Zvoove bought Fortytools to reach small cleaning firms its ERP missed

Zvoove provides ERP and workforce software for the commercial cleaning industry, plus temporary staff recruitment across field work

Zvoove's ERP software mostly appealed to larger cleaning companies, and it had bought Dutch commercial-cleaners' communication platform Leviy in 2022 as its first cleaning-software acquisition.

In January 2023 Zvoove acquired Fortytools, an Ahrensburg-based SaaS startup used by around 500 cleaning companies, to add what CEO Oliver Muhr called an 'easy-to-use and intuitive ERP-SaaS solution' for smaller providers asking for 'a sleek solution'. Fortytools cofounder Sebastian Gauck said clients would get new quality-management and recruitment tools and, soon, complete payroll services, letting the startup push digitalisation to smaller businesses with Zvoove's backing.

Zvoove's ERP appealed to large cleaning companies but not to small ones — a hole in its funnel.

Eighty-three percent of cleaning providers name digitisation a priority, per an industry poll Zvoove cited.

Fortytools brought 500 existing cleaning-company customers and an app-first product.

It was Zvoove's second cleaning-software bolt-on in a year, after Leviy.

A vertical software leader can buy its way downmarket: the enterprise player's missing SMB product already exists as someone else's startup.

As of 16 January 2023 Fortytools was joining Zvoove's portfolio, with quality management, recruitment and payroll additions promised to its clients. No financial terms or integration timeline were reported.