Klaxoon enters US and launches next-gen meetings workshop platform for hybrid work

Workshop collaboration company Klaxoon has announced the opening of a US headquarters while at the same time offering a preview of what it says will be the world’s first all-in-one virtual collaborative meeting workshop platform, enabling companies to blend in-person and remote work with asynchronous, persistent and flexible platforms.

Founded in 2015, Klaxoon claims to be the first cloud workshop platform that brings together previously disparate functions into one “cohesive” platform to support the hybrid models on which future work will be based, including a virtual whiteboard, surveys, memos, plus video and audio. The firm believes now is the time to up the pace.

“The pandemic redefined work in many ways and forced all of us to adapt to different ways of collaborating,” said  Klaxoon CEO and founder Matthieu Beucher. “We’ve all sat for hours in front of our computers in meeting after meeting; it’s time for collaboration and meeting tools to adapt to the new reality of work, so that organisations and their teams can be most productive and efficient no matter where or when they are.

“It’s time to shake off the shackles of time and space and blend in-person and remote work. After hosting more than 10 million workshops, we’ve witnessed teams gain vast efficiencies transitioning meetings into more collaborative workshops.”

Klaxoon’s new workshop platform is designed to allows teams to run productive workshops in what the firm says will be “a very simple way”, anywhere and from any device. It integrates what is claimed as “an unmatched” collection of features and services, such as whiteboard, chat and communications tools, information sharing features, automated reporting and built-in video-conferencing, to effectively engage teams and get things done in hybrid settings.

Information can be shared from any source by any of the participants and displayed on a whiteboard. There are said to be no limits to sharing of ideas, with participants able to comment and ask questions, take polls and share their screens. Importantly, said Klaxoon, workshop participants and others can continue their work after the initial session – whether together or separately, with access to all the shared information and ideas. A news feed keeps everyone informed about all the latest actions in their workshops.

The Klaxoon platform enables any number of people to connect with audio and video -- using the built-in Klaxoon capability or another conferencing platform such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom – with the ability to share information of any type (documents, images, presentations, spreadsheets). The entire work session is saved and can be exported as an automatic report to share with anyone. After the live session, the information is preserved and can be accessed by any authorised user, who can continue to add information, ask questions or comment.

As well as software, Klaxoon provides optional hardware to facilitate virtual workshops, such as a network device that sets up a private network anywhere for up to 100 people, as well as touchscreen meeting boards available in sizes ranging from 49in to 65in.

“Our new workshop platform is not at all like other collaboration tools or conference software that tend to be one-time meetings,” added Beucher. “What we’re delivering is actually better than a finite group of people gathered in one physical location at one point in time.”

The firm’s new US office will be in Boston with an initial staff of 15. The company expects that number to grow to 100 by the end of 2022. Beucher and several other Klaxoon executives will relocate to the new site.