The founder of Leeds startup WAC has raised a further £500,000 in bridge funding after demonstrating traction with the app for shift workers.
Georgina Fairhall, known widely as George, recently raised £1m in pre-seed funding for the app, which has tracked more than 11.5m shifts and seen more than 360,000 installs.
WAC says the app has attracted paying users in 30 countries.
WAC’s bridge investment round includes contributions from two VCs, angel investors from Lifted Ventures and other angel investors. Seven women angels from the Lifted Ventures investor network have now supported WAC, it says.
Fairhall spent years working in hospitality, where she continuously encountered the issue of not being paid correctly – a problem WAC is actively tackling. In a bid to champion low-paid workers and ensure no shift worker experiences the frustration of missed hours and incorrect pay, she also stepped away from a potential career in law.
WAC provides hourly-paid workers with tools to track, organise, and manage their income. Users can monitor their shifts, estimate their earnings in real-time and ensure they are being paid correctly.
The app includes a rota organiser, tax and payslip estimator, and dispute resolution features.
Fairhall told BusinessCloud at the start of the year that she was anticipating a “huge 2025” for WAC after securing funds from Praetura’s PraeSeed programme.
“This investment marks an exciting step forward in our mission to ensure hourly-paid workers have control over their earnings,” she said of the bridge round, which is soon to close.
“Having experienced first-hand the struggles of inaccurate pay, I am passionate about making WAC a trusted tool for millions of workers worldwide. We are grateful for the support of Lifted Ventures and look forward to growing WAC further.”
Jordan Dargue, co-founder of Lifted Ventures, added: “WAC is a game-changer for hourly-paid workers, providing much-needed financial transparency and empowerment. Georgina’s vision and determination have built a platform that is not only innovative but deeply impactful, and we are thrilled to support WAC on its journey to scale.”