Photo source: Vestbee
Volta, a newly established startup operating from dual headquarters in Milan and Paris, has successfully raised €6 million (approximately NZD$10.8 million) in its pre-seed funding round.
The investment is for the purpose of developing a novel vertical software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform tailored for business-to-business (B2B) sales.
The Volta team describes their offering as akin to Shopify but specifically designed for B2B transactions. While Shopify is renowned for enabling individuals to set up online stores and sell products to consumers, it also provides a B2B commerce solution. However, Volta believes that there is merit in launching a platform exclusively dedicated to B2B transactions.
As highlighted by Volta, many mid-sized wholesale and distribution firms across Europe continue to rely on traditional paper catalogues and manual order processing methods. During trade shows or client meetings, these businesses often find themselves managing multiple versions of their catalogues, as they prefer not to present the same items or pricing to every client based on the specific context.
To address this challenge, Volta aims to streamline the catalogue management process without seeking to replace existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Once a purchase order is finalised, the transaction will be processed through the ERP, while all pre-transaction activities can be managed via Volta.
Companies can easily upload their current catalogues from Excel files or their ERP systems, making sure that the column taxonomy is accurate before importing data into Volta.
Following this setup, employees can generate catalogues using Volta’s user-friendly interface, share them with prospective clients, monitor ongoing negotiations, and modify orders as needed. Importantly, pricing and inventory information will remain synchronised with the ERP system.
“The B2C sector has evolved rapidly, with digital platforms replacing paper catalogues and delivering integrated e-commerce solutions. Meanwhile, B2B operations have lagged nearly 15 years behind, still bogged down by outdated, manual processes,” stated Paul Guillemin, co-founder and co-CEO of Volta.
Additionally, Volta facilitates customer management directly through its platform. Users can create profiles for companies, categorise clients, and group them accordingly.
Guillemin previously founded Fretlink, a road freight transport startup that raised substantial funds but ultimately did not achieve expected growth and underwent court-ordered liquidation following bankruptcy proceedings.
His co-founder Mario Parteli has a rich background in technology and entrepreneurship, having founded Abiby—a subscription service for cosmetics—and spent 15 years in various tech roles at companies like Facile.it and Rocket Internet. Together, they aim to make a significant impact with Volta.
Looking ahead, Volta envisions expanding its product offerings and features to better serve mid-sized wholesale and distribution businesses. Potential improvements could include logistics integrations and financing options.
The goal is for companies that adopt Volta to recognise the advantages of managing catalogues within a SaaS environment and subsequently utilise additional features offered by the platform.