An Even Better Place to Work
WestBIC is an Enterprise Ireland partner providing hands-on startup support, funding readiness and investment preparation for early-stage founders in the west of Ireland.
An Even Better Place to Work, bp2w®, is an Irish-owned, CPD-accredited, self-managed employee engagement and performance improvement SaaS platform, based in Co. Mayo. Founded in 2022 by CMO Orla Bakeberg and CEO Brian Bakeberg, the company helps organisations move beyond traditional engagement surveys, by turning employee insight into practical, real-time action, behaviour change and culture improvement. Currently deployed in 16 countries and localised in 5 languages, serving 50+ clients.
Key supports received during the start-up process and the role WestBIC played.
A significant milestone for bp2w® was securing Enterprise Ireland's Pre-Seed Start Fund (PSSF), a €100,000 CLN, building on the company's earlier Pre-Seed and Strategic Feasibility Funding of €34,000. WestBIC played a central role throughout the PSSF process acting as the interface between bp2w® and Enterprise Ireland and providing practical, hands-on support, as the business prepared its application.
The team at WestBIC helped bp2w® sharpen the pitch document, strengthen how the company described its value proposition, clarify the market opportunity and test the growth plan. This guidance gave bp2w® a stronger, better-structured case going into the application and helped the founders communicate the business with greater confidence and clarity.
The relationship has continued beyond the initial funding approval. WestBIC remains engaged with An Even Better Place to Work, supporting future investment opportunities and providing access to mentors, pitch guidance and creative support as the company moves into its next stage of growth.
Words of advice & key issues for new start-ups.
· Seek out accredited, experienced supports early. A body like WestBIC does not simply support your funding journey; it pressure-tests your thinking and helps you tell your business story with clarity.
· Know your numbers and your model before you seek funding. A strong pitch is built on substance first and polish second.
· If international growth is part of the vision, build a plan that can flex across markets from day one. Retrofitting an international strategy later, is far harder than designing for it at the outset.
· Protect what makes the product genuinely different. For bp2w®, that means keeping the tool employee-owned and self-managed, rather than positioning it as another top-down monitoring system.
· Expect the process to take longer and require more documentation than founders may anticipate. Build that time into your runway from the beginning.
Plans for the Future
An Even Better Place to Work, bp2w®, is currently progressing a five-market expansion strategy, with a phased rollout planned across: Ireland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, South Africa & Canada.
The company’s target is to reach sixteen enterprise clients and generate €1 million in recurring revenue by July 2027. To support this ambition, bp2w® has already developed a refreshed brand messaging and strategic positioning framework, a five-market campaign plan, a sixty-day social media content plan, a channel-by-channel content guide and a distributor partner acquisition plan.
The platform already has strong proof points, such as one client moved from 63% to 96% staff retention through bp2w®’s self-managed diagnostic approach. An Even Better Place to Work, bp2w®, was also named a finalist in the Innovation Category at the 2026 Small Firm Awards, further recognition for an Irish SaaS platform with global growth potential.