For far too long, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have been stuck in an inefficient loop when it comes to IT procurement.
Traditional leasing models lack flexibility, while outright purchasing requires hefty upfront costs—neither of which suits the dynamic needs of fast-growing businesses.
With 25 million SMEs still underserved in tech leasing, the market is looking for a smarter solution.
Meet Ooodles, the UK-based fintech that’s redefining IT procurement.
In this edition of the “New Kid on the Block” series, we had a chance to interview Leonardo Poggiali to learn more about the idea behind founding Ooodle, the company’s sustainability and circular economy idea, how it helps businesses, and much more.
Solving IT procurement challenge for SMEs
The company’s deep understanding of the challenges faced by SMEs, and the tech needed to solve them comes from its founders, CEO Leonardo Poggiali and CTO Kannan Reghu.
“For most employees, having access to the internet and a functioning IT device is essential. If your laptop, mobile phone, or desktop stops working, you stop working and the whole business grinds to a halt,” says Leo Poggiali.
“Kannan and I have worked in IT and tech for years and were always shocked by the amount of time and money wasted by Heads of IT trying to source, manage, and supply hardware to their teams. Having previously helped launch a similar company in the B2C space (Grover), we saw a clear opportunity to create a better solution for SMEs. Our goal was to build a platform that made IT hardware procurement simple, cost-effective, and automated, making sure every employee always had the right device for their needs at the right time,” adds Poggiali.
Simplifying IT for SMEs
Ooodles is an all-in-one IT procurement platform for SMEs, streamlining purchasing, logistics, and financing to cut IT management costs and time by over 50 per cent.
“Our vision is to make IT hardware as flexible as a cloud-based service, giving businesses the ability to adapt at the click of a button,” adds Poggiali.
Ooodles offers a customisable Pay-As-You-Go model that combines the immediacy of purchasing with the flexibility of leasing.
Starting at £3 per month, SMEs can adjust lease terms without penalties and receive credit if they choose a cheaper plan.
SMEs can use a single platform to manage tasks like credit approvals, inventory management, and upgrades with just a few clicks.
Ooodles helps simplify repairs and end-of-life issues, responding to the sustainability needs of businesses and consumers.
It also uses AI to assist SMEs in selecting the right devices for their requirements.
Sustainability and the circular economy
With its AI-powered proprietary tech platform, Ooodles OS promotes sustainability through a reuse-recycle model, providing businesses with cost-effective access to technology.
“Sustainability and the circular economy are central pillars of the Ooodles mission. Ooodles only offers products designed for long-term use and guarantees extended device lifecycles. Before, during, and after a lease, devices are repurposed within our customer base or through our network of partners, ensuring they find a second life rather than ending up as e-waste. This is even the case when clients ask Ooodles to decommission IT purchased from previous providers,” explains Poggiali.
The Ooodle advantage
SMBs typically juggle multiple vendors for IT procurement, including manufacturers, retailers, couriers, repair centres, banks, and insurers.
This complexity leads to inefficiency, wasted time, and unnecessary, often spiralling or hidden costs.
As a multi-brand platform, businesses no longer have to juggle multiple suppliers.
“No other provider considers the complexity of IT logistics. Delivering a monitor to an office is very different from collecting and replacing a laptop for a remote employee who needs pre-installed software,” explains about logistic integration.
Ooodles automates these logistics, factoring in product type, location, and user needs.
By integrating logistics and financing, Ooodles gets rid of the need to coordinate between couriers, leasing companies, and banks, streamlining the entire process into a single, frictionless experience.
“But what truly sets us apart is the Ooodles Way – unmatched flexibility that lets businesses upgrade, return, or change devices without penalties. No more stockpiled laptops gathering dust; no more employees frustrated or demotivated with outdated tech. And because sustainability is at the core of everything Ooodles does, every device is repurposed, refurbished, or responsibly recycled, making sure businesses reduce waste while keeping their teams equipped with the best tools for the job,” he adds.
Funding and future expansion
The UK company raised a $2.7M funding extension from āltitude VC, Europe’s first SME tech fund, with participation from existing investors and Traditum, a Private Investment Office with principals from IT and banking.
“The nature of the Ooodles business model requires both equity and debt financing. Our fundraising history is available on Crunchbase but our last, £2M equity round was completed last year to support our expansion into Ireland and fuel further investment in automation. We plan a Series A within the next 18 months,” reveals Poggiali.
Besides funding, the company also announced its first international expansion to Ireland.
Since its launch, thousands of devices have been recycled and repurposed by Ooodles as part of its virtuous reuse-recycle loop.
The company plans to be fully carbon-neutral by 2026.
“Right now, we’re focused on expanding within the UK and Ireland while enhancing automation. Larger clients are organically pulling our services into new geographies, which we are open to exploring, but our core focus remains on refining and scaling our existing business model,” concludes Poggiali.