positions at the moment.

“We’ve just moved to new offices at the Flour Mill which gives us much more space. It’s also a much better quality space.

“The company is really committed to Dundee and the new offices were a big investment by them.

“Finding people is the biggest challenge for us. We know they’re in the area but it’s a competitive market.

Optimove staff at work in the new Dundee office. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

“That was part of the reason for the move in office – to make sure it’s an environment people want to work in.

“The new positions will bring us up to 25 staff here.”

Mr Petrie said while the business is continuing to grow, it has faced challenges over the past year.

“We’re in a very fortunate position in the current economic climate that we are still growing,” he said.

“One of the things we’ve been keen on through the Kumulos acquisition – and we also acquired another company last year – is to bring that start-up thinking to Optimove.

Optimove staff at work in the new Dundee office. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

“We wanted to try and bring the best of both technologies and both cultures.

“It all seems to be going well.”

Dundee ‘extremely important’ says Optimove boss

Mr Petrie also outlined the firm’s plans to grow its digital experience platform.

It offers clients – including Bet365 and Papa John’s – a personalised experience to their customers.

He said: “Optimove have got a clear idea of who we are and who we want to work with.

“We’re a customer-led marketing platform. By that, we mean that brands who put their customers first gain that customer’s loyalty for life.

“A huge part of that is our digital experience platform. Consumers expect a first-class tailored experience.

Mark Petrie believes the future for Optimove in Dundee is bright. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

“There’s been huge developments in artificial intelligence and here in Dundee we’re building on that.

“We want to put that capability in the hands of the brands we work for so they can offer a personalised service.”

Pini Yakuel, who founded Optimove in 2009, said the city is “extremely important” to the business.”

While admitting he knew little about the city before discovering Kumulos, he added: “In tech it’s all about the quality of your product so development is so important.

“I think it’s working very well.”

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