Toronto-based corporate catering startup Thriver (formerly Platterz) laid off 75 employees, representing 50% of its 150-person workforce, in the second quarter of 2020. The drastic reduction was a response to a significant revenue dip caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated the corporate catering industry as offices closed and remote work became widespread. The layoffs primarily affected non-Canadian operations in Israel and the US as the company centralized its functions and shifted to remote customer service. Concurrently, Thriver secured a $43.8 million CAD Series B funding round to pivot beyond food into broader virtual employee engagement and workplace wellness verticals, focusing new hiring on research, development, and marketing.
