Fueling Work Flexibility: Pluria Receives €2 Million Investment

In May 2023, Pluria, a startup founded by IE alumnus Andrei Cretu along with his business partner, Gabriela Draghia, received a €2 million investment lead by Eleven Ventures, a prominent early-stage venture capital firm in Southeast Europe.

Pluria is a B2B platform that addresses the increasing demand for work flexibility. It provides a single interface for companies with distributed teams, enabling them to leverage flexible workspaces and collaborate effectively, regardless of their location.

“So, as organizations are becoming more distributed, we are giving them the distributed workplace that they need, migrating from a fixed central office to a tech solution that allows users to access locations close to where they live,” said Cretu.

Cretu completed the executive course on Venture Capital within the framework of life-long learning programs at IE Business School. For him, higher education represents more than just continued studies. Cretu believes that a university degree helps to create the “Next Best You” and brings together intelligent individuals who keep you grounded and help you realize the vastness of the unknown.

“It is really important to bring smart people together. It lifts you up and motivates you. I get a lot of pleasure from learning something every day,” said the founder.

Cretu's educational background played a significant role in the success of his previous venture, 7card, a company offering B2B gym solutions. 7card experienced substantial growth and was eventually acquired by Sodexo, a French employee benefits and rewards company. This experience, along with Cretu's connections with HR professionals facing challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, inspired the idea for Pluria. He witnessed the difficulties faced by traditionally centralized companies when transitioning to remote work and realized that he can make a real social impact.

“I’ve seen these pain points in the market, and it clicked with the business model of corporate subscription that I used to do for ten years. So, I thought ‘what if I do that with the network of flexible workspaces?’,” explained Cretu.

Within its first year, Pluria established partnerships with coworking spaces in Romania and Colombia. The latter may seem unexpected, but according to Cretu, Colombia has tremendous potential for Pluria.

“I felt that the pain point that we are solving is bigger there, in Colombia, because US is hiring a lot of remote (employees) in the same time zone. It is a remote hiring corridor,” said the founder.

Now, three years after its inception, Pluria has experienced exceptional growth, surpassing expectations with over 150 companies actively utilizing its subscription services. These satisfied clients have consistently left positive reviews, praising the platform's ability to enhance work flexibility and facilitate seamless collaboration among distributed teams.

“We see Pluria as a very cool extension of the hybrid work environment. Being able to move your office where you need it, like to a more central area, is very efficient,” said Cristian Tudor, Founder & General Manager at Microgreens.

Cretu also takes huge pride in the simultaneous diversity and unity of the 25 people working in Pluria. Half of team is located in Europe, another half works in Latin America, and some employees are scattered around the world.

“Being so distributed but at the same time feeling so united for me is like an incredible satisfaction and milestone,” said Cretu.

Now, three years after its inception, Pluria has secured €2 million in funding from various venture capital firms. The company has come a long way, with Cretu admitting to facing numerous rejections before receiving the much-awaited "yes." He learned the importance of building a trusting relationship with potential investors, opting for face-to-face meetings over virtual calls and providing regular updates on the company's progress rather than simple outreach efforts. These endeavors eventually connected him to substantial financial resources.

With access to larger funding and over 150 companies using Pluria’s services, the startup aims to consolidate its presence in Latin America and develop personalized features that will tailor the platform depending on the user’s organization.