It’s a tough time for several tech startups amid the COVID-19 disaster, but some corporations are however boosting funds.

Seattle startup Bateau declared a $1.5 million pre-seed spherical Monday led by Founder’s Co-op, with participation from Alumni Ventures Group, Liquid 2 Ventures, Ride Ventures, and angel buyers.

The year-old business sells safety and compliance software program to organizations that need to handle operations in a number of locations.

The thought is to lessen the burden on HQ workers and discipline workers on being up-to-day with the latest guidelines. Bateau also allows automate report trying to keep.

Bateau CEO and co-founder Paul Jarvis formerly put in seven many years at Palantir, functioning in internet site trustworthiness and finance functions roles. His co-founder Henry Hutcheson was an engineer at FullStory and Amperity before launching Bateau with Jarvis this earlier June. They have just one extra staff.

The company was originally focused on consumer industries this sort of as retail and hospitality. But once the COVID-19 pandemic strike, Bateau was approached by a senior living care company that desired to make sure security guidelines and requirements were staying followed constantly at all its communities.

“There’s a large need to enable verifiable compliance in the senior dwelling space in distinct, and we’re really concentrated there right now as that’s exactly where the largest want is,” Jarvis reported. “But we also hope to be equipped to assistance other multi-place firms like merchants and dining places as they seem reopen and operate properly in the coming months.”

Even though numerous tech startups are slashing expenses and cutting staff members thanks to the financial crisis, some providers are receiving a lot more attention to meet up with new need brought about by the pandemic.

“Now a lot more than at any time, supporting the get the job done of dispersed teams with regularity and verifiable effectiveness is an urgent want throughout a substantial swath of the economic climate,” Founder’s Co-op Running Associate Chris DeVore explained in a assertion. “We’re excited to be doing the job with these kinds of a fantastic established of co-buyers to support Bateau carry this important resolution to sector.”