Bolste™ the new Business Operating System (BOS) that simplifies the lives of business teams launches today, backed with $5 million in funding. The launch comes after a strong beta testing period in which more than 18,000 users joined the platform, including teams from Accenture, Harley Davidson and the Arizona Small Business Association.

Bolste is built on the premise that communication, collaboration and productivity apps are too complicated, fragmented and difficult to learn to gain dramatic efficiency benefits for businesses. To make it easy for users, Bolste brings numerous tools together into one system. Within minutes, users can begin working and sharing without needing to download additional integrations or paying for various apps. Bolste is available online and via iOS and Android apps.

Users can trial the free version or upgrade to the Bolste Pro package for $9.99/month for unlimited project channels, unlimited guest users, 7GB of secure storage and user interface branding. Bolste also offers an Enterprise package that features unlimited channels, unlimited secure storage, third party integrations, onboarding and training. Pricing for the Enterprise package is customized.

Bolste is backed by $5 million in funding after closing their Series A round in December 2015. Investors include prominent business leaders Jim Kellner, the former President of Applied Systems which Kellner led to an acquisition exit value of $1.8 billion and Jim Bullock, CEO of Zyga Technology. Advisors include Stanley Laybourne, former CFO at Insight Enterprises Inc. (NSIT), and David Friend, Co-founder of Carbonite.

Key features of Bolste include:

Bolsters™ – People-centric workspaces where internal and external members can connect and communicate privately utilizing a suite of integrated tools

Brand Customization – Users can customize the look and feel of their individualized portal to match their brand or identity

Invitation Based Rewards – A user experience system that encourages app engagement and outreach to unlock benefits and maximize usage

Activity Feed – Bolste’s user-friendly dashboard acts as a mission control center for each user, giving a quick read on all activity happening since their last login

Security – The platform leverages the industry’s highest security standards with all services hosted via AES-256 bit encryption

Live Docs – Documents on Bolste allow users to edit and track collaboratively in real-time

Admin statistics – A dashboard for admin users that measures their team’s app usage, most used features, Bolsters created, and latest activities

Global search – Allowing users to easily find members, files, tasks, notes and more within Bolste

“Bolste helps users get control of their business operations in seconds,” said Leif Hartwig, founder and CEO of Bolste. “Businesses are using outdated technology such as emails and apps to communicate and run their businesses. There simply hasn’t been any major change since emails were introduced over 20 years ago. The result is low productivity, missed opportunities and unhappy employees.”

Hartwig adds: “The few apps that have tried to combine all these into one interface are painfully complicated to install, configure, and learn. In addition, they are very expensive. Users are becoming more discerning and expect productivity and collaboration software to deliver performance right out of the gate. That is exactly the promise we’re excited to deliver on with Bolste. Our platform helps people exchange information more efficiently, making it easier to share ideas, documents, and manage important tasks to keep employees, clients, and teams all on the same page.”

To learn more about Bolste, visit www.bolste.com. To join, new users can sign up for a free or paid version or be invited by a current member of the network.

About Bolste

Bolste™ is the leading business operating solution, designed to simplify work-life and help businesses grow by streamlining communication, workflow and collaboration. Founded in 2015, Bolste is built on proprietary technology and is the only instantly-usable system of its kind, available on the web and via iOS and Android apps.

In beta, Bolste is already used by more than 18,000 users and growing. The company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information visit www.bolste.com