About Foko Retail
Foko Retail is a Retail company based in Ottawa (Canada) founded in 2013 by Marc Gingras and Colin McDonald, and was acquired by WorkForce Software in May 2021. Software solutions for store operations and workforce management. Foko Retail has raised $5.45 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including WorkForce Software, BDC and Canadian Space Agency. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Marc Gingras. The company was acqui-hired. Foko Retail offers products and services including Time and Attendance, Absence Management, Scheduling, and Labor Forecasting. Its focus areas include In Store Retail Tech, Store Operations Management, Workforce Management and Task Management.
Company details
Foko Retail was founded in 2013 in Ottawa, Canada, and operates in the retail software sector. Solutions for merchandising, store operations management, workforce scheduling, monitoring, reporting, and analytics are offered to offline retailers. Integration with existing POS systems is supported. Features include photo sharing, direct messaging, file exchange, directive circulation, feedback collection, and group conversations to facilitate store communication.
- Headquarters Ottawa, Canada
- Founders Marc Gingras, Colin McDonald
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsRetail
- Emailβ’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’
- Phoneβ’β’β’β’ β’β’β’β’
- Website fokoretail.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by WorkForce Software (May 2021)
- Total Equity Funding$5.45M (USD)
in 3 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$3M (USD), Seed
Feb 2021
- InvestorsWorkForce Software
& 5 more
- Acquired byWorkForce Software
(May 2021)
Products & Services of Foko Retail
Foko Retail offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Time and Attendance, Absence Management, Scheduling, and Labor Forecasting.
Software for tracking employee hours and attendance.
System for handling employee leaves and absences.
Platform for creating and optimizing work schedules.
Tools for predicting labor needs and costs.
Funding Insights of Foko Retail
Foko Retail has successfully raised a total of $5.45M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Seed round of $3 million completed in February 2021. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $5.45M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Seed β $3M
- First Round $450,000
(Jan 2014)
- Investors Count 5
All 3 funding rounds of Foko Retail with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2021 | $3M | Seed | β | BDC | |
| Dec 2014 | $2M | Seed | β | β | |
| Jan 2014 | $450,000 | Seed | β | β | β |
6 investors in total: 6 institutional.
Investors in Foko Retail
Foko Retail has secured backing from 6 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include WorkForce Software, BDC and Canadian Space Agency.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Early-stage venture capital is provided to Canadian technology startups by Real Ventures. | realventures.com | Montreal, Canada | ||
Venture capital investments in startups are provided by Mistral. | mistral.vc | Toronto, Canada | ||
Commercial banking services for small and medium-sized enterprises are provided. | 1944 | bdc.ca | Montreal, Canada | |
Business support and economic development services are provided in Gatineau. | idgatineau.ca | Gatineau, Canada | ||
Canadian space agency focused on social and economic benefits | 1989 | asc-csa.gc.ca | Longueuil, Canada | |
Provider of suite solutions for contingent workforce management | 1999 | workforcesoftware.com | Livonia, United States |
Investor details for Foko Retail
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Foko Retail
2 people are tracked at Foko Retail (2 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Marc Gingras | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Colin McDonald | Co-Founder & Director | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Foko Retail
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
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Timeline of Foko Retail
4 dated milestones of Foko Retail across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Foko Retail is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $450K.
- Funding Latest funding round, Seed, of $3.0M.
- Exit Acquired by WorkForce Software.
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Related news about Foko Retail
Complete news archive for Foko Retail
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Frequently Asked Questions about Foko Retail
Foko Retail was founded in 2013 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Foko Retail is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. It is registered at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Marc Gingras is the CEO of Foko Retail, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
Foko Retail is a funded company, having raised a total of $5.45M across 3 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $450K, raised on Jan 2014.
Foko Retail was founded in 2013 in Ottawa, Canada, and operates in the retail software sector. Solutions for merchandising, store operations management, workforce scheduling, monitoring, reporting, and analytics are offered to offline retailers. Integration with existing POS systems is supported. Features include photo sharing, direct messaging, file exchange, directive circulation, feedback collection, and group conversations to facilitate store communication.
Foko Retail offers Time and Attendance, Absence Management, Scheduling, and Labor Forecasting.
Foko Retail has 6 investors. Key investors include WorkForce Software, BDC, Canadian Space Agency, ID Gatineau, and Real Ventures.
Yes. Foko Retail was acquired by WorkForce Software in May 2021.

