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Convene has made an acquisition to further its ambitions to become a more complete workspace provider.
Convene, which started as an event-hosting service that has since expanded into coworking, has purchased Beco, a Boston-based firm that tracks workplace activity, Convene said in a release. Beco CEO Tom Zampini has been named Convene's chief product officer as part of the transaction.
Beco manufactures solar-powered beacons that track how many people are nearby and where they are, and has developed software to compile and analyze such data. Convene plans on using the service to better understand how to build workspaces as efficiently as possible.
“In welcoming Beco to the Convene family, we’re partnering with a forward-thinking industry leader to develop a software and data platform to deliver a better workplace experience in traditional office buildings," Convene co-founder and CEO Ryan Simonetti said.
Convene and Beco bet that data can paint a more accurate picture of worker behavior in office spaces than surveys. Amazon also has explored tracking technology to monitor employee efficiency at distribution centers, a practice that has drawn heavy criticism for potentially putting those employees under substantial stress to meet productivity benchmarks.
After launching its coworking arm at its Duane Morris Plaza location in Philadelphia, Convene has integrated coworking into some of its New York locations, as well as its newest, Brookfield-owned spaces in Los Angeles. Brookfield is also a major investor in Convene, having led a $68M Series C funding round last year.
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