Virtual Office Resource

A Singapore-based start-up with a delicious name has snagged $1.2 million in series A funding, which it intends to use to democratize enterprise chat tools.

The service bills itself as the “fastest, easiest, and most fun chat app you’ll ever use for work,” and it has a filling of features baked in, as it were, that are geared for ultimate usability.

Workers can start secure, encrypted group chats or send private messages—that’s the core functionality. But it also supports multiscreen workforces (chats are always in sync between a phone, tablet, Apple (News - Alert) Watch, the Web and desktop), and wraps in quite a bit of intuitive perks.

For instance, users can share photos, GIFs, videos and music inline; if someone shares a link to an image or video, Pie automatically displays the thumbnail—a bit like how Facebook (News - Alert) handles it in postings.  

Users can also share files from their devices, apps and services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box and iCloud Drive, and can access everything on any device. It wraps in search functionality, and offers “the Gallery,” designed to let users visually scroll through all shared links, photos, GIFs, videos, music and files.

Pie’s Quick Reply function offers stock answers, like “on my way,” “in a meeting,” call me” or “low battery.” On Apple Watch, these can be sent with a single tap straight from the wrist.

"We believe the real blue-ocean opportunity of enterprise messaging lies in a simple offering with the same broad appeal as popular consumer apps," said Pie co-founder Pieter Walraven.

A free version available now, but the paid version (for less than $5 per user per month) will soon launch, and will include administrator tools and features.

The Series A round was led by GREE Ventures and included participation from previous investors. The investment follows an $800,000 seed round that Pie raised in the summer of 2014.