Esper lays off 21% of its staff in second round of cuts since June

Bellevue-based device management startup Esper has laid off employees for the second time since June.

On Tuesday, Esper confirmed to the Business Journal the company had laid off 21% of its staff. The new round of layoffs comes after Esper laid off 12% of its staff in June.

"Despite strong customer and revenue growth in 2022, we felt it necessary to optimize the efficiency of the company’s operating costs given the unpredictable business environment in 2023," Esper wrote in a statement. "Thus we made the difficult decision to eliminate roles across the company. Esper will continue to power exceptional device experiences for its global customer base while continuing to grow efficiently with the funding we currently have."

Esper didn't provide information on how many employees remain after the cuts or how many employees were laid off. Esper has about 260 employees listed on LinkedIn.

The company raised a $60 million Series C round in October 2021, when co-founder and CEO Yadhu Gopalan said Esper had about 150 employees and could easily double its headcount over the course of a year. At the time, the company was growing its physical footprint in Bellevue and planned to open an office in the Bay Area. In addition to Bellevue, Esper has an office in Bengaluru, India.

Esper, founded in 2018, helps clients update and manage fleets of internet-connected devices, such as kiosks and tablets. The company's clients include Taco Bell and the patient monitoring company Spire Health. Esper has raised more than $100 million to date. At the time of its Series C round, Esper said it had more than 200 paying clients and more than 2,000 developers using its technology.

Multiple local tech companies have laid off employees recently. Seattle-based electric bike company Rad Power Bikes had three rounds of layoffs in 2022, while Bellevue-based digital marketplace OfferUp laid off 19% of its staff in November.