Baton Rouge-Based Startup Receives Funding From Innovation Catalyst and Red Stick Angel Network
OfficerReports, a Baton Rouge-based software startup and member of the Nexus Louisiana Technology Park, has been selected to receive significant funding from Innovation Catalyst. OfficerReports, which helps security guard companies manage their remote employees, will use the funding for key strategic hires to fuel expansion. As OfficerReports allocates the initial tranche of investment, its funding round will remain open for another 90 days.
In addition to new employees, the company has also expanded its services. OfficerReports offers sales and billing solutions through its OfficerBilling.com platform, and is in the beta phase of OfficerHR.com, which offers talent management solutions.
As OfficerReports has grown, its client base is expanding beyond the security guard industry to fit a variety of needs. These clients include janitorial and health care companies currently using the platform, as well as interest from potential clients as large as the Fortune 500. This broad appeal for OfficerReports’ offerings is also sparking interest among investors, said founder and CEO Courtney W. Sparkman.
“As we started evaluating the platform,” he explained, “what we developed is not technology that’s used only to manage security guards. It’s a platform used to manage remote employees.”
“We’re continuing to see more companies and roles adapting to long-term remote work, and they need tools and resources to support and manage these employees in a virtual environment,” said Bill Ellison, CEO of Innovation Catalyst and the Red Stick Angel Network. “We are proud to support and invest in OfficerReports, which is developing innovative solutions for new and existing problems. We’re excited to see the company’s continued growth supported through our coaching, capital and connections.”
While OfficerReports was created to serve the security guard industry, Sparkman has found that clients across verticals and industries need help meeting remote employees’ needs. For example, all companies with remote employees require effective communication and the ability to measure performance and maintain accountability.
Organizations clearly need to manage remote teams effectively, regardless of location. To meet this dynamic need, OfficerReports is focused on growth through getting the right people in place.
Sparkman said that OfficerReports is using this new funding to hire a vice president of software development, a vice president of lead generation and multiple sales positions, with additional hires pending.
Sparkman recognizes the value of hiring top talent to drive performance. “We have employees all over the place, Central America, East Coast, Gulf Coast,” he explained. “We’re everywhere.”
OfficerReports and Sparkman’s wide network and ability to connect with top talent and industry leaders are rooted in Baton Rouge.
“I used to believe it was about what you do that makes you successful as a company,” explained Sparkman, who’s been in Baton Rouge for the past seven years. “And it’s a little of that. But it’s also who you know.”
He credits Nexus Louisiana with helping to build his extensive professional network, including strategic, legal and technical advisers, and vendors. “Without those folks, I don’t know where I would be,” he said. “All of that was driven through Nexus.”
ABOUT NEXUSLA
Nexus Louisiana’s mission is to accelerate the growth of high-potential companies by providing them with coaching, capital and connections. Our programs leverage regional collaboration to foster mentorship, investment and opportunity for local entrepreneurs to grow their ideas and transform the technology industry in Louisiana. For more information, please visit https://nexusla.org.
ABOUT OFFICERREPORTS
OfficerReports is a software company that focuses on creating solutions that support and enhance the efficiency of security guard professionals. OfficerReports is building end-to-end, integrated solutions for the security guard industry to make it easier for you to focus on what you do best. For more information, please visit https://officerreports.com/.
ABOUT INNOVATION CATALYST AND RED STICK ANGELS
Innovation Catalyst was created by Nexus Louisiana in 2012 as a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit venture development company investing seed capital in Louisiana ventures. Innovation Catalyst collaborates with existing resources throughout the state to identify, engage, educate and connect Louisiana entrepreneurs to the right resources to accelerate their business. The Red Stick Angel Network is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Innovation Catalyst. Its members are accredited investors, or “Angels,” located in the greater Baton Rouge area.