Tech startup invites technicians who lost jobs to join team

MANILA – Technology startup Teko is inviting technicians who lost their jobs amid the pandemic to be their partners as it aims to expand its appliance service business.

In an online media briefing Wednesday, Teko chief executive officer and co-founder Farah Barre said the company targets to deepen its reach in Metro Manila, as well as expand the business in Central Luzon and Cebu.

Teko is a three-year-old online platform that enables homeowners and businesses to book home services by professional technicians for repairs and maintenance of appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, water heaters, and mobile devices.

The startup is currently operating in Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. It will soon be expanding to Davao City.

To support the business expansion plan, Barre said Teko opens its doors to technicians who were laid off by their companies.

“Some of them already reached out to us, those whose service centers closed or their company laid them off,” he said in an e-mail to the Philippine News Agency.

Meanwhile, Teko chief operations officer and co-founder Chris Teodoro said the company has over 3,000 partner technicians.

Barre said Teko also targets to grow its Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions by collaborating with manufacturers in providing after-sales services.

He said this will allow manufacturer and distributor after-sales organizations to tap the large pool of partner technicians through the Teko platform.

The entire after-sales process will be powered and supported by Teko, enabling manufacturers to easily connect their customers, call centers, service centers, after-sales support teams, and parts suppliers all on a single platform, he added.

“When the economy rebounds and consumers start purchasing new items, Teko is well-positioned to also benefit from their collaboration with manufacturers and distributors,” Barre said.

Current Teko’s partners include Carrier, Condura, Midea, Toshiba, Haier, Kelvinator, Totaline, Imbera, and Aiwa.