KPN Ventures invests in ‘Internet of Tools’-company Viloc

• 2016-11-15

KPN Ventures has invested in Viloc, an innovative provider of tracking solutions for equipment and tools in the construction industry. The investment is in line with KPN’s strategy to grow in ‘Internet of Things’ services and partner with innovative technology companies in that field.

Viloc offers a solution based on ruggedized transmitter tags that are firmly attached to tools and equipment ranging from drills to concrete mixers. These transmitter tags enable construction companies to track the status and location of their tools 24/7 via a web and mobile application, helping customers improve tool management and reduce theft.

Zandhoven, Belgium-based Viloc was founded in 2010 by Tim Gestels, later joined by Mark Thijs and Jeroen Spinnewyn. The company has received support from Gent-based incubator iMinds and raised seed funding among others from iVenture, PMV and a number of Belgian business angels. Viloc already tracks more than 25.000 tools for construction companies in Belgium and the Netherlands, monitoring their equipment in tool warehouses, containers and vans and on construction sites.

Herman Kienhuis, managing director KPN Ventures:

“The Viloc team has developed a low-cost plug & play product which delivers real value for construction companies. We see great potential for their solution, especially when combined with connectivity through KPN’s nationwide long range low power (LoRa) connectivity network, something KPN and Viloc are working on to introduce during the first quarter of 2017 in the Netherlands.”

About Viloc

Viloc is a Belgium based scale-up company specialising in Tool Tracking and Automated Tool Management for the construction, installation and equipment-rental industry. Viloc provides a complete solution to the challenges of tool- and equipment- management. It integrates the best technologies (Scanning, GPS-tracking & Viloc Tags) into one easy-to-use platform. Specifically for smaller and less expensive equipment, Viloc developed the Viloc Tag: a tiny and unique tracking device that is attached to any kind of equipment and automatically transmits data about its status and location.